A new playground is breathing new life into a park in south Bakersfield, and it's all thanks to a group of dedicated students and community leaders.
Stiern Park has long been a place for children and families to play in south Bakersfield.
But the park lacked a safe, inviting area for kids to get exercise and to play. The park was losing its appeal.
The old play equipment was outdated and a hazard for kids.
Then, a group of bright students invested their time and energy to give it a face lift.
"We had broken playground equipment," said Ebony Esparza who helped build the new playground. "It was dangerous for the kids. There was a big hole in the fence, and we wanted to fix that."
And they did.
Students in the Cesar Chavez leadership program, along with the city and Kaiser Permanente teamed up to build a new playground.
Students petitioned the city, providing officials with pictures showing blight and unsafe conditions at the old park.
"They wanted to see change, and started working with the city." said park coordinator Jennifer Lopez.
The city, and Kaiser Permanente each provided almost $100,000 for the park.
There are new slides, swings, monkey bars and everything in between.
Stiern Park is located at 5400 Monitor St.
