My Favorite Park

When I was little, my family and I moved to Texas. We lived in a relatively new area, and moving from Ohio to Texas was overall a huge adjustment for my family. However, there were parks and stores a lot closer to our house and it was very convenient. I still remember walking to my favorite playground every day after school. It was called “Mill Creek Park”.

This park was a community park, and it was my favorite place to play. They had a castle playground, swing sets, water fountains, picnic tables, and it was a great family atmosphere. I spent many days at this park, and it was maintained by the city. There were beautiful flowers and statues; it was a very nice park. From what I can remember, this park was a very popular place and all of the kids loved it. With an ideal location and many attractions, it was a fun trip for family outings. However, after a few years the park became to change.

Slowly over time, more and more teenagers began to hang out at Mill Creek Park. Neighbors began to complain due to the loud noise, and the park began to become more “trashed”. It was hard for the city to keep up with the landscaping and the shrubbery and flowers began to die. The playground equipment became considered more dangerous over time, for it was an old park and a lot of the equipment was wooden. Children would come home with splinters and playing at the park was not as fun as it once was. More and more neighbors began to complain about the parks status, and the city began accepting suggestions for a new park plan.

Ultimately the Mill Creek Park was completely torn down. The city built a new park, and they even changed the name. The name changed to “Forest Ridge Park,” named after the newly built neighborhood nearby. However the new park was a positive change and the playground was even better! It was child-safe and it had special playground for toddlers and children with disabilities. It was designed to serve a more educational purpose, for it had games built in to the playground that encouraged number and color recognition. The water fountains were even better, and colorful picnic tables were implemented along with fashionable gazebos.

Overall, the new park was a positive change for my family and many people benefited from the new park. It became more appealing to younger children, and it satisfied kids ranging in age from 2-11. In addition, the park provided a place for children with disabilities to play. The new park had many advantages and the new neighbors referred to it as “Forest Ridge Park.” On the other hand, my family and the older neighbors still called it the ever memorable “Mill Creek Park,” even though the city completely tore it down. However, the city did a nice job preserving the architecture of the original park and adequately responded to the neighbors needs.