Lane Street Mini Park is a small park just east of Downtown Raleigh. In October of 2009, the park got a major overhaul with the help of national nonprofit KaBOOM! Until the renovation, the park at Lane Street had a bad reputation -- the old equipment had been torn down a decade ago and the park had become a hangout for some not-so-friendly folks. That started to change as the area experienced a renewal and many of the houses in the area were redeveloped.

With the help of dozens of community volunteers and the guidance of neighborhood activist Octavia Rainey, the city and KaBOOM! teamed up to build a new playground at the Lane Street park. The new park makes good use of the established trees to provide shade for a play area for younger children. Some grading and a retaining wall improved use of the existing space and lighting and a fence around the new basketball courts help provide some security at night.