The Hopkinsville Division of Parks and Recreation and the Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Hopkinsville Sportsplex were recognized as the top department and facility in the state at today’s Kentucky Recreation and Parks Society (KRPS) Awards Luncheon — capping the professional association’s three-day conference.
The Parks and Recreation team was awarded the KRPS “Department of the Year,” its third such designation in the last six years.
Hopkinsvile Parks and Recreation currently has 11 full-time employees, and won this award in the Class III Division — designated for departments with 11-to-19 full-time staff members. Hopkinsville’s previous two awards came in Class II, before the Sportsplex opened to the public.
The Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Sportsplex brought home “Facility of the Year,” Class III. The honor marks a repeat for the Sportsplex, which won the same award for Class II in 2019, the building’s opening year.
KRPS award winners are not allowed to compete for the same award two years in a row.
“We are proud to recognize the efforts of the Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation Department to not only serve their community, but to adapt and advance the mission of parks and KRPS,” said Terri Wilkerson, KRPS Executive Director. “Hopkinsville is the Swiss Army Knife of parks departments in our state – an efficient team that maximizes their talents to turn out an amazing and creative amount of work. They are a talented and cohesive crew that is more like family and simply continues to outperform limits on departments their size.”
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman said the KRPS Awards Committee recognized the overall body of work for his team, which included the presentation or assistance in 100 programs and events throughout the fiscal year.
The Sportsplex’s nomination for its award also included a COVID-impacted year that still had its 54,000-square-foot facility attract more than 28,000 visitors, and the Sportsplex has become an expanded location for special events, as well as the return of Hopkinsville’s youth basketball developmental league with “Jr. Pro at the ‘Plex.”
“The Hopkinsville awards belong to the whole community,” Brockman said. “Our community’s collaborative spirit shines through in nearly everything Parks and Recreation undertakes.
“With that said, the team of professionals at Hopkinsville Parks and Recreation is so dedicated to making Hopkinsville and Christian County a better place to live. This group works tirelessly year-round to help
improve the overall quality of life in Hoptown.”
