PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A new playground and restrooms are among the enhancements coming to Franklin Square Park over the next 18 months, as revealed by community leaders on Wednesday.
Changes will include playground updates, according to Lesly Attarian, Historic Philadelphia’s vice president of development.
“We're going vertical with a new climbing tower, slides that are accessible to people with disabilities, swings, musical instruments, boulders to climb and explore, a zip line and a water misting area for those hot summer Philly days,” she said. “One of my favorite additions to the park is a bike and scooter pack for new and young riders.”
A new $2.2 million restroom building is also in the works. Officials hope to have it completed in the spring. Lisa Deats, senior vice president of operations and wellness, said the updates are timely.
“The restrooms will replace the current facility, which served visitors for nearly 50 years, since it was first built during Philadelphia's bicentennial celebration in 1976,” she said.
Shawn McCaney, executive director of the William Penn Foundation, a major funder of the project, said restrooms aren’t the most appealing investment for private backers, but a necessary one.
“At a time when many are retreating from efforts to promote inclusion and diversity, we know that places like Franklin Square that are welcoming and accessible to all are essential to building a healthy, free and just society,” he said.
Another important piece of the renovations was making the area safer, according to Streets Department officials. The city is cutting back on the roadway along Race Street between 6th and 8th streets, in a $1.8 million project to make the area friendlier to pedestrians and bikes, as well as more compliant with ADA regulations. Commissioner Kristen Del Rossi calls it a “road diet.”
“People visiting the square have better visibility and shorter crossing distances,” she said.
In addition, a $30 million renovation of PATCO’s Franklin Square station is nearing completion, despite being postponed from its original opening last spring. Historic Philadelphia President and CEO Amy Needle said the project aligns with their vision for the park.
“The updated design includes bird friendly glass [and] a living green roof that blends with Franklin Square's green space,” she described.
State Sen. Nikil Saval touted the importance of Franklin Square to the area. “The square is such an important geographic node in a set of neighborhoods,” he said. “It's one of the few green spaces available to Chinatown, one of the few available to Old City, Society Hill.”