City Howl Help Desk: Problems in Southwest Philadelphia's EastwickPark

THE PROBLEM: John Taylor's neighborhood park is in bad shape. When he moved to Southwest Philadelphia three years ago, Taylor liked taking his grandkids to Eastwick Park across the street from his house.

No more. The play area has fallen into disrepair. One of two playgrounds is rusted and graffiti-covered. The safety matting under the swing set has deep holes in it, and all but one swing has been removed (the remaining one, an infant swing, is broken).

The soccer goals don't have nets, grass is starting to encroach on one of the baseball diamonds, and some tree branches that fell during the winter blizzards haven't been picked up.

Then there's the dumping. Taylor's been trying for months to get the city to clean up around two trash cans in the north end of the park, where garbage often piles up.

Though he managed to flag down a sanitation truck to pick up trash in one of them, the workers took the can with them. The other wire basket is sitting there with garbage pouring out of it.

It's just a forgotten place now," Taylor said of the park. Though he said he's called 3-1-1 and several city departments, "they've given me the runaround." (Taylor didn't keep his call confirmation numbers.)

NOT "A HORRIBLE PLACE." After we contacted the Parks and Recreation Department about these problems, commissioner Mike DiBerardinis took a trip down to Eastwick.

"I wouldn't say it's a horrible place," he said, adding that No. 1 on his list of priorities is the removal of some downed branches and the pruning of the park's trees, which may take some time because of recent storms and budget constraints. (The department budget was cut 25 percent this year.)

Fixing the swings may take longer. The department took them down because the damage to the mats created a hazard, and replacement requires capital funds, which take time to allocate.

As for the dumping, City Council spokesman Tony Radwanski said that Council President Anna Verna, whose district includes Eastwick, has received complaints about parties in the park leaving trash behind.

He said Verna has stopped the city from issuing any more permits for parties and, in response to our inquiries, has sent a letter to DiBerardinis asking Parks and Rec to look into the matter.

DiBerardinis said his department doesn't issue permits for parties in Eastwick, and that residents should call the police if people are dumping after these parties.

DiBerardinis also noted that, because of budget constraints, the park doesn't have a full-time staffer coordinating things like cleanup and programs. So it's easier for things to get lost in the shuffle - though he said the garbage is picked up once a week.

HOW TO SAVE A PARK. Given that a sudden influx of cash to Parks and Rec is unlikely, what can neighborhoods that want to improve their park spaces do?

The key, park advocates say, is organizing a friends group for their neighborhood park. These groups are better than individuals at getting city officials to deal with problems, said Lauren Bornfriend, executive director of the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, an advocacy group.

Tammy Leigh DeMent, senior parks project manager at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, noted that friends groups can draw up long-term master plans for their parks that serve as tools to get outside funding beyond what the city appropriates. The plans help demonstrate to prospective donors that their money will be put to good use.

The horticultural society, for instance, awards grants underwritten by the William Penn Foundation (which funds It's Our Money) to support both capital projects, like new playgrounds or landscaping, and programs and events taking place at parks.

Forming a friends group isn't hard, Bornfriend said, though it involves knocking on doors and convincing neighbors of the importance of maintaining the local park.

The Parks Alliance offers support for groups and how-to manuals for both forming a group and effectively contacting elected officials. (You can read copies of the manuals on their Web site, www.philaparks.org.)

And groups can get big discounts on master plans, which can cost as much as $60,000 to produce, by getting help from the Horticultural Society, the city's Department of Public Property and the Community Design Collaborative, DeMent said.

Friends groups can also help organize activities like park cleanups, and events like performances and farmers markets. (This reporter joined his local park friends group because of the programming it organizes.)

Without such constant attention, parks can run into problems. DeMent said Eastwick Park is a perfect example of that - because it doesn't have organized advocates, it doesn't receive the attention it needs.

Anthony Campisi reports for It's Our Money (www.ourmoneyphilly.com).

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