Plano ISD to partner with Dallas for park at Frankford Middle School

Plano ISD is partnering with the city of Dallas for a public park that will be adjacent to the Frankford Middle School campus and available for district use.

The PISD board of trustees unanimously approved an interlocal cooperation agreement during its May 4 meeting that will see Dallas construct a neighborhood park on an unused and unimproved portion of PISD land on the west side of the Frankford Middle campus.

"[Dallas'] park plan identified a shortage of neighborhood parks in that area," PISD Chief Financial Officer Randy McDowell said. "We developed the plan that would benefit both PISD and the city of Dallas, providing a park for the Frankford neighborhood."

Dallas plans to spend no more than $1.2 million over the next two years to construct the park, McDowell said. PISD will not contribute any funds toward the park, but will be able to reserve it for the district's exclusive use, he said.

The plans for the park include a walking trail, a pavilion, a playground with shade structure, exercise stations and a large grassy area, McDowell said. When not reserved by the district, the planned park will be open to the public and be able to be rented out to specific groups.

"We're pleased that we have the opportunity to partner with the city of Dallas to utilize property that is not currently being used for the benefit of both PISD and the neighborhood," said McDowell, noting the district has many similar agreements with the city of Plano. "[We] hope that the close proximity to a very nice neighborhood park will attract more families with children to that area for our school district."