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Unity Park reopens

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  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Unity Park reopened for the Eglin community and its families April 1.

The 796th Civil Engineer Squadron spearheaded the park's new look. Brian Taylor, of the 796th CES, was placed in charge of the park's reconstruction and renovations.

"The new equipment will be safer for kids to play on, because the equipment won't get hot in the summer, and will prevent kids from getting splinters," said Ivan Cutler, a 796th CES maintenance mechanic. "We're creating a safe environment."

The park's improvements took approximately four months to complete, Taylor said.

The original structure was installed in 2001. Over the years, the pressure-treated wooden structure began deteriorating. After years of periodic upkeep, Eglin leadership agreed that major upgrades were needed.

"Unity Park has experienced a rebirth," said Col. Shawn Moore, the 96th CES commander. "It's now a safe, wonderful place for all of Eglin community members and their families to come to and enjoy. It's the heart and soul of the community."

Unity Park has expanded to a five-acre facility, complete with heat-resistant "green" playground equipment, with preservative and chemical - free mulch under it, for fall protection and borders surrounding it, to help keep the mulch in place.

The park now has four pavilions with awnings and picnic tables; repurposed playground equipment from one of Eglin's Child Development Centers; a sand pit; a rock climbing wall; a plastic drum set; rebuilt and repainted swing sets; and a green chain link plastic fence which surrounds the playground area.

It also has repainted bathrooms open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and a splash pad, an interactive water park that sprays water for children to run through, open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Also included is a PlayPod, a music play set which contains an interactive learning station. Through a smart phone application, patrons can download information about how to safely use the play set and participate in its interactive games.

The green aspect of the park was a critical part of the park's renovation, according to Taylor.

"We wanted to reach back to nature," he said. "We focused on using as many unpreserved, unprocessed materials as we could to make the park environmentally sound. The green theme then carried over to the park's green look - the sign, the fence, the awnings, the sunscreen, the swing sets and the canopies."

Renovations on the park included replacing the deteriorated wooden playground structures, placing borders and mulch in the playground area. The amphitheater, sidewalks and the picnic tables were pressure washed. Even the parking lot was restriped.

Along with the resources provided by leadership, the park benefitted from a "sweat equity" investment from the community, Taylor said.

"Once we put the word out for volunteers, we received plenty of help from people of all talents." he said. "The outpour of community support was tremendous."

Among the many volunteers who helped with the Unity Park project, Staff Sgt. Amy Simpson, the 53rd Wing command chief's executive officer, and Staff Sgt. Annette Lugo-Bello, a member of the 96th Communications Squadron, donated their time to paint swing sets.

"I'm happy to come and help make the park a great place to visit and play," Simpson said.