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Fair Park community park gets $8.6M federal grant
Dallas is getting an $8.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service to help build a new community park at Fair Park. The investment is a huge boost for the long-awaited project.
DALLAS - Dallas is getting an $8.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service to help build a new community park at Fair Park. The investment is a huge boost for the long-awaited project.
Fair Park community park renderings
The grant is part of the park service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program’s investment being made to only 54 projects in the country.
Dallas Councilman Adam Bazaldua said the Fair Park community park will help to right the wrongs of the past. That involved the use of eminent domain to build the parking lot near the Dos Equis Pavilion.
The new park will reclaim some of the parking lot for a green space complete with a children’s play area, a water feature, a pavilion for gatherings, and a large lawn for everything from fitness classes to outdoor movies.
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$8 million federal grant for Fair Park
Updated plans for the new 18-acre community park at Fair Park include one of the largest playgrounds in the metro area... An $8 million grant was given to the community for the park project.
"The fence will come down along Fitzhugh, creating a welcoming entryway for the surrounding communities of Fair Park," Bazaldua said. "The new park will serve as a catalyst attracting more opportunities and investments to South Dallas while creating a vibrant space where residents can live, work, play, and connect."
The park project still needs $9 million more in funding. But the grant changes the trajectory following claims that Fair Park’s for-profit operator, Oak View Group, misused some of the donations that were made to the nonprofit, Fair Park First, specifically for the community park.
Fair Park First is now partnering with the Dallas Foundation to manage donations and ensure they are used for the intended purpose.