Recreation facilities and playgrounds around Philadelphia provide a place for both kids and adults to let loose after a long day at school or work. But what fun is it if the slide is broken, or the basketball court is overgrown with weeds? It’s neither safe, according to an audit released this summer by the Philadelphia City Controller’s office. This watchdog office is taking the city’s Department of Recreation to task over numerous safety hazards found at 75 city-run rec facilities in 2007. If you download the Recreation Facilities Review Report, you can see which rec facilities were cited and what the exact problems were. One place written up was the Bridesburg facility in Northeast Philadelphia. We went out there to see if a broken slide, identified in the report as damaged play equipment with sharp edges, had been fixed. At first glance, the playground looked to be in good shape. But everyday visitors, like parent Megan McGinley, told us the playground needs regular maintenance. Watch the following video.

In response to the City Controller’s audit, the Department of Recreation’s new commissioner, Susan Slawson, is taking action. Appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter two weeks before the report’s release this past June, Slawson says she’s pushing an agenda of accountability and transparency among city rec employees, and devising new systems to ensure preventative maintenance and repairs are done in a timely manner. Click on the video below.

In response to the city controller’s report, the Philadelphia Department of Recreation is developing a site inspection sheet. Here’s a draft version version.

Please let us know if your local playground/park is in need of repair, and if you feel it isn’t safe because people hang out there to drink, deal drugs or do other things.