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Parks In Trouble Citizens’ Hearing on the State of Our Parks May 30, 2007 PHILADELPHIA’S PARKS IN TROUBLE Some people think that Philadelphia’s park system is just fine. But not the Philadelphia Parks Alliance (PPA). Nor do dozens of users who inspected the parks. In systematic inspections of a third of all the city’s separate parks, they recently found broken playground equipment, unusable restrooms, broken water fountains, dumping, litter and garbage, and insufficient maintenance. Above all, these inspections reveal that this park system with such enormous potential is in serious trouble. This citizens’ inspection was the first of its kind. It included 44 of 139 total parks throughout the city – a third of the parks managed by the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation. It systematically used consistent criteria and its results provide an accurate overall picture of the state of Philadelphia’s parks. Citizens, who use and know their parks, including students from nearby public schools, conducted it. Every single park inspected with ball fields and basketball and tennis courts had problems. All parks reported neglected grounds, including broken glass and trash, graffiti and dangerous conditions. In 92 percent of the parks inspected, there was insufficient maintenance. Unusable picnic areas and benches were found in 88 percent of the parks inspected. Half of the inspected parks had severe problems with structures and historic buildings. This sad state of once great parks results not from a lack of dedicated staff or volunteers but from chronic neglect and under­ funding. City expenditures for the park system have stagnated for decades. Parks receive less than half of the operating funds the parks really need and virtually no capital improvements. Per capita investment in parks falls far below other comparable cities while park staff has plummeted for 35 years. This is why the Philadelphia Parks Alliance and a broad coalition of supporters are calling for ending this cycle of neglect ­ for a renewing of parks by reforming their dysfunctional system of governance and expanding and diversifying their funding. An amendment to the City Charter to this effect is being prepared for November’s election. Successful parks make successful neighborhoods. Investing in our parks makes a better city. Research by the Trust for Public Land shows and common sense knows that good parks raise our quality of life by reducing crime, improving health, increasing property values, and reducing pollution. A higher quality of life attracts a qualified workforce, which in turn draws businesses and jobs to Philadelphia. PPA believes that only by understanding the problem, can it be truly fixed. Fairmount Park and all the neighborhood Recreation parks are too valuable to abandon. They can again shine light on the entire city and brighten the lives of Philadelphians and visitors, but not with its current governance and inadequate funding. Change these and we have a chance to make our parks great again. Reprinted with minor revisions on pages 29­31 2 Some People Think Philadelphia’s Parks Are Alright, But We Know They Are In Serious Trouble 3 Cobbs Creek Park 4 Wingohocking Park 5 6 Concourse Lake (West Fairmount Park) How Do We Know? Because for the FIRST time ever, our parks have been inspected BY CITIZENS, who know, use, and work in them • In April 2007, the Philadelphia Parks Alliance launched the first ever citywide inspection of parks • Park Users inspected 44 parks. That’s 1/3 of the 139 parks managed by the Fairmount Park Commission and Philadelphia Department of Recreation 7 Discovery Charter School Inspection 8 West Fairmount Park Grover Washington Middle School Inspection 9 Tacony Creek Park 44 Citywide Inspections Inspections of PDR parks Inspections of FPC parks 10 Inspections In Every Councilmanic District Councilmanic Councilmanic Park District Park District Cianfrani Park 1 West Park 4 8th and Poplar 1 Wissahickon Park 4 & 8 Gold Star Park 1 Hunting Park 5 Jefferson Square 1 Reyburn Park 5 Kahn Park 1 Rittenhouse Square 5 Powers Park 1 