A neighborhood in Southeast San Diego isn't playing around about their park. It's in bad shape and they want it upgraded. People in the area tell CBS 8 that Emerald Hills Park has been around since the 1970's and not much has changed. One of the slides is dented and made of metal, making it too dangerous for kids on hot days. A climbing structure is rusted and has chipped paint. Then, there are the so-called 'spring riders' which don't move at all. The tennis and basketball courts are cracked, and the bathrooms are rundown. “The other parks are getting priority on us. We just continue to get pushed back, pushed back. And it's frustrating, especially with parents that have small children,” said Evelyn Smith, who chairs both the Emerald Hills Town Council, as well as the Encanto Park and Rec board. CBS 8 spoke with Smith alongside Sally Smull, who also serves on the council and the area's planning group. Both women say they have been requesting a new park for years, and have even worked to secure more than $3 million in funding for it, but the process has been slow and in their opinion, unfair. “They claim equity is important but it doesn't really seem to be going that way for us. We get a little extra funding but it goes to our rec center advisory group, not to the individual parks," said Smull. CBS 8 pushed the city for answers and they said the Emerald Hills Park General Development Plan was initiated in 2020 and received community approval in 2021. However, they still need to complete a biological report, as well as review an environmental report, both of which are being done, but there's no timeline as to when those tasks will be completed. MORE: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/working-for-you/southeast-san-diego-encanto-residents-urge-city-to-redo-aging-park/509-abd4b399-5463-4bb7-b43a-adbb588a971d At CBS 8, we are always Working for You and our community. This is a station promise that we will go the extra mile to solve a problem our audience can’t solve themselves. We want to hear your ideas on how we can cover and help our community. If you have a story idea, please email us at [email protected].