Two Giant employees work in the rain to help assemble Mayfair Memorial Playground. Photo by Kirsten Stamn

“A promise kept. That’s what this is.”

Melinda Mulvenna, a co-chair for the Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playround, surveyed the playground that was furiously undergoing construction, with hundreds of volunteers milling around hauling mulch, assembling equipment and pushing wheelbarrows. The Mayfair Memorial Playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street, which was to be completed in only a matter of hours, had taken more than three years to get rebuilt after it had been torn down. And for Mulvenna, that was a personal triumph, as she was an indirect reason for the previous playground’s destruction.

“My daughter [Kaylee] was the one that was hurt. Her foot got caught in the padding and she fell into the monkey bars. Thank God it was only a black eye,” she said. “I called politicians and the mayor’s office; all I asked for was that the padding be repaired. I thought I was doing the right thing. One innocent phone call . . . it was demolished that April.”

Looking at the progress that had been made that morning, Mulvenna’s eyes became glassy. “Three years later, now look at it. We’re putting in a rumble slide for people with special needs. Our goal is to have everybody play. This is for kids with casts or wheelchairs, everyone. We even have Freddy the Firetruck for John Redmond, the firefighter who passed away and [for whom] this park is dedicated to for his service. We’re even painting his number on the side,” she said.

For Mayfair, getting to this day has been a long, arduous process. Before, in the times of former Pa. Rep. John Perzel, Mayfair might have gotten a check from the government, which was putting lots of resources into building up the community. But with Perzel’s indictment, all the funds had to come from donations and the community, which rose spectacularly to the challenge. continue reading »

The Mayfair Memorial Playground site in February 2010, not long after rebuilding efforts were renewed. Photo by Stephen Zook for NEastPhilly/Philadelphia Neighborhoods.

A fundraising event a couple years in the making will culminate later this month when Mayfair residents come together to rebuild Mayfair Memorial Playground.

After teaming up with KaBOOM!, getting business sponsorships and working with the School District of Philadelphia to secure the sight, the Mayfair Civic Association is now looking for volunteers to help with the build. continue reading »

Upper Holmesburg residents have decided to pass for now on a chance to build a playground at Pennypack Street and Frankford Avenue.

Stan Cywinski needed to act quickly. When the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association president received a call from KaBOOM!, the playground-building organization told Cywinski if the neighborhood wanted a new playground, a decision had to be made — and soon.

With a Friday deadline, Cywinski made the matter a top priority at Thursday’s UHCA meeting.

KaBOOM! had reached out to the UHCA to offer to help build a playground, like the organization has done in many cities. Citing the progress with KaBOOM! at the Mayfair Memorial Playground, Cywinski thought the opportunity seemed like a good one, and he had just the spot: the unused space on the 4300-block of Pennypack Street at Frankford Avenue.

But the residents had already discussed other uses for this space at previous meetings with the City Planning Commission, so Cywinski decided if the property is going to have a playground, it should be the “membership’s call.” continue reading »

Photo by Stephen Zook for NEast Philly

It looks like the Mayfair Memorial Playground is finally being rebuilt.

The playground in front of Lincoln High School on Ryan Avenue was torn down three years ago after a little girl fell and was injured. The School District of Philadelphia was originally only supposed to replace the poor matting blamed on the fall, but ended up ripping the whole thing out, said Joe DeFelice, president of the Mayfair Civic Association. continue reading »

Photo by Tom Rowan Jr.

The term “assembly required” took on a whole new meaning at 9 a.m. on Saturday when 200 volunteers unwrapped St. Stephen’s preschool’s very large present -piece by piece, box after box – in the middle of a closed-off street.

Amid the sea of flattened brown boxes and sheets of stray bubble-wrap, volunteers were assigned to teams of three and five people, making small clusters sporadically spread out across the barely visible black asphalt road. The altruists were sitting, standing, bending, twisting and mulling over how to properly screw, hook, join, attach and connect colorful poles with potato chip-shaped plastic chunks.

Lowell Hartzell, consulting his consolidated 12-page instruction manuel with worn corners at the staple, moved from station to station, continually running his hands through his short, salt-and-peppered colored hair and pulling at his white socks that barely stuck out from his tan Timberland work boots. He first instructed one build team, then another, troubleshooting his way through a field of questions and concerns.

Hartzell, a former Lumberyard Manager, had a deadline of 2:30 p.m. to deliver to the children of St. Steven’s Daycare Center in Tacony the gift of a brand new playground. continue reading »

Mayfair Memorial Playground -- on Lincoln High School's property -- remains unused for now.

Mayfair Memorial Playground – chained shut, empty and littered – doesn’t appear to be anything more than the reputation it has in Mayfair – a place for teenagers to get into trouble.

The Mayfair Civic Association hopes to transform the small park, dedicated to fallen firefighter John Redmond, into a family playground. One major obstacle — the $50,000 price tag for new equipment — stands in the association’s way.

“Right now we’re at $2,500,” said Joe DeFelice, president of the civic association. “We need to get to $50,000. You’d be surprised how much playground equipment costs.” continue reading »

The logo for the Fallen Heroes Run, as designed by Mike Ennis. The 5K one among many topics at last night's Mayfair Civic Association meeting.

Members of the Mayfair Civic Association came together last night to update residents on pressing topics, like plans to rebuild Mayfair Memorial Playground, the Fallen Heroes Run and four recent zoning issues.

With little more than four months until the annual Fallen Heroes Run, Civic Association President Joe De Felice is pushing for funding to rebuild the playground off of Rowland Avenue at Lincoln High School, which is currently set for groundbreaking following the run. continue reading »