Awards Received by the City of Greensboro
Reader's Digest Recognizes Greensboro as Best of America
The City of Greensboro has been selected as a Best of America city in the Reader's Digest 2011 "We Hear You America" campaign. Greensboro placed in the category of cities with a population between 250.000 and 499,000. More than 9,000 cities, towns, villages and boroughs throughout the country participated in the campaign, which asked residents to vote online for their favorite community. The City earned $10,000 from the publication for all its votes; the money was donated to two community nonprofits. Greensboro is one of 10 featured in the May 2011 issue of Reader's Digest.
GPD's NNO Earns Another Award
The Greensboro Police Department (GPD) has been selected as a National Award winner by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) for its participation in 2010's National Night Out (NNO) crime, drug and violence prevention program. Award recipients are selected based on the area's participation and a post-event report detailing what has been done to positively alter crime that year. GPD's report detailed SCORE efforts by each of its Community Resource Team squads and other City department partners. For 2010's NNO, GPD registered more than 100 communities as participants. This is the department's 15th award for NNO participation since 1993; it has been an NNO participant since the national program began in 1983.
Channel 13 Wins National Award
Channel 13 has received the 2010 Savvy Silver Circle Award for the program Voices of a City. Voices highlights people who have made Greensboro great and who have made positive contributions to the City’s character. The Savvy Awards competition recognizes outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing, and citizen-government relationships. This is Channel 13’s eighth Savvy award.
GTA Wins National AdWheel Award
Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) recently received top honors in the American Public Transportation Association’s 2009 AdWheel Awards, which recognizes marketing excellence in transit operations across the country. GTA is a grand award winner in the electronics category for its radio spot created by Kevin Elwood, Transportation, and produced by Entercom Radio, which hyped new services that went into effect at the beginning of 2010.
City Named Playful City USA Community for Second Year
The City has been named as a 2010 Playful City USA community, recognizing that it ensures its children are active and healthy despite difficult budget constraints. Playful City USA is a national recognition program honoring cities and towns determined to prioritize play and ensure that children are healthy by providing the time and space for play. This year KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to saving play, recognized 118 cities across the country as Playful City USA communities, including Greensboro. The City was also named a Playful City in 2009. KaBOOM! selected Greensboro for 2010 honors because of its commitment to children with its Parks and Recreation Department Adopt-A-Park program, which works directly with neighborhoods to identify and address access issues for existing playgrounds.
 City Designated a Citizen-Engaged Community
Public Technology Institute (PTI) recently announced that the City of Greensboro, along with eight other local governments from across the US, has been designated as a Citizen-Engaged Community for 2010-2012. The recognition is for the City’s implementation of “best practices” of multi-channel (Web, civic media, Interactive Voice Response, 311 / call agents) public access to government services and information. Highlighted were the City’s use of Citizen Relationship / Records Management (CRM), its Contact Center, Web portal technology, telephony systems, Interactive Voice Response, and mobile communications infrastructure to advance new standards for citizen participation and government performance reporting.
Field Operations Earns State Award 
The City's Field Operations Department recently received the Public Sector Star Award by the NC Department of Labor for its exemplary occupational safety and health programs. The department has worked to enhance safety for its 350 employees through an increased emphasis on training and compliance with city and state standards. The results include a more than 45 percent reduction in personal injuries and a 33 percent reduction in vehicle / equipment accidents since becoming a department in 2006. These safety improvements translate into fewer lost work days, lower medical costs, reduced workers compensation costs, and reduced vehicle accident and repair costs – an estimated cost savings of $750,000.
GTA Staff Member Awarded
Kevin Elwood, strategic information specialist for the Greensboro Transit Authority, was recently awarded two awards for Excellence in Communications from the North Carolina City-County Communicators (NC3C). One award was for first place in Special Events for the 2009 Rosa Parks Day event and the second was a second place award in Printed Publications for the Transportation Department Traffic Zone News magazine. NC3C consists of public communications representatives in government from across the state.
GM 911 Award Second International Accreditation for Excellence
Guilford Metro 9-1-1 was recently awarded international accreditation as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED), a standard-setting organization that promotes safe and effective emergency dispatch services world-wide. This is the second accreditation GM 9-1-1 has received from IAED in less than four months; the first was for achieving the Emergency Fire Dispatch Center of Excellence accreditation. GM 9-1-1 is now the 134th emergency communications center / 9-1-1 center in the entire world to be awarded this distinction, and becomes only the fifteenth emergency communications center in the world to hold duel accreditation in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD).
Purchasing Once Again Earns State Award
The City's Purchasing Division received its third consecutive Sustained Professional Procurement Award (SPPA) at the recent annual Carolinas Association of Government Purchasing Spring Conference. Greensboro was one of 12 entities throughout NC to receive the honor. This award recognizes member agencies who have demonstrated sustained excellence in purchasing standards during the calendar year. "It demonstrates the dedication and professionalism of our purchasing staff," says Ron Goodwin, purchasing manager.
