In 2004, the neighborhood park at Elmwood and Rugged was overgrown, and its main attributes were some outdated and rarely used playground equipment.
Neighbors celebrated the finishing touches of the Elmwood park’s eight-year makeover with the ceremonial opening of the Elmwood Parkway Trail. City Council member Delia Jasso and county commissioner Elba Garcia cut the ribbon with park department staff and neighborhood residents Saturday morning.
“There was nothing here at all,” says Elmwood Neighborhood Association president Randy Cress. Past presidents Connie Briggs and Samantha McClintock are among the many neighbors who fought for park improvements.
Money from the 2006 bond program paid for the park’s $450,000 trail. The park also features a half basketball court for children 10 and younger only, thanks to a $200,000 grant from the Bass Foundation. A full court is on the opposite side of the park. A few years ago, neighbors, the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks and the park department planted crepe myrtle trees, which are in bloom. Neighbor Bill West has plans to install more landscaping in the park.
