Roark site traded to the City of Arlington
The old Roark Elementary building is almost gone. Most of it has been demolished to make way for a new city park.
Opened in 1961 near the General Motors plant in east Arlington, the Roark school closed 60 years later in May of 2021. The building then became the temporary Berry Elementary while the original Berry building was torn down and rebuilt – all part of the 2019 Bond program.
When the new Berry opened at the beginning of this school year, the old Roark building was left vacant. Demolition started after the holidays and is now nearly complete.
What’s next?
So, what happens to the site once all the rubble is removed? It becomes a City of Arlington park, complete with a splash pad.
It’s part of a trade Arlington ISD made with the City of Arlington. Arlington ISD got what used to be Helen Wessler Park, and the City of Arlington gets the old Roark site for a new Helen Wessler Park.
The old Wessler Park is now part of the site where construction has started on a new junior high school that will replace Carter Junior High. The construction site also used to house the old Knox Elementary building, but that was demolished in the fall.
The new junior high, also a 2019 Bond project, will be more centrally located to the current Carter student population and large enough to accommodate all program offerings – something the current Carter site can’t. Thanks to the inclusion of the former Wessler Park, the new school will include a track and adequate parking.
Plus, the new building will be a huge improvement over the current Carter facility. The new school will be state-of-the-art, high-tech and full of learning spaces designed to help students thrive and succeed in the 21st century.
Helen Wessler Park
The City of Arlington is currently designing the future Helen Wessler Park. Tentatively slated to open around May of 2025, it will feature:
- Splash pad
- Covered playground
- Loop trail
- Large lawn
- Fitness stations
- Shade structures
- Benches
- Restrooms
- On-site parking
Visit the 2019 Bond webpage to keep track of all bond projects.