West Philadelphia's Clark Park was approved for $1.4 million in funding earlier this month to build nature-based playgrounds, a permanent bathroom, and improve sidewalks in a series of infrastructure updates.
The allocation of these funds marks the first time Philadelphia has made plans to renovate Clark Park since 2006. The plan was developed with input from West Philadelphia residents and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, while funding came from the offices of Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier — whose district includes Penn — and Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia), as well as from Friends of Clark Park, the William Penn Foundation, and Barry Grossbach, a founding member of Friends of Clark Park.
“Clark Park is one of the most utilized parks in the entire city, and it has been in desperate need of an upgrade for some time now,” Gauthier wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. "I appreciate the Friends of Clark Park for leading the park into the future. It is my pleasure to financially support their master plan and other investments like sidewalk repairs."
Gauthier echoed a similar sentiment in an Aug. 19 social media post, in which she characterized Clark Park as a "place where West Philly comes together."
"Families, students, dog walkers, ball players, Shakespeare lovers, new neighbors and old — it's the heartbeat of our community and I look forward to making it even better as we bring the Clark Park master plan to life," the post read.
Aside from new playgrounds, permanent restrooms, and improved sidewalks, the plans include the construction of a picnic grove, gaga ball courts, basketball hoops, and misting poles. Additionally, Friends of Clark Park called upon Philadelphia residents to volunteer to clean the park and donate to help fund the upkeep of the park’s garden plots.
Friends of Clark Park did not respond to a DP request for comment.
The University City District also played a central role in the upgrades through managing the design process and setting budgets while ensuring plans reflected the goals set by Friends of Clark Park and the Department of Parks and Recreation. The district will continue its role in overseeing the playground design and will continue holding the contracts for the winning design team once its proposal is released.
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The first phase of the plan involves constructing the public restrooms, which will be stocked with free hand sanitizer, menstrual products, and naloxone. The restrooms are expected to be completed by early fall, and will be followed by the construction of the playground, which remains under design.
