A green space grows in Dorchester

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Onome Grell, 6, of Dorchester, (left) jumped in the air with other children in the new fountain at the grand opening today.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Five years ago, Dorcas Dunham could only dream of what the vacant lot on Elmhurst Street in Dorchester would look like if it were remodeled as a playground. As children splashed through a fountain and slid down slides for the first time today at the new Elmhurst Playground, she no longer had to use her imagination.

Dorcas Dunham

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Dunham, and more than 70 other neighborhood residents welcomed the fresh green space at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the playground near Codman Square.

Spearheaded by the Trust for Public Land but enthusiastically supported by residents, the playground project took 11 years to complete. It was first proposed at a neighborhood meeting in November 1998.

"The more kids we can get off of the street, the more kids we can keep safe," said Dunham, who worked for four years to organize the community in support of project.