Carolina Panthers help bring new playground and obstacle course to Raleigh
Juggling three slushies in one hand and a phone in the other, Sonyal Myrick cheered on her sons as they climbed through the new obstacle course at Barwell Road Park.
She lives in the nearby Johns Pointe neighborhood, and they’ve watched as the new playground and challenge course got built in Southeast Raleigh this past year.
“I think it’s great there’s such a nice park right down the street,” she said. “They have been excited and wanting it to open, so we heard about the ribbon cutting and wanted to make sure they were here.”
Being a Carolina Panthers fan was just another perk, she said.
The Panthers donated $150,000 toward the new playground, including an obstacle and challenge course, at Barwell Road Park. Representatives from the city, the Panthers — including TopCat Cheerleaders and Sir Purr — and the community gathered Tuesday morning for a ribbon-cutting. The total cost for the amenities, which also included seating, shaded picnic areas and more, was $1.4 million.
“That is what it is all about — our young people here,” City Council member Corey Branch said. “This is just the first project of the redevelopment of Barwell Road Park Master Plan. It’s about play, learn and discover. This is just a great example of the city working with great partners, great community.”
It’s the fifth playground built with the Panthers’ help, and the first in the Triangle.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, in a Play 60 Panthers jersey, called the day “pure joy.”
“I see a partnership forging with the Panthers beyond this,” she said. “We have already had some initial discussions about what that could mean, and that excites me even more.”
The ribbon was formally cut by Raleigh Park and Recreation summer camp kids running a 40-yard dash, hyped up by former Panther Kevin Donnalley, who played 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman.
“It’s fantastic,” he said. “I have lived in Charlotte for a long time and see a lot of the different projects that the Panthers have been involved with and seeing them come to Raleigh, my hometown, where I grew up and went to Pullen Park and played. You can see it in the excitement of these kids. It’s a great thing to be a part of, and I’m excited for this community.”
Carlotta Harper lives a few miles from the park but her daughter, Tarahji, is a summer camp participant who participated in the ribbon-cutting.
“They’ve amplified the area with this beautiful park,” she said. “They had all this new stuff. She loves it.”
She pointed to the collaboration between the Panthers, the community and the city. She wants her daughter and other children to see those partnerships and forge similar bonds with other children at the park.
One of those community partnerships was with the Southeast Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council. Chair Ulysses Lane said this is just the beginning of community engagement and collaboration for the park.
“This is very timely after the pandemic,” he said. “We needed something positive. We learned from the pandemic one thing that we need is relationships, and we need the outdoors. And this is what it is all about.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 1:19 PM.
