Pop’s Park is one step closer to its projected renaissance. On the evening of September 20th, the Friends of Pop’s Park held a meeting on the grounds which featured representatives from the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and the Department of Public Property (DPP) as well as Councilman Mark Squilla of the 1st District.

  Squilla opened the meeting by praising the effort of the Friends Group. “This doesn’t happen without community involvement,” he said. He went on to promise city funding for the project, which will be made possible by the Soda Tax. The tax will go into effect at the beginning of 2017 and the funding will come shortly thereafter.

  The councilman seemed excited about this investment, saying, “when you have a good playground, you have a good community.”

  The renovations to Pop’s come in the form of a two-tiered plan. First, the PWD will begin their set of improvements as part of a citywide green initiative to reduce stormwater runoff. Then, later in 2017, the DPP will begin a separately funded project to replace the old playground equipment and create more welcoming community spaces within the park.

  Maggie Dunn, a representative of the PWD spoke about the stormwater initiative. She explained that when it rains on asphalt and concrete plains, the result is large amounts of diluted sewage which run into the Delaware untreated, further polluting it.

  “The work we do here will help improve the Delaware River,” she said. “Our whole goal is stormwater management.”

  Dunn went on to detail PWD’s plan, explaining that they would entirely resurface the dog park with a special turf. Underneath this turf, a rock bed would be installed for the purpose of storing rainwater and allowing it to slowly seep into the soil. There are also plans for a rain garden, a small area of the park which would be depressed into the ground and populated with plants that soak up a lot of rainwater. The rain garden will feature an additional rock bed beneath it.

  Francesco Cerrai and Nobuki Iijima, landscape architects from the DPP showcased their ideas for a new playground.

  “This playground has been sitting idle for 25, 30 years,” said Cerrai. This is like a blank slate for us.”

  The DPP plan on consolidating the two sides of the playground currently divided by the Rec Center, adding in all new equipment, safety surfaces and ADA approved access ramps.  They also want to use the park’s existing water hook-up to create a “sprayground” which would be a kind of recreational fountain. Additional ideas for park fixtures include a seating area surrounded by foliage.

  In response to a question from the crowd, Andy Ortega, a neighbor and organizer for Friends of Pop’s told those assembled that it’s the community’s responsibility to staff the rec center. Currently the city provides only one seasonal employee who works from May to October. “Her name is Millie and she does an amazing job,” Ortega said. “However, any further staffing will have to come from the community.”

  A member of Friend’s of Pops who declined to be named said she was “impressed with the turnout but we really need more people to get involved.” She said the best way to connect with Friends of Pop’s Park is through Facebook.

  Tom Berg, a neighbor and member of Friends of Pop’s is looking forward to bringing his young daughter to the renovated park. “I’m excited for the increased greenery. This park could be so much more.” Berg also urged residents to get involved with the project. “Parental involvement changes the culture of the community for our kids,” he said. •