The Community Park at Fair Park in Dallas has received a significant boost with a $2.5 million grant from the McKesson Foundation. The grant was announced in the lobby of City Hall and will support the project, which aims to bring together health, community, and access in a way that supports people every day.

Project Details

The park will cover over 10 acres on what is currently Fair Park’s largest parking lot. The McKesson Foundation’s ‘McKesson Market Grove’ will serve as a space for wellness programming, community events, and healthy food initiatives within the park.

Councilman Adama Bazaldua said the investment is critical for the space, which is ultimately designed for the families who live, work, and do life in South Dallas daily. ‘This is tangible. These are real dollars,’ said Bazaldua. ‘This is the philanthropic community coming to South Dallas in a way they’ve never come to South Dallas. And it’s not for others to benefit. This is an investment in the people of South Dallas.’

Jason Brown, a South Dallas native and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Fair Park First, reflected on how far the project has come. ‘You hear studies about the heat island. These large areas of concrete and asphalt that literally increase the temperature in areas,’ said Brown. ‘It shows people out there that folks are not only talking but they’re putting their money up and showing up to improve and have healthy outcomes.’

The price tag for the project sits at about $40 million. Fair Park First had already come up with some $34 million for the project, so this grant puts them nearly at the finish line. Groundbreaking is expected sometime later this year, with the buildout expected to take about 18-24 months.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.