New Park Honors South Dallas Trailblazer and Signals the City’s Green Commitment
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The late Judge Charles R. Rose left a legacy of serving his beloved Highland Hills neighborhood as a justice of the peace, a Wilmer-Hutchins School Board Trustee, and as an advocate for his South Dallas neighborhood. When he passed in 2019, the community felt that loss.
This past weekend, however, the Highland Hills neighborhood paid tribute with the official grand opening of the Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park.
“It is an honor for the city parks department to be responsible for a park with the name of Judge Charles R. Rose,” said John Jenkins, director of the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.
During the past two months, a number of new or renovated parks have opened for Dallas residents to enjoy. The commitment the City of Dallas made in 2018 to create more public parks and greenspace is coming to fruition in a big way and neighborhoods, such as Highland Hills, are enjoying the benefits.
“We are leading a green revolution,” said Arun Agarwal, president of the Dallas Park and Recreation Board. “People are looking for quality of life and that is what we are providing them.”
Dallas Parks’ National Ranking Rises
The pivotal year for the Dallas parks system was 2018 when the city started working with Trust for Public Land (TPL), a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating parks, trails, and public lands. The group also ranks park systems in the 100 most populous cities in the nation, based on access, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.
This year, the City of Dallas was rewarded for its commitment to public greenspace when TPL ranked Dallas 34th in its annual national ranking. That marks the fifth year in a row that Dallas’ ranking has increased and it jumped from 49th in 2018 to its current ranking. Other Dallas-Fort Worth contenders included Garland, Fort Worth, and Irving.
“We’re driven by four commitments: equity, health, climate, and community,” according to the Trust for Public Land website. “That’s why we work alongside communities across the country to create, protect, and steward the nature-rich places that are vital to human well-being.”
Mayor Eric Johnson made a commitment to the city park system a cornerstone of his tenure.
“Parks attract business and they drive economic growth,” Johnson said. “The reality is when Dallas invests in its park system it spurs private investment in the communities around the park. It transforms the neighborhoods in a very inclusive and mutually beneficial way. It fuels growth across our entire city.”
“The park score is a reflection of how well cities deliver on their promise of access and parks for all,” said Molly Morgan, state director for the Trust for Public Land.
The goal of TPL and the city is for every resident living in Dallas to be within a 10 minute walk of a park or greenspace.
“We can say that today we’re at 81% of Dallas residents who now live within a 10 minute walk of a park.” Johnson said. “A decade ago we were at 58%. We’re being recognized as a national leader in urban park development.”
Park Will Improve the Lives of Highland Hills Residents
Located at Simpson Stuart and Bonnie View roads, the opening of the Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park was especially gratifying to the TPL’s Morgan because she worked with the community for eight years on the creation of this park.
Morgan remembers there was a push toward making the 40-acre tract of land a sports complex.
“It’s our job to listen to the community,” Morgan said. “The community said they wanted a space for everyday unity. Parks are living legacies.”
It is the legacy Judge Rose left in Highland Hills that brought out former neighbors, high school classmates, co-workers, and family members. District 8 Councilman Tennell Atkins recalled running against Rose when he first ran for office.
“The passion in Judge Rose was Highland Hills,” Atkins said. “He never forgot about Highland Hills. This 40 acres of land is just a backyard to grow. We need to maintain the house Judge Rose built.”
District 110 State Rep. Toni Rose, daughter of Judge Charles R. Rose, presented a check for $5 million to maintain the park and continue to expand the trail system so Dallas neighborhoods can be connected.
Rep. Rose recalled that when her father died in 2019 and she returned to work at the state capital, she was told that District 140 State Rep. Armando Walle found money in the budget for a park to be created in her father’s name. When she contacted Atkins, he said they had already planned on creating such a park for Highland Hills and asked her to join the process the city had already started.
“I had no idea of the magnitude of this park,” Rose said. “When I saw the kids playing my heart got real full. I remembered my Dad saying, ‘Toni, kids need things to do.’”
“It took eight years to make the project happen,” Morgan said. “It’s a great day to live in Dallas.”
