ALL WORK, THEN PLAY!

Christmas came early Monday when the new Central Park playground opened

After years of planning and well more than a week’s worth of manual labor, more than 100 eager kids take over the park’s new centerpiece

The Box Car Days midway has nothing on Central Park. A large contingent of Tracy youth gathered in the park on a idyllic Monday evening, patiently waiting for the new playground to open. As if waiting for mom and dad to let them open their presents on Christmas morning, more than 100 wide-eyed kids surrounded the playground, eager for the adults in the room to give their speeches and cut the ribbon to officially open the park’s new centerpiece.

Moments after Tracy Park Board member Rhonda Fredericks cut the ceremonial ribbon, the kids set themselves free and sprinted past the grownups to play with their new gift.

“This is a night to celebrate something really special here in Tracy,” Tracy City Administrator Jeff Carpenter said. “This isn’t just a pile of slides and swings — like it was here a few weeks ago — it’s a symbol of teamwork, generosity and community pride.”

Carpenter went on to thank the dozens of those who volunteered their time and skills to help put up the new equipment last month. He also called out the Park Board, which was instrumental in making the playground dream a reality.

“I want to give a special thanks to Diane (Campbell),” Carpenter said. “Three years ago when she said she wants to be a part of this … it wasn’t just, ‘Hey can I be a part of this?’ It was, ‘I’m going to be a part of this.’ She spearheaded every meeting, every agenda, every phone call that needed to be made. Even when some of the equipment didn’t show up or a bolt didn’t fit, she was the one that kept everybody calm.”

Carpenter also acknowledged Public Works Director Shane Daniels and his crew and other City employees for “rolling up your selves and juggling your responsibilities and still finding time to assemble the playground.”

The work by the City crew and others, Carpenter said, not only saved the City money, but also exemplified the pride they have in their community. Carpenter said Tracy Fire Chief Dale Johnson III went above and beyond in bringing in fire department members and his construction crew for putting in a week’s worth of work.

“That’s dedication, or maybe just really good leadership,” Carpenter said. “Either way, we’re thankful to Dale and Johnson Construction.”

Carpenter recognized Minnwest Bank and the Tracy Lions Club for putting in their time as well.

“There are many others who pitched in — neighbors, parents, volunteers and friends; this truly was a team effort. Because of all of you, we have a space for kids to laugh, climb, play and make memories for years to come.”

Carpenter ended his speech by reminding the crowd that the playground is just one step in the overall plans of revamping Central Park. He mentioned the new roof that will be put on the bandshell, improved electricity throughout the park, the future addition of a watering system and warming house.

“And we’re going to try to get the water fountain going — we’re doing our best to get that done, too,” said Carpenter. “The continued efforts with your work, donations definitely help to make a great park — and all of our parks in Tracy. Let’s take a moment to celebrate what we built — not just a playground, but a stronger community.”

With that, Park Board member Rhonda Fredericks took the stage and thanked everyone who pitched in to help the board achieve its goal.

“You’ve made our dream come true; we worked on this for four years,” she said. “We finally did it, we finally have it!”

One of the volunteers who put time in to help put the proverbial pieces together was Burke Gardner, a newcomer to Tracy. Gardner said he didn’t hesitate to answer the City’s call to action.

“If you’re part of a community, I see it as a responsibility to step up and help how you can,” Gardner said. “Sometimes that’s volunteering and helping out with whatever needs to be done — picking up a shovel, or a hammer. Sometimes, it’s financial, but not everybody can write a check.”

Even though he is new to Tracy, the spirit of volunteerism runs deep with Gardner.

“What better way to meet people?” he said. “We’re new to town, and I think it’s important to try to get involved.”

One aspect of Tracy that compelled Gardner to move his family here was its strong sense of community and what he called active investment by the town’s residents.

“We went back and read a bunch of back issues of the Headlight Herald, trying to figure out what is the flavor of the town, what are the issues that the town is dealing with; I saw with the funding secured for the playground and the community center that is coming … we knew that Tracy seemed like a good place to move. Seeing the actual playground, it exceeded my expectations. The Park Board went above and beyond in all the work they did.”

Board member Marianne Ankrum found the words to explain the evening hard to come by.

“We really got what we were looking for,” she said. “This is a success. We did it. I just can’t say thank you enough to everyone — there were so many pieces to this. The support we had was unbelievable. We had support from the community by furnishing food for the workers; we couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Fellow board member Connie Anderson admitted there were times over the last few years that the dream realized Monday might not ever come true.

“There were times we didn’t think it would happen with costs so high and the restrictions with grants,” she said. “It just took a long time but we all did it.”

The turning point in the City’s efforts to be able to afford the Play & Park equipment came when the City got in on what amounted to a half-price discount on the actual pieces, including hardware.