The Oak Cliff community gathered to discuss the latest Glendale Park renovation plans Tuesday evening at For Oak Cliff Community Center.
John Jenkins, Vana Hammond and Zarin Gracey listen to questions after the Glendale Park Master Plan presentation Tuesday, July 22, at For Oak Cliff. (Screenshot via WebEx by Katharine Bales)
The park, covering over 60 acres in South Oak Cliff, is a landmark for residents of the area. It’s undergoing renovations in three phases — one per section of the park. The Glendale Park Phase 1 Implementation Project focuses on the south side.
“We want this to be a signature park,” said John Jenkins, director of Dallas Park and Recreation. “Everything y’all asked for in Phase 1 is in Phase 1 now.”
City council member Zarin Gracey and park board member Vana Hammond, both representing District 3, were also in attendance.
According to the master plan, presented by project manager Vincent Ogbuehi, Phase 1 is estimated to be complete in October. New additions to the park will include a restroom building, signature playground, shade structure, 8-foot trail, 5-foot sidewalk connection, drinking fountain, picnic pads and tables, park benches, pet waste station and trash receptacles. The total design and construction costs are currently estimated at $4.1 million for this phase.
The project officially started in February 2020 but got interrupted by the pandemic, which Ogbuehi said put prices “through the roof” and paused progress. Now, after some delays, Phase 1 is nearing completion this fall.
Phase 2, the scope of which is yet to be determined by community input, is budgeted at $8 million, Ogbuehi added.
“So we can do quite a bit in Phase 2,” he said.
After the presentation, the City opened the meeting to questions.
“About how many stalls are we talking about in each bathroom?” one Oak Cliff resident asked.
The bathrooms, all unisex, will be standard restroom facilities and contain accessible stalls, Ogbuehi said.
“I see that y’all put trash receptacles on [the plan],” the same resident said. “Is that going to include recycling bins and/or composting, stuff like that?”
Renee Johnson, deputy director of park maintenance, said Glendale Park was “a location that [the City] would take a look at” for waste diversion.
Another resident asked about parking accommodations on Ledbetter Drive.
Dallas Park and Recreation will need to discuss a permit with the City so that parking does not impact the surrounding neighborhood, Jenkins said.
Phase 1 marks only the beginning of Dallas’ three-phase project to revitalize Glendale Park, Ogbuehi said. There’s still progress to be made during the second and third phases to follow, but the park will see major improvements by the end of this year.
“These are great things to look forward to,” he said.
Glendale Park is located at 1515 East Ledbetter Drive.
