By CLAYTON PARK and MATT PATNEAUDE

More than 300 people turned out to witness the dedication of Cedar Park Playground, munch on free hot dogs and listen to a live concert by local rock band Billy Moon on Aug. 26.

The celebration was sweet payoff for the ragtag army of community volunteers who spent many thousands of hours over the past several years knocking on doors to raise contributions, write proposals for matching fund grants, and participate in work parties to plant trees, install playground equipment and put finishing touches on the newly-created neighborhood park, located on the southeast corner of 37th Avenue NE and NE 135th Street.

And what a park it is.

"This is the best project yet. It's an incredible project," marveled Seattle Department of Neighborhoods director Jim Diers as he surveyed the beautifully-landscaped 2-acre park that includes a paved track, swings and a slide for kids, a basketball court, an athletic field for T-ball and youth soccer, park benches, a meditation area and an entryway that includes inscribed commemorative tiles, sold to the public to help raise funds for the park project. "It's a very special place in a neighborhood that desperately needed some green space," he said.

It seems hard to imagine now, but when local residents embarked on the project nearly seven years ago, the site was an eyesore - an abandoned asphalt playground that had become filled with cracks and overgrown with weeds. The playground was originally part of the old Cedar Park Elementary School, which the School District closed in 1981 due to declining enrollment.

Anne Paisley, manager of the Cedar Park Arts Center (now known as ArtWood), which occupies the former Cedar Park school building, recalled teaming up with then-Cedar Park resident Marci Melvin to figure out how they could turn the asphalt lot into a neighborhood park.

They started recruiting other neighbors to participate in the project, which led to the eventual formation of the Cedar Park Project steering committee in January 1995. Paisley and Melvin were initially the committee's co-chairpersons. Paisley became sole chairperson when Melvin moved out of the neighborhood a few year ago.

Paisley said neighbors were incredible in donating their time and money to the project. When volunteers went door to door asking for help from neighbors and local small businesses, contributions came rolling in, with some individuals contributing as much as $1,000. Others volunteered their time to form work parties at the park site that often attracted more than 50 people. One neighbor who works professionally as a landscape architect, Susan Wessman, donated her time help choose drought-tolerant plants for the park. WCA northwest, a landscape architectural firm, also donated a portion of its time to help complete the project. Rick's Nightclub/Talents West was the project's biggest private commercial supporter, donating a total of $16,500 to the cause.

The City and King County were also supportive in getting the park built. A total of $120,000 was awarded to the Cedar Park Project through Department of Neighborhoods Matching Funds and $45,000 came from a King County grant for sports-use facilities. The Seattle Foundation contributed the initial $5,000 to the project, which Paisley noted "made us real in the eyes of others."

A big boost for the Cedar Park Project came in 1997 when the group reached an agreement with the City's engineering department, which is a part of Seattle Public Utilities. In exchange for being allowed to park their vehicles at the park site while working on a nearby culvert for Thornton Creek, the engineering department helped get the Cedar Park Project going by doing the initial demolition at the park site.

Existing asphalt was dug up and removed, a fence was taken down, and the property was graded and hydroseeded. "It was really huge," Paisley said of the work done by the engineering department.

The agreement was brokered by Dotty DeCoster, a project manager at the time with the City's Neighborhood Planning Office, who made the arrangements with Pam Miller of Seattle Public Utilities.

On Aug. 26, Paisley drew cheers and applause from the audience when she used a small sword to cut the ribbon to officially open the park.

The emotional high point for the event, however, came when Cedar Park Project volunteer Jim Corcoran surprised Paisley by presenting her with a custom-made pendant necklace honoring her for her tireless leadership. Paisley, who wiped tears from her eyes, was momentarily speechless, but later told the crowd, "I hope all of you who have been involved in the project can soak up the love given to me today. I may be the focus, but it belongs to all of us. Soak it up!"

Other speakers included County Councilman Greg Nickels, representatives from the Parks Department and Seattle Public Schools, and volunteers Eric Shulenberger and Daniel Warren.

Shulenberger noted that it isn't too late to volunteer to help with the park project. The group will be doing more landscaping this fall. "We'll be glad to sign you up for that!" he told the crowd. Donations are also still needed.

For more information, call Paisley at 206-365-1032.