Play time: City recreation officials and Councilman Bobby Henon ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the new $140,000 play area at Mayfair Playground last Friday. WILLIAM KENNY / TIMES PHOTOS
On a sunny, sweltering early September afternoon in Mayfair, the adults with beads of sweat bubbling on their brows sought out slivers of shade. But the children frolicked seemingly immune to the oppressive heat.
It’s been like that at Mayfair Playground ever since the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation renovated and reopened the jungle gyms, swings and sliding boards behind Mayfair Elementary School. Before the improvements, the safety matting underneath the equipment had been worn to the ground. The swing sets had no swings. The monkey bars looked more like post-industrial ruins.
“We would use the playground only as a transition period. We would send the kids outside so we could clean up after lunch,” said Terri Driscoll, director of the Mayfair Recreation Summer Camp. “Then they would come back inside and we would set up games in the gym. But after we got the new playground, we couldn’t get them inside. They wanted to stay out.”
The kids were at it again last Friday as city recreation officials and Councilman Bobby Henon ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the new $140,000 play area. Susan Slawson, the first deputy commissioner for recreation and programs, joined Henon, as did Leo Dignam, deputy commissioner for programs, and Francesco Cerrai, the project manager.
“It was shut down and nobody was able to use it. Now it’s open for kids to come out and play and get their exercise,” said Henon, whose Philly Play program attracted thousands of children to rec centers across the city this summer, including one event at Vogt Playground in Tacony that drew 3,000 youths.
“The councilmen and women have to make the decision to spend money in your neighborhoods and Councilman Henon is making that decision,” Slawson said.
The Mayfair Playground is at the heart of a dense community of families with lots of school-age children. It’s home to the Holy Terrors youth sports program and the Mayfair Community Center, where the Mayfair Community Development Corporation is headquartered. Mayfair Elementary is next to the playground. Both the center and school have gymnasiums. The newly renovated play area is immediately behind the school, although it’s technically part of the recreation center. Surrounded by fencing, it is open to the public and free to visit.
Some of the equipment should look familiar to users because it’s the same stuff that was already installed there. According to Cerrai, it was installed probably within the last decade and was still in good repair. The old monkey bars and sliding boards form a platform for some of the new modifications, including the addition of a Matrix-brand climbing net.
The Matrix resembles a cargo net. It’s durable, safe to children, versatile and big.
“You’re seeing them all over the city because many kids can use it at the same time. They can be on it and talk to each other. You can make it whatever you want,” Cerrai said.
The play area also features repaired safety matting, so kids won’t fall directly onto asphalt. The swing sets were repaired. A hamburger-shaped jungle gym was added, like the ones that McDonald’s used to install in its playgrounds. There is a dedicated area for very young children who may not be big enough for the older kids’ equipment.
Henon noted that the playground will be monitored by a surveillance system to deter vandals and to catch anyone who does attempt to deface the equipment.
“When you see a jewel of a playground with activities like we have here, it’s disappointing,” Henon said. “It’s our responsibility as elected officials and the city of Philadelphia to get things up and running. Each child in the neighborhood deserves a clean place.” ••
Play time: City recreation officials and Councilman Bobby Henon ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the new $140,000 play area at Mayfair Playground last Friday. WILLIAM KENNY / TIMES PHOTOS
Play time: City recreation officials and Councilman Bobby Henon ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the new $140,000 play area at Mayfair Playground last Friday. WILLIAM KENNY / TIMES PHOTOS
