News Politics

Parkland Celebrates Liberty Park Improvements with Ribbon-Cutting

by David Volz November 28, 2023

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Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at Liberty Park on Tuesday. {David Volz}

By David Volz

Jen Solf and her son Carlos enjoy visiting Liberty Park in Parkland. They missed the park while it was being rebuilt but attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 28.

“This park feels like a treehouse, and I love all the trees in the park,” said Solf.

Carlos, 8, is in the third grade, and Jen is a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. “We go to all the parks in Parkland, and this is our favorite one.

Jennifer Sainato brought her two children, Viviana, 6, and Paul, 8, to the event. “We love coming here. The work they did was very impressive.”

Before the ceremony, the children played on the new equipment and enjoyed an ice treat. Then, all the children were invited to participate in the ribbon cutting. However, after the brief ceremony, they returned to playing on the new equipment.

{David Volz}

“I think the redevelopment of Liberty Park was very impressive. There are plenty of trees, and they have made it better,” said Mayor Rich Walker.

Commissioner Simeon Brier was impressed. “This redevelopment was awesome, and it looks very nice. The kids will love coming here to play,” he said.

During the event, people discussed how Liberty Park is a community park and how it was a matter of pride in the surrounding neighborhood where residents helped build it.

In 2001, the Liberty Park playground was built by a partner agency, Build-a-Park, and residents who helped where they could. According to Karla Shores, communications manager for Parkland, the recent renovations to the park were partially funded by the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program.

The work on the park was extensive. The playground equipment, fencing, and picnic area improvements cost about $950,000. The work involved replacing the playground’s rotten wood and all the plastic lumber walkways, stairs, and railings to keep the same playground design, according to Shores.

{David Volz}

Most of the slides and all the playground equipment were replaced. The swing sets were replaced. The wood fence was replaced with plastic lumber. The gazebo roofs were replaced with metal roofing. According to Shores, the decks, tables, and benches were replaced with plastic lumber.

This first phase has been completed. Phase II is under construction. It will include renovations to the existing restrooms, improvements to the parking area, and additional landscaping and resurfacing of existing trails. This will cost about $615,000 and will be done in 2024 and 2025, according to Shores.

Now that much of the work has been completed, families look forward to returning to the park.

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Author Profile

David Volz

David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.