Southfield Living Voulme 9, Issue 1 Spring ... - City of Southfield

So u t h f i e l dLivingSpring / Summer 2011P&R Awa r d sSouthfield Parks & Recreation wins 2010 MRPA ParkDesign Award for Carpenter Lake Nature PreserveThe City of Southfield Parks & Recreation Department haswon the 2010 Michigan Recreation and Park Association(MRPA) Park Design Award for the City’s Carpenter LakeNature Preserve.MRPA Design Awards are given annually to MRPA memberorganizations for outstanding work in the areas of facilityand landscape/site design. The City won for the newCarpenter Lake Nature Preserve located on 10 Mile Roadjust east of Inkster Road along the Ravines Branch of theRouge River in Southfield. The preserve features 42-acresof mature Oak-Hickory woodlands, forested wetlandsand native meadows overlooking the beautiful five-acreCarpenter Lake. The preserve offers residents nearly onemile of nature trails, interpretive signs and trailheads,numerous benches and easily-accessible fishing andviewing platforms. Future plans for Carpenter Lake NaturePreserve include the addition of a new nature interpretivecenter that will provide environmental education programsand displays.“It is an honor to be recognized by MRPA for the City’s newCarpenter Lake Nature Preserve,” commented Parks andRecreation Director Bill Waterhouse. “Many elected cityofficials, staff and departments worked closely together tomake the Carpenter Lake restoration and nature preserve agreat success. It truly is a quiet retreat in the woods locatedright here in the heart of the city.”Founded in 1935, the Michigan Recreation and ParkAssociation (MRPA) is a statewide non-profit associationrepresenting the parks and recreation industry.Southfield Parks & Recreation Director Bill Waterhousewins 2010 MRPA Fellowship AwardCity of Southfield Parks & Recreation(P&R) Director Bill Waterhouse wasrecently named as the recipient ofthe 2010 Michigan Recreation andPark Association (MRPA) FellowshipAward, the Association’s highesthonor.Individual awards are presented toMRPA members who reflect the higheststandards of the parks and recreationprofession. The individual awards arethe highest honors that the associationawards. The Fellowship Award ispresented to a member who hasconsistently demonstrated significantinvestment, support and guidance tofellow professionals. Nominees mustalso be a member of MRPA, in goodstanding, for a minimum of 20 yearsto be eligible.As Parks & Recreation Director, Mr.Waterhouse has overseen a staff of upto 44 full-time employees and almost300 part-time/seasonal staff. He isresponsible for over 150,000 squarefeet of facilities and 774 acres ofpark land and open space at 33 sitesthroughout the City. P&R facilitiesinclude the Southfield Sports Arena,Evergreen Hills and Beechwoods- 14 -golf courses, Beechwoods RecreationCenter, Adult Recreation Center 50+,the Parks & Recreation buildingincluding the Southfield Pavilion, andthe Burgh Historical Park.Mr. Waterhouse has been an activeMRPA member for 35 years in additionto serving on a number of committeesin various roles. He has always showedsignificant support to the profession,the association, and most importantly,the residents of the City of Southfield.