COLUMBUS, OH Six Ohio State Parks have received “Service Excellence Awards” for 2004, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The awards are based on customer satisfaction surveys and are given annually to individual parks in recognition of outstanding facilities.
Lake Milton State Park in Mahoning County was honored for its outstanding beach, boating facilities and hiking trails.
Others parks receiving Service Excellence Awards were: Malabar Farm State Park in Richland County, Mohican State Park in Ashland County, Deer Creek State Park in Pickaway County, Maumee Bay State Park in Lucas County and West Branch State Park in Portage County.
"State parks singled out for the Service Excellence Awards have received the highest praise from the people who matter most the visitors,” said Dan West, chief of Ohio State Parks. "They set the standards for customer service and we are pleased to recognize their accomplishments."
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score, the facilities and parks receiving the highest scores were:
- Malabar Farm State Park for its picnic areas and visitor center. The picnic areas received an overall score of 4.5 and the visitor center was rated 4.7.
- Lake Milton State Park for its boating facilities, beach and trails. The boating facilities received a score of 4.4, the beach was scored at 4.5 and the trails were scored at 4.7.
- Maumee Bay State Park for its getaway rentals, with a score of 4.6.
- Deer Creek State Park for its 18-hole golf course, which earned a score of 4.4 from users.
- Mohican State Park for its cottages and resort lodge. The average score was 4.4 for the cottages and 4.1 for the lodge.
- West Branch State Park for its newly improved campground. The campground earned an average score of 4.6.
Millions of visitors enjoyed the natural beauty and quality facilities of Ohio's state parks last year. Ohio’s state park system is home to nine resort lodges, more than 500 cottages, six golf courses and 56 family campgrounds with more than 9,000 campsites. For additional information, visit the ODNR web site at ohiodnr.com .