The International City/County Management Association has recognized the town of Clarkdale as one among 10 local governments for its “outstanding programmatic contributions to local government,” according to ICMA Awards Program Manager Felicia Littky.
“The town of Clarkdale received a Program Excellence Award in the Community Sustainability category for the demonstration of water sustainability in their Centennial Plaza project,” Littky stated. “The award recognizes innovative local government programs or processes that creatively balance a community’s social, economic, environmental and cultural needs.”
Littkey added that the ICMA Local Government Excellence Awards Program highlights creative contributions to professional local government management while demonstrating “the difference that this kind of management makes to the quality of life in our communities.” ICMA’s Program Excellence Awards are presented to local governments, their chief administrators and others within the 10,000-plus member organization in recognition of their innovative and successful programs.
This year, a 21-member evaluation panel reviewed the eligible nominations.
According to the awards packet produced by ICMA in concert with Carkdale Town Manager Gayle Maberry, the Centennial Plaza project began in 2011 and included plans “to install a demonstration permaculture garden on Centennial Plaza, a one-acre grassy area in front of its historic Clark Memorial Clubhouse, the community’s social and political hub.”
The completed system, which harvests rainwater from the clubhouse roof and stores up to 5,100 gallons in underground cisterns and nine catchment basins, has resulted in a savings of more than 2.1 million gallons of water and $19,000 in water bills.
“The town of Clarkdale is very honored to receive this prestigious award from the ICMA,” Maberry stated. “This an award our whole community should celebrate.”
“Our Town Council set a vision for a sustainable community, our citizen’s endorsed that vision through the adoption of the town’s 2012 General Plan and our staff worked hard at every stage of
this project: Planning, construction, implementation and maintenance to achieve not only an award-worthy result for Clarkdale, but a project that is a true demonstration of sustainability for our community.”
We congratulate the recipients of our 2016 Program Excellence Awards and the administrators and managers who lead them,” ICMA Executive Director Bob O’Neill stated. “The communities and men and women recognized this year set the standard for innovation, effectiveness and creativity. We thank them for their commitment to improving the lives of the constituents they serve every day.”
