June 11, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
CHILDREN cheered amid joyful adults when Johannesburg City Parks officially opened the world's first park developed in just 24 hours, on a freezing evening in Wilgeheuwel on Friday, 8 June.
The park was created as part of City efforts to mark World Environment Week. In just 24 hours, the barren piece of land at the corner of Nic Diedrichs Boulevard and Florin Road in Wilgeheuwel, Roodepoort, was transformed into a charming park complete with a mini soccer field and a fountain.
Officially opening the 1,22ha park, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, Prema Naidoo, commended the 200 workers who had toiled through the freezing Thursday night and Friday morning temperatures to build one of the most beautiful parks in the city.
A beautiful play area at Wilgeheuwel Park
"A park such as this one would have taken three to six months to develop but through the dedication of City Parks personnel, they managed to come up with a fully developed park."
Councillor for ward 97, Mike Tonkin, said the park would go a long way towards increasing the quality of life of residents in the area. "What a pleasure it is going to be for people to bring their families here to enjoy the park in peace and quiet," he said.
At 6pm on Thursday, 7 June, Luther Williamson, City Parks's managing director, officially started the extreme park make-over at a celebratory ceremony; it was followed by workers labouring through the night at zero degree temperatures, surviving on hot coffee and snacks.
By 4pm the following day, lighting, play equipment, landscaping and mosaic footpaths had been created, replacing the desolate open space that had characterised the area 24 hours earlier.
Addressing residents who had gathered at the park, an excited Williamson said he felt inspired by the project.
"People have been asking me what next after the extreme make-over park. Next year we hope to involve children in developing a one or two square metre park in record time of five minutes in a selected suburb in Johannesburg."
Cindy Clarke, a resident of Wilgeheuwel, said City Parks had come up with a fantastic idea when it had decided to build a park in the area. "It's safe and a lot of fun for the kids," she said.
Nine-year-old Mauritz Janse van Ransburg said the park was "nice" and he would make sure he played there every weekend.
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