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The site where Webster Park Elementary School stood decades ago was filled with children again today as the city of Lakeland held a grand reopening for Webster Park.
Dozens of children from the city’s Camp Blast program at nearby Simpson Park attended the reopening ceremony and tried out new playground equipment provided courtesy of a $190,000 donation from Universal Property & Casualty Insurance of Fort Lauderdale.
The city’s Midtown Community Redevelopment Agency also contributed $17,000 toward improvements at the 2.2-acre park at 1235 N. Webster Ave.

Most of the new playground equipment has a theme of elephants and other zoo animals in keeping with the donor company’s red-elephant logo.
Other renovations include swings, two picnic pavilions, a drinking fountain, fencing, benches, trash cans, resurfaced basketball court, basketball backboards, bike racks and ADA access.
Check video from the opening ceremony, including remarks by City Manager Tony Delgado, May0r Howard Wiggs, Universal Property representatives, Parks Director Bob Danahay, Police Chief Larry Giddens and Webster Park Neighborhood Association President Sam Simmons. Then keep scrolling for a quick video of Chief Giddens reliving his basketball glory days and a photo gallery from today’s event:
