Paducah Parks Services Dept. receives awards through Ky. Recreation and Park Society | News

PADUCAH, KY (KFVS) - The Paducah Parks Services Department took home two awards at the Kentucky Recreation and Park Society annual conference held November 12-14 in Frankfort.

The department was honored with the Outstanding Department Award and the Outstanding Program Award for Bikes on Broadway.

“Paducah Parks Services is always growing, changing, and adapting," said Parks Services Director Mark Thompson. "The staff is dedicated and works hard, and it shows in the quality of the services and facilities that we maintain and provide. We are here to serve our community and offer programs that are affordable and fun for all.”

Paducah Parks Services is a department of 24 full-time staff with one director, two superintendents, two maintenance supervisors, two recreation specialists, 15 maintenance workers (one is part-time), and a busy clerical staff of three. In the past couple of years, the department has added the Paducah Recreation Center and its expanded programming on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, upgraded Stuart Nelson Park’s softball fields, constructed the Paducah Dog Park, upgraded the parking lots and roadways at Noble Park, added disc golf baskets to Midtown Golf Course, and celebrated the groundbreaking of the next phase of the Greenway Trail.  The department also is working on the plans to renovate the Noble Park Swimming Pool before next summer.

Bikes on Broadway began five years ago with a local business, BikeWorld, approaching the City of Paducah with the idea. Cities from coast to coast were closing streets to invite safe cycling and encourage health and wellness. Paducah Parks Services thought this was a great idea to promote wellness, strengthen families, and better the quality of life for the citizens of Paducah.

Bikes on Broadway is offered several times each year typically on a second Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Vehicular traffic is not permitted on Broadway between 4th and 17th Streets allowing for a safe riding environment for people-powered vehicles. The event averages 150 participants and has seen as many as 300 participants.

For more information about the award-winning Parks Services Department, visit www.paducahky.gov.

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.