Channel 13 Safety Series Earns Notice
Greensboro Government Cable Channel 13 has received honorable mention in the Community Awareness category of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors' 2009 Government Programming Awards for its "Partners in Safety" series. The one- to two-minute programs feature Greensboro Police officers sharing tips on how Greensboro residents can help protect themselves, their families and their property.
City Recognized as Bike-Friendly Community
Greensboro has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a bicycle-friendly community. It's the fourth city in NC to be awarded this distinction. The City was honored for its outstanding work in bicycle safety, education, encouragement, evaluation and planning, among other areas. Greensboro has a long history of cycling and has made progress within the last few years in creating a stronger bicycling community.
Greensboro Named 'Playful' City
The City was recently honored by the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! as one of the nation’s top 93 communities that has taken innovative approaches to making play a priority for the health and well-being of its children. The award, called “Playful City USA,” was given to Greensboro for its Parks and Recreation Department initiatives, including encouraging neighborhood groups to participate in park upgrades by attending neighborhood association meetings, increasing the number of Adopt-a-Park participants, and promoting its Park Watch Program.
Crime Stoppers Wins National Award
Greensboro Police Department's Crime Stoppers program has won the FBI Director's 2009 Community Leadership Award, which honors individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America. Created in 1990, the award is given in Washington, DC by the director of the FBI.
Water Department Wins Safe Drinking Water Excellence Award
The City's Water Resources Department recently received the 2008 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Safe Drinking Water Act Excellence Award for Large Surface Water Public Water Supply System. The EPA’s Region 4 is comprised of eight states in the country's Southeastern region, whose utilities were eligible to compete for this prestigious honor.
Guilford Metro 9-1-1 Wins Technology Award
Guilford Metro 9-1-1 was recently awarded the Solutions Award from the Public Technology Institute for its regional GIS/9-1-1 consolidation efforts. Metro 9-1-1 won in the GIS category for agencies serving a population of 350,000 to 749,999 people. The award was announced at the 2009 Technology Solutions and Innovations Conference and Exposition in May.
Crime Stoppers Program Honored
The Greensboro Police Department's (GPD) Crime Stoppers program has received the 2008 Productivity Award by the Southeastern Crime Stoppers Association. GPD won the award for having the most arrests and dollar amount recovered in the southeast (Delaware to Florida) for 2008. Crime Stoppers' tips led to 720 arrests and more than $242,000 in drugs and property recovered.
Purchasing Receives Award
The City's Purchasing Division of the Department of Financial and Administrative Services has received 2008's Sustained Professional Purchasing Award during the Carolinas Association of Governmental Purchasing's spring conference. This is the second consecutive year the division has received the award and been recognized as one of 12 elite agencies in North Carolina.
Library Wins Environmental Award
The Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) has presented the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library with the Outstanding Environmental Organization Award for 2008. This library is located in the 98-acre Price Park, which includes a bird and butterfly meadow, reading garden, walking trails, ponds, and wetlands.
Water Conservation Campaign Honored
In October 2008, the City received two national awards for its "Conserve Water Now" campaign, which was launched in October 2007. The campaign focused on encouraging Greensboro water customers to conserve water during the historic drought of 2007-2008. The campaign was also used by several other North Carolina municipalities and the Governor's office. The City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) recognized the campaign in two categories of its annual Savvy Awards competition: Most Creative with Least Dollars Spent and Marketing for a Community Issue.
BiPed Plan Wins State Award
On September 28, 2007, the Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department received an Outstanding Planning Award for the Greensboro Urban Area Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway Master Plan, also known as the BiPed Plan. The honor was presented by the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association (NCAPA). The BiPed plan was selected as a project of "unusually high merit" in the category of Comprehensive Planning for a Multi-Jurisdictional or Regional Project.
The NCAPA commented on the BePed Plan's comprehensive nature and the quality. With the rare combination of bicycle, pedestrian, and greenway planning in a single document, the Plan provides for a non-motorized transportation network, rather than separate, disconnected facilities.
Treatment Plant Earns Performance Award
The City's North Buffalo Wastewater Treatment Plant was recently awarded a Silver Peak Performance Award for its outstanding 2006 environmental compliance record. The award, presented by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, recognizes facilities that receive no more than five NPDES permit violations per calendar year.
Greensboro Beautiful Wins National Award
Greensboro Beautiful has received the National Recreation and Park Association's 2007 Voluntary Service Award. Working in partnership with the City, Greensboro Beautiful has sponsored the design and construction of three public gardens and more than 100 landscaped sites on public property throughout the city. Its current project, Gateway Gardens, soon to be developed at East Lee and Florida streets, is the organization’s most ambitious project to date.
P&R Staff Members Honored
Two City Parks & Recreation employees received prestigious awards for excellence in service during the 2007 SC/NC Recreation & Park Association Joint Conference.
