Uptown Dallas, Inc. (UDI) celebrated the completion of the first public playground in Uptown, Dallas on Tuesday. The ceremony was complete with ribbon cutting, streamers, special guests, families and of course children cheering, singing and playing.
“The fastest growing demographic in Uptown belongs to ages 0-4 years old,” said Nolan Marshall, President and Executive Director for UDI. “These are our future leaders.”
The event featured a catered reception and student performances from Notre Dame School of Dallas Cheerleaders and second graders from Ben Milam Elementary School. Guest speakers included Councilmember Philip Kingston, Park Board Member Paul Sims, UDI’s Chairman of the Board Katy Slade and UDI’s President and Executive Director Nolan Marshall.
District 14 Councilmember Philp Kingston received plenty of cheers making note that “Ben Milam is one of the highest performing elementary schools in DISD.”
“Uptown is Texas’ hottest neighborhood and one of the fastest growing places. There’s vibrant real estate and real estate developers want happy children near their listings and Uptown is a symbol of success,” Kingston added.
The new playground, featuring modern equipment, marks the final installation in the overall park plan as it is part of a UDI led multi-million dollar, multi-phase renovation of Griggs Park. The new playground is situated on the southeast side of the park whereas the company completed a basketball half-court on the northern point last May. The 8-acre oasis complete with Dallas skyline view is nestled in Uptown’s State Thomas Neighborhood.
“It’s wonderful when you have a great public/private partnership,” said City of Dallas Park Board Member Paul Sims. “The most important thing we can do as the City is work with organizations like Uptown Dallas, Inc. to make sure we can facilitate these projects and bring such important amenities to the neighborhood.”
Construction for the new playground was made possible with donations from The Hillcrest Foundation, Baylor Medical Center at Uptown, The Theodore and Beulah Beasley Foundation, Inc. and construction work was completed by Henneberger Construction Company. Owners and leaders from each company made special appearances at the ceremony including Robert Beasley, Victoria Vanderslice, Jon Duckert and Debra Phares.
“With the surge and addition of families in Uptown we’re thrilled and we see the numbers and demographics,” stated Katy Slade, UDI’s Chairman of the Board. “People are in search of a great, vibrant, urban lifestyle and they get that here in Uptown.”
In true Uptown fashion the event was filled with thoughtful charm including notebooks for guests with colorings of the park and playground by students of the Notre Dame School of Dallas and a whimsical display of candy for the children.
In the spirit of family friendliness, Uptown Dallas, Inc. will be hosting their second annual Uptown Family Fest in West Village on April 29th, 2017 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. The free event includes balloon artists, face painters, music, magic and more.
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About Uptown Dallas, Inc.
Uptown Dallas, Inc. (UDI) is the nonprofit management company focused on the public improvement of the Uptown district (PID), with emphasis on capital improvement projects, maintenance, mobility, public safety, urban design and marketing. Uptown is Dallas’ premier live, work, play district. For more information, visit uptowndallas.net and follow Uptown Dallas on social media.
