Kessler Park steps: Photo by Danny Fulgencio
It’s more complicated than cost, but that is a lot of money.
Kessler Neighbors United, a neighborhood association, raised $71,000 and donated it to the city as part of an effort to restore a set of stone steps in Kessler Park.
The path, built in the early 1920s, traverses the steep landscape from Edgefield to Canterbury Court and is part of the neighborhood’s original design.
Neighbors downhill began using the steps to walk their children to and from the Kessler School a couple of years ago, and that stirred interest in restoring the steps. The neighborhood association raised most of the money through their Kessler Krawl party in April.
Their efforts to restore the steps hasn’t been without a fight. Two homeowners with property adjacent to the steps sued the city in December 2015, claiming that the steps at least partially are on private property and asking for a judgement that the city of Dallas has no right to restore the steps.
That case is still in litigation.
But City Councilman Scott Griggs says the donated money will allow the city to design about 60 percent of the restoration, which will allow for a more accurate estimate. Previous estimates have ranged from $50,000-$200,000.
