The rain didn’t hold us back this month! Philadelphia Parks & Recreation still celebrated many improvements to parks and recreation centers.

Von Colln Playground
On August 7, Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis, Council President Darrell Clarke, Parks & Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell, and Councilman William Greenlee joined community members to dedicate the new Von Colln Playground. The ceremony marks the completion of a renovation project that resulted in:

  • New playground
  • New sprayground
  • Improved bathrooms
  • Baseball batting cages
  • Electric pitching mounds
  • New lighting and sidewalks in the park and along Pennsylvania Ave. and 22nd St.
  • Beautiful landscaping

Several kids on a tire swing at Lanier Playground

Lanier Playground
On August 4, the Grays Ferry community celebrated the reopening of Lanier Playground. The playground renovations came through a partnership among:

  • Parks & Rec
  • Trust for Public Land
  • Councilman Kenyatta Johnson
  • Philadelphia Water Department
  • Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

An exciting addition at Lanier Playground is Philly’s first Fitness Zone, featuring outdoor exercise equipment like kettlebells and step benches. Other new features and improvements are:

  • New playground
  • Dog park
  • Picnic area
  • New sprayground
  • Renovated sports field used for baseball, football, lacrosse, and more

City officials and community members cutting the ribbon at Malcolm X Park

Malcolm X Park
On August 2, Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Debra McCarty led a ribbon cutting at Malcolm X Park. The ceremony welcomed new Green City, Clean Waters features at the park. Nearly 30 new trees were planted around the park’s border in a set of four stormwater “tree trenches.”

More on these trenches:

  • They are built into new sidewalks.
  • They allow the roots to soak up and filter dirty stormwater runoff.
  • They are an example of the green tools installed all over the city under the Green City, Clean Waters program.
  • They help capture more than 84,000 gallons of stormwater runoff from the surrounding streets each time the neighborhood gets an inch of rain.

Officials and children posing with an over-sized check at Tarken

Tarken Recreation Center
On August 1, Parks & Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell and State Representative Jared Solomon were joined by Councilwoman Cherelle Parker, State Senator Christine Tartaglione, project partners, community members, and youth from Tarken summer camp to announce the details of a grant to fund renovations at Tarken Recreation Center.

The $200,000 grant is from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) Keystone Communities Program and was secured by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Parks Alliance, and the Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association with assistance from State Representative Jared Solomon. The grant funds will renovate the basketball courts: resurfacing of existing basketball courts and installing a Futsal “mini soccer” pitch.

A boy poses with new play equipment at C.B. Moore Recreation Center

C.B. Moore Recreation Center
On July 19, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke and Parks & Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell were joined by community members as they hosted a dedication ceremony at Cecil B. Moore Recreation Center. The ceremony marked the completion of over $312,000 in capital improvements to the facility. Improvements to the site include new play equipment and new a safety surface (pictured at the top of this blog post). The new play equipment includes the following features:

  • Climbing web
  • Stand ‘n spin
  • Dragonfly rocker
  • New swings
  • New fitness stations
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