Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — Aug. 1, 2025 — Jonesboro residents and city officials gathered Friday to celebrate Allen Park’s revitalized playground and splash pad, which has been enhanced with features for all ages and abilities.
During the grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Director Danny Kapales said this playground was very special to him as it was the opportunity to have another inclusive playground.
The Allen Park All-Inclusive Playground and Splash Pad, located next to the Allen Park Community Center at 3609 Race St., is now the second all-inclusive park in the city, with Miracle League Park being the only other.
“When I say all inclusive, what I mean by that is it is open for anybody that’s in a wheelchair or with a walker able to come out and enjoy this playground to able to get in here, get on the top of the playground and use everything that’s here inside. But not only the playground, the splash pad as well,” Kapales said. “Now there’s no barriers. Look at this splash pad over here that’s running. There’s no fence around this splash pad. There is no barrier. And that’s what we’re trying to eliminate. We want no barriers for anybody that wants to get on our playground or in our splash pads and utilize what we have.”
Kapales also noted that other features, such as swings, will be added over the next few months.
The updated park features ADA-accessible amenities such as a merry-go-round, ramps, synthetic surfacing, instruments, education boards, braille panels, shade structures, and more.
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver said this is just a small portion of what the community will begin to see with the city’s Master Parks Plan and Health Accelerator Plan.
Construction on the park began in late April as part of Jonesboro’s Master Parks Plan and its secondary Health Accelerator Plan, which is a blueprint for retrofitting the city’s parks system to make it more inclusive and adaptive for people with disabilities.
As part of the Health Accelerator Plan, the playground portion of the project was made possible due to a $189,515 Outdoor Recreation Grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, which the city received in December 2024.
It was then matched by the City of Jonesboro for a total cost of over $379,030 for the playground alone. Through the Master Parks Plan, the city also provided around $200,000 more for the new splashpad.
“This park has been here more than 20 years. It was time to renew and replace a lot of things. It’s going to be a new legacy. It’s important that we represent all of our community, not just a small portion of the City of Jonesboro,” Copenhaver said. “This is a place for opportunity and inclusion.”