BIRMINGHAM – Volunteers and community leaders on Wednesday, March 2 will beautify Smithfield Estates Park and dedicate new playground equipment as part of Operation Power Play. This is the third city park to receive upgrades through the joint initiative involving Alabama Power, the city of Birmingham, Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, the Citizens Advisory Board and Birmingham neighborhoods. Smithfield Estates Park is located at 1707 Huntingdon Drive, 35214.

Volunteers from the Alabama Power Service Organization and the neighborhood will help with beautification efforts, beginning at 8 a.m. The volunteers will plant shrubs and remove debris, and paint picnic tables and park equipment, among other tasks. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. Mayor William A. Bell Sr. and other community leaders are expected to attend.

The new playground equipment and playground surface are among the “greenest” available. For example, the recycled material used in the safety surface is equivalent to removing more than 230 tires from a landfill, and the recycled content of the play structure is equivalent to nearly 17,000 plastic containers.

Germania and Roosevelt City Parks were the first two parks to receive new playground equipment through Operation Power Play. This effort focuses on helping improve children’s health through exercise by revitalizing the places where they play.