Bonnie Kuester, P&R Director, received the coveted NCRPA Meritorious Service Award, which honors “long-term tenure of faithful and accomplished service" in a local Parks & Rec setting. With 39 years of service, Bonnie began her career as supervisor for Special Populations and rose through the ranks, becoming director in 1992.
The second award was presented to Casey Chesson, Lindley Recreation Center Supervisor, as the 2008 NCRPA Young Professional of the Year. Casey provides high quality leisure activities for everyone, while retaining a special interest in serving and advocating for therapeutic recreation.
Activity Book Receives Silver Circle Award
In October 2006, the City's Bicentennial Activity Book for Kids was honored with a Silver Circle Award from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA). The organization conducts its Savvy Award competition annually, recognizing excellence in communications and marketing activities in local governments. Judges commented: "Simple project with simple goal and good execution. Nice use of bright colors for the audience along with applicable and fun questions and games to integrate as a learning experience. Great way to integrate most city departments into the exercise." Outstanding Planning Award
The North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association has selected the Willow Oaks Redevelopment Project to receive its 2006 Outstanding Planning Award - Implementation, Large Community. The award will be presented during the NCAPA conference on October 6 in Hickory.
Agent of Change
Acting Police Chief Tim Bellamy was honored as a "Change Agent of the Year" on May 25, 2006 by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and the Other Voices program. According to his nomination, the Chief has "dealt with personnel issues, discipline, addressed public concerns and ensured responsible quality police services" since being appointed to his position in January. "Tim promotes justice and fairness to all employees and the public with honesty and a willingness to listen, while encouraging his peers and subordinates to do what they have been entrusted to do, treating all citizens with respect and dignity."
 Chamber of Commerce Business Awards
The City of Greensboro received three awards during the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce 2006 Business Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 11, 2006. The Equipment Services division of the Financial & Administrative Services Department received its first Gold Award for Safety from the NC Department of Labor. In addition, the North Buffalo Water Reclamation Facility earned its fourth consecutive Gold Award for Safety.
Also, the City received the Outstanding Media Advocate of the Year Award from the Greensboro Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities for accessibility improvements to the City's website.
Greensboro Public Library
Library Director Sandy Neerman received the “Charlie Robinson Award” from the American Library Association in February 2006. The award honors a public library director who, over a seven-year period, has been a “risk taker, an innovator and a change agent in a public library.” A tireless advocate of libraries and literacy, Sandy Neerman will be honored at the next ALA conference.
Greensboro Fire Department
Greensboro firefighters ranked highly in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Finals held in Florida in late 2005. Only 80 teams in the world qualified to attend this competition. At the completion of the World Finals, the Greensboro Senior Team placed 8th and the Rookie Team placed 20th.
Contact Center
 The Public Technology Institute (PTI) has selected the City of Greensboro's Contact Center as one of its Top 25 Technology Solutions for 2004. Opened in April 2005, the Contact Center provides one number - 373-CITY (2489) - for residents to call for assistance with any City information or services. The PTI award noted the research and consolidation efforts that were needed to ensure that the City Service Representatives were able to respond to any question and initiate work orders to the correct departments. The technology for the Contact Center was designed inhouse by the Management Information Systems department, providing a substantial cost-savings to the organization.
Swiftwater Rescue
In May 2005, the Greensboro Fire Department recently received the Higgins & Langley Memorial Award in Swiftwater Rescue from the National Association of Search and Rescue. The award recognizes preparedness and teamwork under extreme rescue conditions. The fire department was honored for its work throughout North Carolina during last year’s flooding due to the remnants of several hurricanes. This award has been given only four times in the past 12 years.
CityNet
In August 2005, the City's internal Web site, CityNet, received an award from the City-County Communications and Marketing Association, a national organization of government professionals responsible for internal and external communications and marketing. CityNet was created in 1998 as a new tool to provide information to the City's employees. As technology progressed and more employees began using the intranet to obtain information, the City's communications office undertook a redesign of the site to make it more organized, more informative and more user-friendly. The redesigned site was unveiled in October 2004.
Tree City
The City of Greensboro was named a Tree City USA for 2004 by the National Arbor Day Foundation. This is the 14th year Greensboro has received this honor which recognizes environmental improvement and high levels of tree care. Greensboro was cited for demonstrating progress in its community forestry program in the areas of: education and public relations; interpretive program; tree care workshop; tree planting and maintenance; and street tree planting.
Financial Reporting
The City of Greensboro Finance Department has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and Greensboro has represents a significant accomplishment. The City has received the award for 30 consecutive years.
Parks & Recreation
Parks & Recreation has been named one of five recipients of the prestigious "Excellence in Youth Sports Award." The award recognizes outstanding organizations around the world that conduct diverse youth sports programs that focus on providing positive and safe experiences for all participants. The award is presented by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business magazine.
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