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.
Now, DeFelice, along with the Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playground, have raised $17,000 and hope to get the additional money needed for the playground from Kaboom, a non-profit organization that builds playgrounds, and the Philadelphia School District. The only problem is the two groups can’t seem to get along, DeFelice said.
“If we can get Kaboom and the school district to work together we can probably end up with a $50,000 playground for $10,000, DeFelice said. “If we can’t get them to work together we’re gonna have to do a $25,000 playground for $25,000.”
Other than raising the needed money, another problem is liability. DeFelice doesn’t want the association to be responsible when someone gets hurt at the playground. Right now, they are looking into insurance for the day of the rebuild, but DeFelice said the school district would ultimately own the playground, therefore assuming future liability.
The Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playground, a subdivision of the Civic Association, raised money by knocking on neighbor’s doors and holding runs, DeFelice said. The group will also hold an egg hunt on Saturday, April 9 with an April 16 rain date.
“This is a big deal,” DeFelice said. “There’s no playground north of Cottman, south of Broad Street between Frankford and the Boulevard.”
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