Roseville Parks, Recreation and Libraries pursues CAPRA accreditation; staff describe 154-standard self-assessment

Parks, Recreation and Libraries staff briefed the commission on Feb. 3 about their application for CAPRA accreditation, a national park and recreation agency accreditation awarded by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

Jill Geller, the department director, told the commission the department has completed a self-assessment covering 154 standards and attached about 882 documents as evidence of compliance. “We would love for Roseville Parks, Recreation and Libraries to be among that elite 2% of park and recreation agencies,” Geller said, describing CAPRA as a rigorous process of self-assessment and evidence submission.

Geller explained that CAPRA requires agencies to meet all 36 fundamental standards and 90% of the remaining standards; a three-person review team is currently reviewing the department’s submission and will make a recommendation. Reviewers scheduled a site visit in Roseville for the week of April 28; the CAPRA board will make a final accreditation decision after receiving the review team’s recommendation, and the department anticipates attending a hearing at the NRPA conference in September to learn the official outcome. Geller said reaccreditation occurs every five years and that the department must file a short annual report in the interim.

The item was informational; commissioners asked about staffing and maintenance of accreditation standards. Geller said staff across the department contributed to the submission, with different staff assigned to chapters and document collection, and that reaccreditation will require substantially less work because documentation and practices will already be in place.