[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SPRINGFIELD-GREENE COUNTY PARK BOARD 100TH ANNIVERSARY

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                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 14, 2013

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Springfield-
Greene County Park Board's 100th Anniversary.
  The Park Board was founded on May 22, 1913 and immediately assumed 
the maintenance and preservation of Washington and Lafayette Parks, 
both created shortly after the Civil War. By the end of World War II, 
it administered Springfield's ten historic parks, including: Dickerson 
Park Zoo, Doling, Grant Beach, Fassnight, Lafayette, Phelps Grove, 
Sequiota, Silver Springs, Smith, and Washington.
  Tremendous growth took place from the 1950s to the present, 
particularly under the leadership of longtime Parks Director Dan 
Kinney, who more than doubled the size of the system during his tenure 
from 1971 to 2005. The name changed to the Springfield-Greene County 
Park Board in 1996, when voters approved expansion of the system beyond 
city limits.
  The Park Board now counts more than 100 sites and many more 
facilities within its county-wide system, ranging from neighborhood 
playgrounds to multi-use recreational facilities. The system includes 
three golf courses, three Emily centers, a zoo, a farm park, a 
botanical center, several sports and athletic complexes, two indoor 
aquatics centers, six outdoor swimming pools, multiple school-park 
sites and more than 100 miles of recreational trails.
  The Park Board has earned state and national recognition, most 
notably the ``Gold Medal Award'' for best overall parks and recreation 
department of its size in 2000 from the National Recreation and Park 
Association. In 2003, the City of Springfield, Missouri--Greene County 
was named ``Missouri Sportstown USA'' by Sports Illustrated magazine. 
The United States Olympic Committee has designated the Park Board as 
one of its select Community Olympic Development Program sites for the 
sports of tennis, volleyball, archery, and ice hockey.
  Each year, park facilities host more than 50 national, regional, 
state and local tournaments in softball, baseball, soccer, hockey, 
tennis, volleyball and golf, and it maintains an active partnership 
with more than 200 volunteer groups and entities in the area, enhancing 
recreation and outreach both within and beyond parks facilities.
  For 100 years, the Park Board has skillfully managed the beautiful 
parks and recreation facilities throughout the Springfield area, and I 
am confident that the next 100 years will be even more impressive.

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