Dog park – The new dog park, located at Central Park along Glenbrook Drive, is officially open for play! Amenities Garland Dog Park include three fenced paddocks, drinking fountains, shade, lighting, seating, fencing and parking. The park will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., closing only for routine maintenance and after rain events or other wet conditions.
“Our new dog park at Central Park is large and lovely, a greenspace our residents and their fur-children can enjoy for many decades to come,” said District 2 City Council Member Deborah Morris. “Dog parks aren’t primarily for dogs; they provide a happy meeting place for dog owners. Dogs are great at making introductions!”
Each of the three dog paddocks has a 6-foot-high fence and double entry gates for safe entrance. One paddock will be used for large dogs (35 pounds and greater), while another will be for small dogs (less than 35 pounds). The third paddock will rest while the other two are active.
Other amenities include magnetic locks on gates for security and a new restroom building on the north side of the park.
“We are very excited to finally have a dog park in Garland, Texas!” said Garland Mayor Scott LeMay. “This new amenity to our park system will offer yet another way for people and pets to ‘Get Out & Play.’ Hopefully, our furry friends of all sizes will agree. The park offers 3 acres of open space for them to run and play off-leash. Hopefully, they and their owners will make some new friends and enjoy some much-needed free time.”
The city broke ground on the new dog park Aug. 1. LeMay traced the Garland Dog Park efforts to the early 2000s and a group of residents known as Garland Bark Park. The group has grown into Garland Pawsibilities, the city’s key partner at the nearby Pet Adoption Center, located at 813 Main St.
Inclusive playground – A new, inclusive and sensory-friendly playground is now open at Garland’s Central Park, 1310 W. Avenue F, in close proximity to the Granger Recreation Center. The new playground is designed for children of all abilities to play, learn and grow together and to support park 
patrons with a variety of physical, sensory and cognitive needs.
“Central Park has been without a playground since 2012,” said District 2 City Council Member Deborah Morris. “Today we’re delighted to unveil Garland’s newest playground, an exciting $900,000 project, which is the first in the city, thanks to suggestions from Garland families to include fun sensory-friendly elements! It’s been a long time coming, but it’s been worth the wait. Come out and play in the fresh air and sunshine!”
The 6,500 square-foot playground includes playable lawn space contained within a 4-foot gated fence as well as ample shade provided by a combination of mature trees and shade structures. Poured-in-place rubberized safety surfacing allows full mobility. Plentiful seating is provided with long, integrated seat walls and picnic pads.
A drinking fountain is conveniently located within the fenced area, and the playground is near the park’s restroom building. In addition, site lighting is provided around the perimeter of the playground, and parking with ADA accessibility is available.
“Our Parks & Recreation slogan is ‘Get Out & Play,’” said Mayor Scott LeMay. “We encourage all citizens of Garland to do just that. This new playground reinforces that message and makes ‘play’ more accessible to all. I’m very proud of this addition to our parks system and I’m looking forward to all the playground equipment updates we have planned around the city.”
Information and photos provided by city of Garland.