Work begins on Logan neighborhood playground project after costs doubled since COVID

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

City leaders helped break ground on a pair of community projects Wednesday morning, including one in Philadelphia’s Logan neighborhood that has seen a significant jump in costs because of the COVID pandemic.

As the dirt was ceremoniously shoveled to signify the start of the Barrett Playground rebuilding, community advocate Cecil Hankins spoke about how the community is happy to see the project survived in the face of post-pandemic inflation.

The original price tag for the project “I think was $9 million,” Hankins said. “COVID delayed us. The cost of this facility went from $9 million all the way up to now $20.6 million.”

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson said the rebirth of the recreation center shows how much the city cares about children.

“Whatever it costs to bring this up, because when you do this, you’re also bringing up the community, and you’re telling the community and you’re telling all these young people here, ‘We value you.’”

Aparna Palantino heads up the city’s capital programs office. She said the facility will have something for just about everyone.

“Providing modern, clean and safe spaces for people of all ages,” she said. “Now more than ever it’s important to create those amenities for our youth for all of our communities so they can engage in positive activities.”

The existing facility is currently a graffiti-filled building of about 2,500 square feet, which will be replaced with a 14,500-square-foot building as the keystone of the project.

Project leaders say other amenities will include multipurpose rooms, a gym and a kitchen. Outside there will be new playgrounds and a refreshing sprayground for kids to cool off in the summer. Other offerings include an open playing field, new basketball courts, a multipurpose sports court, a walking loop with fitness stations and a picnic area.

The center will also have an art installation commissioned through the city’s Percent for Arts program, led by Creative Philadelphia (formerly Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy) and Rebuild.

A second project also getting underway will bring improvements at the Lawncrest Rec Center at 6000 Rising Sun Ave. That project is expected to cost about $24 million and will feature a similar revamping of the existing facilities.

Funding for both projects comes from the sugary drink tax, which was approved with the intentions of expanding pre-K programming and repairing and rebuilding recreation centers and libraries.