Gray Facilities and Parks Director Mo Russo recently won the Outstanding Parks Professional Award from the Maine Recreation and Park Association.

Russo received the award at MRPA’s annual conference at the Samoset Resort in Rockport on March 16. Accepting the award on Russo’s behalf were Town Manager Michael Foley and Recreation Director Anthony Dahms. Dahms praised Russo for his problem-solver attitude, and for always choosing the right thing to do over what was easier to do, saying that there was no one else he would rather fight Canadian geese with. Foley said that he found Russo and his staff to be extremely dedicated, praising their unwavering dedication and Russo’s willingness to take on countless unique roles.

Dahms told the Lakes Region Weekly, “I nominated him because he does a lot of work that’s not unseen, but it’s enjoyed by many.”

“I was very surprised,” said Russo, who was under the impression that he was accepting a town-wide award, “it was a humbling experience to realize that my peers think that much of me that they would nominate me for that award.”

Russo has been working as parks director for 6 1/2 years, and some of his more noteworthy projects include the construction of a playground, basketball and pickleball court at the Henry Pennell Municipal Complex. Russo is also trail manager for Libby Hill Forest.

Regarding his plans for the coming year, Russo said that the parks department had received a grant from the state to build a boat ramp at Crystal Lake, and it will also be working with the developer for the Gray Water District to install new recreational fields.

MRPA Director Robin Kroger told the Lakes Region Weekly that her organization usually gives out awards like this as part of its annual conference, asking members to nominate people in several categories. The other winners, she said, included Todd Souza, former recreation director in Scarborough, who won the William Haskell Distinguished Professional of the Year Award; the Brunswick Recreation Center, which won the Facilities of Merit Award; Greg Fyfe of the York Parks and Recreation Department and Glynn Roth of the Bridgton Recreation Department who, respectively, won the Volunteer of the Year and Citizen Volunteer of the Year awards; and Zach Lambert of the Gorham Parks and Recreation Department, who won the Dr. Bill Eckhart Young Professional Award.