It didn’t even take the entire day.
From 8 a.m. until about 3 p.m. nearly 150 volunteers-including about 20 from the U School of Medicine-were able to build a custom-designed children’s playground in the Modesto Park neighborhood on the west side of Salt Lake City.
The project was the result of a combined effort from about a dozen sponsors, including The Home Depot, Kaboom-a non-profit organization which provided the materials to build the playground-and Bank One, among others.
The University/Neighborhood Partners and Bend-in-the-River, a project headed by the U Bennion Center, were also sponsors.
The playground, which was built due to the lack of such an asset in the Glendale neighborhood, was made possible by $35,000 from The Home Depot and $5,000 from the University/Neighborhood Partners, said Irene Fisher, director of the U partners.
Fisher and her staff work just blocks away from the site of the park at the partner’s west-side house at 900 W. 1000 South, and are part of the presence the U has had in the area for about eight years now, Fisher said.
Just across the Jordan River is the Bend-in-the-River project.
The Modesto Park is the fourth playground build in Utah in the last two years, said RaeLynn Rushton, Team Depot district captain for The Home Depot.
“It’s a good visual example of the community coming together,” she said.
The medical school students came directly after class, at about noon.
“We wanted to be in a program that was not exclusive to minorities,” said Itoro Elija, a second-year student at the medical school and co-president of the Association of Minority Medical Students.
Even in temperatures upward of 90 degrees, the project was complete by the anticipated time.
“It’s not hard work, by any means,” especially since organizers provided lunch and refreshments, Elija said.
For Van Turner, a Salt Lake City councilman representing District 2, the collaboration of so many meant two main things.
“It means that the people of Salt Lake City care about the west side,” he said.
Also, it reinforced the partnership between the U and the neighborhood.
“The significance of the U in our neighborhood is immense. As far as the U’s outreach, there’s no end to it,” Turner said.
One of the main goals of the partnership is to send west-side students to the U, to keep it a “strong” institution, he said. The result of the day’s work was one most seemed pleased with.
“This is one of those really great moments,” said Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, who was on hand for the park’s ceremonial opening.
“It really has exceeded our expectations,” said Jeremy King, a local resident of Glendale who had the initial idea of building the playground.
“This is where [children] will play until they’re adults,” said Turner, calling the playground a “safe haven.”
“I’m excited about it. I hope they do it again,” Elija said.
Fisher is confident that the playground represents just the beginning of ongoing collaborations between the U and other community members.
“This is not just a one-time thing,” Fisher said. “We’ve got to maintain it.”