Manayunk’s Venice Island project continues on schedule

Just beyond Manayunk’s Main Street, the new Venice Island is under construction above and below the ground.

The $46 million Philadelphia Water Department project is still a year from completion, but is on schedule, said PWD spokeswoman Joanne Dahme. She gave this update of the work so far:

The four million-gallon underground storage basin near Lock Street, which will hold stormwater and alleviate flooding along lower Main Street, is completed, tested and operational. That project now enters a summer-long testing period, activating the tank and pump during rain events.
The pump station head house is also completed and operational, and other stormwater management infrastructure is being installed.
The Performing Arts Center foundation walls on the river side are poured, and steel and precast panels for the building are set to be erected in July. The amphitheater will hold 250 people and provide a home for city Parks and Recreation Department childrens’ theater groups.

While the old rec center, pool and playground are gone, the work will restore some of that. The hockey rink and playground will be recreated, with basketball courts enlarged slightly and the pool replaced with a spray ground.

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