After 6 years, our little pocket park is getting improved features based on direct input from neighbors back in 2017. Then, the Stone Park Better Block was organized to survey neighbors about what improvements to the park they wanted to see, and asked them to help build and demonstrate those ideas. Making the park more usable for all was the goal of the project. At the time, many neighbors were starting families or young families were moving in, so the focus became how can the park be enhanced for children and parents. Ideas like adding a table to the bench area, a toy box for donated toys for kids to play while parents chatted, adding a barrier fence along the Edgefield side so parents felt a little safer to let children wonder, enhancing pedestrian access with crosswalks, a bicycle rack, a stage for impromptu concerts or buskers, a swing, a hammock, a little library were all incorporated into a design, and then built by neighbors to demonstrate at an event to see how participants would react, get their feedback, and see how they would use the new features.

Since 2017, little by little after new KHCD boards came and went, starting and stopping, a pandemic, and retiring Parks Department employees all played into the long, delayed timeline. Jonathan Braddick, a KHCD neighbor since 2006 and former KHCD President, had led the original project, but lost the energy and time needed since family life took hold. His aunt and uncle, Wayne and Susanne Braddick, had volunteered in 2017 , and wanted to get involved in shaping the improvements once they retired. Living next to the park, they both had a vested interest in improving the park by making it more useful and beautiful. Wayne decided he would take the lead with the city and take the original ideas across the finish line along with Jonathan.

Collaboratively, they both have worked over the last year or so with District 1 Councilman Chad West, and particularly Dallas Parks Board appointee J.R. Huerta, and Dallas Parks staff to get the ball moving again and improvements implemented. Private donations were raised but several items were already readily available to the Parks department and could be installed without additional funding. Now that the first phase has been completed. the next phase will focus on adding new plantings to the existing landscaping. Here’s a breakdown of the added improvements to-date:

• Stone rocks along Edgefield to act as a visual border and landscaping element (2023)
• A stone table fills in the space next to the benches (2023)
• A little library from a private donor (2017)
• A water fountain for humans and pets (2023)
• A bicycle rack (2022)
• The KHCD Stone Park rock added back in the mid 200s by KHCD, was moved to the southside entrance for better the park’s visual identity (2023)
• Several dead trees were removed from the south border that had died from the past couple years of winter storms (2023)
• An issue was resolved with the water utility account (2022)
• Repaired watering issues (2022)

In the Fall, there are plans for National Night Out to host an event in at the park! Look for more details in late summer.