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 »

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

During its regularly scheduled meeting this week, the School Reform Commission is expected to weigh in Wednesday on the next step in rebuilding the Mayfair Memorial Playground.

A vote will be taken on whether or not to approve an $80,000 gift from playground-building organization KaBOOM! Pending a supportive vote, the School District of Philadelphia will sign a letter of permission to build. Mayfair community members will then be able to schedule their design and build days to re-install a playground at the Rowland Avenue and Vista Street site.

The SRC meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the School District of Philadelphia, 440 N. Broad St. Meetings are open to the public.

This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Joe DeFelice has put a lot of effort into that little playground. And a few hundred residents and supporters have all helped in small ways.

In fall 2009, DeFelice, the Mayfair Civic Association president and now a new Mayfair CDC board member, kicked off a $50,000 fundraising campaign to renovate and reopen the Mayfair Memorial Playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street. More than a year and a half later, the Mayfair Civic Association has $20,000 and is seeking the opening on a smaller scale.

That fundraising was done dollar by dollar and almost exclusively by volunteers, like himself.

If fundraising for the playground, which closed in April 2008 after a young girl was injured on out-of-date equipment, was kicked off while powerful state Rep. John Perzel was still at the height of his influence, in the middle of this decade, DeFelice says the process would have been quite different.

Instead, in October 2009, Perzel was a month away from an 82-count indictment of corruption and a year away from losing his three-decade grip on a statehouse seat to a freshman Democrat who had never held public office before.

“When Perzel was in power, the CDC was buying houses, [a] movie theater, building [a] rec center, etc., so I’m sure that a little playground wouldn’t have been that difficult to come by,” DeFelice said. “So in the old days, a check may have been written, but now you have a large amount of neighbors who didn’t previously know each other coming together for a common good and coming up with new, innovative ways to raise funds.”

So what’s the biggest impact from Perzel’s indictment, the historic state budget deficit and a shake up of community leaders in a tight knit neighborhood like Mayfair? Perhaps nothing short of a change in how residents improve their blocks forever.

continue reading »

The Mayfair Civic Association met Tuesday, May 31 — the first meeting since the Mayfair May Fair, Fallen Heroes Walk/Run and Easter Egg Hunt.

All three were considered successes, and the focus is still on fundraising for the Mayfair Memorial Playground. More than $20,000 has been raised for the playground and the Civic is pursuing formal approval from the School District of Philadelphia. 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 »

The site of Mayfair Memorial Playground. Photo by Stephen Zook.

In its continued efforts to rebuild Mayfair Memorial Playground, the Mayfair Civic Association is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow night with proceeds going to the playground fund.

The civic has been working on reinstalling a playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street on the Lincoln High School property, with help from the School District, local volunteers and area businesses. continue reading »

15th District Captain Bachmayer

With another snowfall on its way, Mayfair residents noted at last night’s civic association meeting that some people are already saving their parking spots.

“You’re not allowed to put anything out to block your spot,” said Capt. Bachmayer of the 15th District — especially when the snow hasn’t even begun to fall. continue reading »

Hundreds of people packed Frankford Avenue May 15 for the May Fair. Photo by Donny Smith.

UPDATE (May 24, 1:40 p.m.) — New photos added to slideshow.

NEast Philly reader and proud Mayfair resident Donny Smith took some great photos at last weekend’s Fallen Heroes Run/May Fair/Community Day.

Hundreds of people came out, and more than $10,000 was raised for the Mayfair Memorial Playground and Hero Thrill Show. You can see all of Donny’s photos in this slideshow.

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 »