Excellence Awards Honor Municipal Collaborations
by Ann Swing Kelly
Eight city programs that embrace collaboration and innovation will be honored with the 2008 Awards for Municipal Excellence, sponsored by NLC and CH2M HILL.The winning cities will receive their awards during a general session at the Congress of Cities in Orlando, Fla.
The judges for the award program had many comments about the winning programs, including: “dynamic;” “courageous;” “sense of pride and ownership;” “great economic development;” “creative, excellent community collaborations;” “astounding results;” and “went through hurdles to make it happen.”
“These cities have demonstrated leadership and imagination in creating municipal programs and are being recognized as winners for the Awards for Municipal Excellence,” said Donald J. Borut, NLC’s executive director. “These programs are illustrative of the types of projects that are improving the lives of residents in cities and towns across the country.”
The Gold winners are:
• Population Category Under 50,000 - Bristol, Va.: Broadband Partnerships & Sustainability Project
• Population Category 50,001 – 150,000 - High Point, N.C.: Overt Drug Market Strategy
• Population Category 150,001 – 500,000 - Henderson, Nev.: Service Guarantee Program
• Population Category Over 500,001 - San Jose, Calif.: Strong Neighborhoods Initiative
The Silver winners are:
• Population Category Under 50,000 - South Sioux City, Neb.: Siouxland Y
• Population Category 50,001 – 150,000 - West Covina, Calif.: West Covina Commercial Center & Sportsplex
• Population Category 150,001 – 500,000 - Boise, Idaho: Charitable Assistance to Community’s Homeless
• Population Category Over 500,001 - Denver: The Five by Five Project
In Bristol, The Broadband Partnerships & Sustainability Project developed the first public utility in the nation to implement triple-play broadband over a fiber-to-the-user network and entered into important partnerships to bring ubiquitous broadband access to six additional counties in the southwest Virginia region.
Developed by the city’s police department, the Overt Drug Market Strategy in High Point is a comprehensive, collaborative, data-driven strategic approach to identify violent repeat offenders by employing prevention and intervention techniques to reduce violence.
The Service Guarantee Program in Henderson was developed using a business model that meets the customer needs with service level expectations. This fee-based cost recovery model is designed for development to pay its way without taxpayer support.
San Jose created the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, a collaborative, resident-focused approach to improving blight-ridden neighborhoods and building strong community relationships.
Siouxland Y of South Sioux City is a unique public-private partnership with the South Sioux City Community School District and the YMCA to develop a regional $10 million recreation center.
The West Covina Commercial Center & Sportsplex in West Covina was created by converting a hazardous and blighted landfill into a model brownfield project consisting of commercial and office developments, as well as recreational amenities for the community.
Boise’s Charitable Assistance to Community’s Homeless program is a community-wide, collaborative effort initiated and administered by city government to address the burgeoning, complex problem of family homelessness.
Denver's Five by Five Project provides Denver Head Start families and children under the age of 5 year-round access and educational opportunities at 12 of Denver’s top cultural venues at no cost.
“At CH2M HILL, we strive to be a global leader in full-service engineering, construction and operations by delivering innovative, practical, sustainable solutions to our clients,” said Ralph Peterson, chairman and CEO of CH2M HILL. “We are proud to celebrate the good work of our municipal leaders as they follow a similar path, resulting in a brighter future for their citizens.”
These awards have been given jointly by NLC and CH2M HILL since 1989 and are divided into four population categories, with two winners in each category, Gold and Silver. Gold winners will receive cash awards of $2,000 and Silver winners receive $1,000. The cash awards will be donated to community nonprofit organizations of the city’s choice. Detailed information about the winning programs along with contact information can be found on NLC’s website at www.nlc.org.
The award winners were selected by a panel of judges, including: Karen Anderson, former NLC president; Mary Beth Lake, Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities; Cy Behroozi, Brookings Institution; Jacqueline Byers, National Association of Counties; Del D. Borgsdorf, Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce; Saul Ramirez Jr., National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials; Carol Rhea, American Planning Association; and Dee Vanderhoef, former council member, Iowa City, Iowa.
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