We editors at D are curious. Some days we’re wondering what will happen next with Rica y Chato. Others, we discuss how Mayor Leppert really hurt those ribs. And, sometimes (not often) but sometimes, we wonder about things that matter, such as all this crazy construction going on around us.
Since we’re chained to our desks due to that monthly print issue, we decided to send out our wonderful, new interns to do some legwork. We told them to give us weekly updates on the construction projects we can see from our windows. Today’s installment is from Katie Minchew, a graduate from Baylor. Jump for her first report on The Park.
“London has Hyde Park, Philadelphia has Fairmount Park, New York has Central Park, and we have NorthPark [Center],” says Kristin Gray, director of development for the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. Gray is enthusiastic as she relays all the impressively specific details about the 5.2 acre (that’s more than five football fields!) project. Children’s Gardens, Boone Family Dog Park, Arts Plaza, etc.
But the latest and greatest news is all about the beams. This week will mark completion of 50 percent beam placement across Woodall Rodgers. Each beam is 110 feet long and it takes two to span over the freeway. The massive beams up close are daunting. Seeing their incredible size and strength would make any previously wary fan of the park feel worry-free about playing, dancing, running, and dining at a park floating above a major roadway.
To celebrate The Park, there is a Friends of the Park happy hour today at 6:30 p.m. at Saint Ann Restaurant in Dallas. Park and Recreation Board President Mike Rawlings is keynote speaker for the evening. Members and future friends are welcome. For more information, go here. –Katie Minchew
