The long-awaited community park will include gathering spaces, a playground, walking trails, a pavilion, a stage and more.
DALLAS — The long-awaited community park at Fair Park in South Dallas is moving forward with a $3 million funding boost from the state, officials announced Friday.
The long-awaited park, which will span 10.5 acres, will include shaded gathering spaces, playgrounds, walking trails, a fitness hub, a community pavilion and a stage. It’s the signature project of the Fair Park Master Plan.
Officials with Fair Park First and the city of Dallas, as well as state Rep. Venton Jones and state Sen. Royce West, spoke about the step forward for the park Friday.
“We’ve heard too long that the southern sector is being neglected. Well, today is another step to show that we’re moving forward,” West said.
Fair Park First Board Chair Veletta Forsythe-Lill said Fair Park is one step closer to the realization of a decades-long promise.
“We are not there yet, but we are taking steps,” Forsythe-Lill said. “This grant allows us to move toward greening this community, this space and this neighborhood. This grant moves this community one step closer to the promise of a community park, made almost 50 years ago.”
Jones called the park a long-awaited turning point and a promise being fulfilled.
“More than 50 years ago, our community was told that this park, this sacred space, would be restored,” Jones said. “We all know what happened next. That promise was delayed, it was deferred and it was dismissed.”
Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua said moving the plans for the park forward is about “delivering on the promises that are long overdue for South Dallas.
“This is about honoring the needs and the vision of the people who live here in South Dallas and it’s about delivering on the promises that are long overdue for South Dallas,” Bazaldua said.
Daniel Wood of the Dallas Park Board also praised the step forward for the park.
“We will not accept any more delays. We will not accept watered-down visions. We are here to see this park built and built right,” Wood said.
The news of the funding for the community park comes after city officials announced last week that the City of Dallas is taking over the day-to-day operation of Fair Park, home to the State Fair of Texas, and canceling its contract with Oak View Group, the private company hired in 2019 to manage the park.
In December, officials announced $8.6 million in federal funding for the project via a National Park Service program.