It was 2014 when the folks at For Love of the Lake first had the idea to revamp the playground at Flag Pole Hill, the 107-acre outdoor paradise that has been a city park since 1929. The current playground, which was installed around 1998, is not accessible to all children. FLOTL officials wanted to build something enjoyable to any child or parent, regardless of their sensory or physical limitations.
“It’s not a playground that’s just for disabled children or adults,” says Max Davis, president of FLOTL. “But it’ll be much more than the traditional playground you see around Dallas.”
The city’s Park and Recreation Department was supportive of the effort back in 2015, but asked the nonprofit to wait because Flag Pole Hill was about to get an even bigger makeover. With its rat-infested buildings and aging facilities, the city saw that it was time to improve the well-utilized park. Neighbors were invited to give input about how and where to make those improvements last November, where most said they wanted to keep it as it is, with plenty of wide-open spaces.
The city is again looking for input this week, with a community meeting schedule for Thursday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Gracehill Community Church, 8535 Ferndale Road. New city manager TC Broadnax will be there to hear from neighbors for budget planning, and options for the new master plan at Flag Pole Hill will be considered. All are welcome to attend.
Davis says once the new master plan is finalized, his organization will begin planning the playground specifics. They have already contracted La Terra Studios, the group behind upgrades at the North Haven Trail and the playground at Allan Shivers Park at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. And they’ve sought financial backing from one of Dallas’ best-known athletes. The Jordon Speith Family Foundation, which helps a wide swath of causes from youth sports to military veterans, expressed interest in supplying a matching grant for the playground project.
“They were excited we had a project that worked with their foundation,” Davis says, adding that the discussion was put on hold while the city develops its master plan. “We haven’t gone back to confirm that [grant], but we’re hopeful that’ll all work out.”
Building a disability friendly playground isn’t cheap. FLOTL expects it’ll cost around $400,000 to cover everything, including resurfacing the 100-foot-by-80-foot lot (assuming the playground keeps its current location in the new master plan).
“Once the city finishes its master plan we can start planning the playground,” says Elisabeth Akin, executive director of FLOTL. “We’ll be asking the community for input, we want to make it a space for everyone.”