Philadelphia – Mayor Jim Kenney, Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell and Councilman Mark Squilla joined community members in Fishtown to celebrate the start of renovations to the Penn Treaty Park playground. This renovation is funded by the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation department, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and PECO.

“Penn Treaty is an important park to the entire City of Philadelphia because of its historical significance and its place in Fishtown,” said Mayor Kenney.  “The renovations here will set the standard for parks across Philadelphia that will be receiving updates soon as part of the Rebuild initiative.”

As part of the updates to Penn Treaty Park, the playground will be moved out of its current leak-prone location to higher ground. The playground will receive new, ADA accessible equipment and new safety surfacing. The renovations will also include minor landscaping, conservation of the obelisk sculpture and a turtle sculpture to represent the Native American significance of Penn Treaty Park.

“Penn Treaty is an extremely essential and beloved park in this city,” said Commissioner Ott Lovell. “With its proximity to the Delaware River, Fishtown, Kensington and Northern Liberties, Penn Treaty Park should reflect the vibrant community it serves. I know the improvements here will be cherished for years to come.”

Deborah Cahill of the Department of Public Property’s Capital Projects Division serves as the Design and Construction Project Manager for Penn Treaty Park. Michael Connor and Tom Fein from RBA Group and James Rice of TransSystems were consultants on the project. Pannulla Construction is the general contractor.

“As more families are moving into this neighborhood, I am so pleased that the children will have a safe, state-of-the-art playground in which to engage in physical activity and social interaction,” said Councilman Squilla. “I expect many friendships will begin on this playground.”