At Blairfield Realty, we believe in giving back to our community. One of our biggest collective pursuits (other than real estate, of course!) is volunteering at Austin’s great public schools. Whether it’s serving on campus advisory councils, mentoring students, chairing school fundraisers or just helping out in the library, classroom or office, we like to make a difference in the lives of local students. That’s why we couldn’t pass up the chance to help beautify Barton Hills Community Park, a common space that is shared by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Barton Hills Elementary, one of our neighborhood schools.
The project began in 2012, when Friends of Barton Hills Community Park (FoBHCP) submitted a five-year master plan for the park. The committee’s vision was to transform Barton Hills Community Park into a vibrant hub of the community, a “neighborhood meeting place designed for and open to everyone that can be used for kickball and baseball, safe outdoor free play, and community events such as star-gazing parties or exercise classes.”
Fundraising efforts for the first phase—playground improvements—officially kicked off in March 2013 with “Come Play.” The event was designed to bring together people from Barton Hills Elementary, the surrounding neighborhood and even the community at large for live and silent auctions, live music and fellowship. When Blairfield Realty was approached about becoming a sponsor, we gladly accepted.
According to event chair Tina Donahoo, the evening was a tremendous success. As she described, “We not only exceeded our fundraising goal that night; we reached a larger objective of bringing together the community in support of this important project for the Park. By being the initial and largest sponsor of the event, Donna (Blair) led the way. Her commitment, along with the commitment of the other sponsors and donors, allowed us to turn the plans for the playground into a reality.” That made our day!
Finally, the hard work and planning is paying off, and the playground is being transformed with new ground cover and playground equipment. Be sure to drop by and check it out, and don’t forget to visit the Barton Hills Community Park Facebook page for updates. As Tina noted, much remains to be done, and FoBHCP is working tirelessly to secure additional grants to realize the full scope of the master plan: additional landscaping, an irrigation system, improvements to the track, and even a pavilion and some larger scale renovations. In the meantime, we were glad to be part of the first step toward making our neighborhood park a gathering place for all.
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