A community effort to replace a 15-year-old playground at J.W. Dunlop Park starts Saturday, July 24. The park is located at 1500 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd., east of Fielder Road in north Arlington. Organizers say the project is community driven. Arlington’s youth, its residents and businesses are participating in the fundraising, design and construction of the playground. Park planners say the playground is in need of costly repairs.

The playground in J.W. Dunlop Park is described as one of the most popular and widely used facilities in Arlington because of its design, shade provided by a grove of large, native trees, and convenient access to Interstate 30 and east Fort Worth. According to Project Manager Joe Pack, the community gains a true sense of ownership when they have helped to finance and build value in their neighborhood.

"The community-build experience offers a rare opportunity for residents to collectively give back to their community, resulting in a unique expression of shared pride," said Pack who is a park planner with the City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department.

The Arlington Sunrise Rotary has a goal to raise $100,000, which will match the City’s $100,000 in park bond funds approved by voters in 1997. Rotary members helped to raise money in 1989 to build the existing playground.

Volunteers will replace gravel, repair loose nails and remove unsafe equipment at playground.

Park designers from New York will arrive in Arlington to visit with youth and solicit their input for the preliminary design of the playground. Interviews will be conducted at the Elzie Odom Recreation Center. Leathers and Associates of Ithaca, N.Y. is a community-build playground company and design firm. They designed the existing facility in 1989.

The pavilion is located in River Legacy Park at 701 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd. In case of rain, the event will be moved to the Elzie Odom Recreation Center. The preliminary design of the playground will be unveiled along with a presentation of how community-build projects work.