Neighbors Join Together To Create Playground

David S. Berra, a landscape architect with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department, knew the new playground at Lions Park was a hit shortly after a ribbon-cutting in June.

"A kid ran up to me and said, 'This is awesome!' and then ran away," Berra says. "It was a good feeling to know they appreciated our work."

The new playground came about because of the deep involvement of people who live in neighborhoods around Lions Park, just west of Raleigh Boulevard in the East Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) district.

The Parks and Recreation Department worked with the East CAC to enlist residents in designing and assembling the playground. It was the department's first attempt at this type of public involvement process.

The project started in fall 2009 when Parks and Recreation representatives met with the CAC to talk about improving the playground, which was out of date and had maintenance problems.

Both children and adults eventually took part in designing a plan that exceeded the city's available funding. But by making the project a "community build," in which neighborhood volunteers came together to assemble the playground equipment, the city saved $20,000, Berra says.

Working with the CAC, the city put out the call for 60 volunteers to install the new playground equipment. Well over that number showed up for the community "build day" on May 1.

"There was an amazing turnout," says Mark Turner, chairperson of the East CAC. "I would look around, and everybody was sweating, but almost everybody had a smile on their face. And the kids enjoyed watching the whole spectacle."

The new playground includes slides, monkey bars, a fire pole, and a sandbox, among other features. There is a section for 2- to 5-years-olds and another section for older children. A rubber surface guards against injuries from falls.

"It was a group effort, and I think the results speak for themselves," Turner says.

Since the work at Lions Park, the Parks and Recreation Department has been involving other neighborhoods in playground improvement projects. Some are funded through KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit. The Department also plans to continue to work with CACs on getting the public involved in such projects, building on the success at Lions Park

"It's a great playground, and people are enjoying it, and they've taken ownership of it," Berra says. "This is their playground."