FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 18

Achievements

F

or the 10th straight year, the
Purchasing Division received the
Achievement of Excellence
in Procurement Award. The City
is one of only 43 Texas governmental
agencies and one of only 58 cities
nationwide to receive the award.

The Parks and Recreation Department
received the Park Design
Excellence Award from the Texas
Recreation & Park Society for its work
in the creation and development of
the Southwest Nature Preserve. The
58-acre preserve opened in 2013 and
is a turf-free property, which minimizes
the need for mowing and watering,
reducing maintenance costs.
The National Association of
Housing and Redevelopment
Officials recognized the Arlington
Housing Authority for its initiative
to develop and creatively implement
an innovate program that addressed
the impact of foreclosures on the
community. The program effectively
stabilized targeted neighborhoods
hardest hit by home foreclosures. At the
time of the award, 36 vacant foreclosed
homes had been acquired, renovated
and occupied by qualified homebuyers.

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In May, Police Chief Will Johnson
received the 2013 Gary P. Hayes
Memorial Award from the Police
Executive Research Forum
(PERF). The award is presented

annually to an up-and-coming law
enforcement professional whose
character, record of leadership and
commitment to better policing embody
the ideals of Gary Hayes, PERF’s first
executive director.
Stephen Booher, the City’s
Organizational Development Specialist,
was presented
with the
2013 MLK
Sharing
the Dream
Award in
Government
by the
Arlington
Martin Luther
King Jr.
Celebration
Committee for his commitment to
changing the world by advancing
opportunities for people with
disabilities.
In November, Parks and Recreation
Director Pete Jamieson received the
Texas Recreation & Park Society
Park Professional of the Year
Award. Jamieson, who retired from
the City at the end of 2013, oversaw
many successes during his 32 years
with the City, including the creation
of River Legacy Park, Johnson Creek
and Caelum Moor. During his tenure,
the City grew from 1,748 park acres to
more than 4,700 acres.
The Arlington Municipal Court
received a Traffic Safety Award at
the Texas Municipal Courts Education
Center’s Traffic Safety Conference. The
award highlights the department’s work
to educate the public about the dangers
of distracted driving, drunk driving and
the importance of car seat safety. In FY
2013, the department received a grant
to install 76 child booster car seats for
lower income families.