Schuylkill River Park 5 Smith M. Playground 5 Penn Treaty Park 1 Fluehr Park 6 Bartram's Garden 2 Wissinoming Park 6 Chew Playground 2 Overington Park 7 Elmwood Park 2 Tacony Creek Park 7 & 9 Disilvestro Playground 2 Blue Bell Hill Park 8 Fitler Square 2 Clifford Park 8 Clark Park 3 Clivedon Park 8 Cobbs Creek Park 3 & 4 Cloverly Park 8 Fairview Park 4 Fernhill Park 8 Glendinning Rock Garden 4 Gilbert Stuart 8 Inn Yard Park 4 Ned Wolf Park 8 Morris Park 4 Vernon Park 8 Papa Playground 4 Shevchenko Park 9 Parkside Evans Playground 4 Fisher Park 9 Pretzel Park (Manayunk Park) 4 Poquessing Park 10 Saylors Grove 4 Pennypack Park 6,7 & 10 11 What We Found • Thousands of Dedicated, Hardworking Volunteers – In 2006 volunteers worked 229,951 hours. At a rate of $18.77 per hour*, this constitutes sweat equity worth over $4.3 million • Heroic Efforts by Park Staff • A Desperate Need for More Resources and New Leadership • Residents and Leaders Who Want to Improve Our Parks *2007 per hour estimated value established by the nonprofit organization Independent Sector 12 But We Also Found Our Parks in Trouble • Dumping and Trash • Vandalism & Graffiti • Dangerous Dilapidation & Disrepair • Neglected Grounds – Erosion – Invasives – Dead trees 13 Overall Findings 100 _ 90 s rk a 75 P of 60 ge 45 a t n e 30 rc e 15 P 0 d d d d n n s n e n t Dangerous a d Dumping a a s Vandalism c o Neglected i n i u h t g n t e i m u l s o f n o a f r i Dilapidas tion and i and Trash g o a r i and Grt affiti r l a r e p Grounde s o t r a i g a g r m N d G d n i Deterioration e u t n a p D e a a D l d V e d Source: Philadelphia Parks Alliance Citizen Inspections, May 2007 14 The State of Philadelphia’s Parks 15 Restrooms West River Drive Comfort Station and Picnic Area 16 Restrooms • Most parks don’t even have restrooms, but of those who reported on them 86 % say – They stink – They are dirty – They have graffiti 17 Closed or Non­existent Restrooms Pennypack Park 18 The Port­a­potty Solution West Park by Mann Music Center 19 We Have Some Lovely Water Fountains Fitler Square 20 But… • Only 5 parks inspected reported having water fountains • 3 of these 5 were broken • Others wonder why they don’t have any 21 Water Fountains Out of Order or Nonexistent Rittenhouse Square 22 We Have Some Beautiful Playgrounds Smith Memorial Playground 23 However… • Over 75 % of Inspections in Parks With Playgrounds Have Problems – Dangerous conditions – Disrepair – Broken glass – Trash 24 Playgrounds with Rust and Peeling Paint Rose Playground (W. Philadelphia) 25 And A Lack of Basic Maintenance Kemble Park Parkside Evans Playground 26 Why Did This Happen? – Chronic Under­funding – Neglect 27 Budget Neglect 4000 3500 3000 s n o i l 2500 l Mi 2000 n I s City Budget r 1500 a l l Park Budget o 1000 D 500 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 Dollars in millions, not adjusted for inflation, rounded to nearest million Comparison for Fairmount Park Budget Only Source: Philadelphia Department of Records 28 Staffing Trends 700 600 s 500 oyee l p m 400 E of 300 r be m 200 u N 100 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Source: Fairmount Park Commission Numbers for Fairmount Park Only 29 Operating Budget $30 m 30 25 ns o 20 i l l i M n 15 I s r a l l 10 o D 5 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Need * Source: Fairmount Park Commission * Reported by Park Reform Task Force, Fairmount Park Commission and Philadelphia Strategic Plan 30 Capital Budget 90 $85 m 80 70 s n o 60 li l Mi 50 n I s 40 r la l 30 o D 20 10 $0 $0 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Need* No Capital Budget funds have been available to any City agency in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 due to a lack of City Council authorizing ballot questions for voter approval of spending. Budget Numbers for Fairmount Park Only Source: Fairmount Park Commission * Reported by Park Reform Task Force, Fairmount Park Commission and Philadelphia Strategic Plan 31 Pe r Ca p ita Par 300 250 k rs I lla 200 n o ve D 150 st 100 me 50 n t: 0 Ma So 32 u rce Washington DC j o : T ru r s t fo r Seattle U Pu b lic S Ci L a Denver nd s Avg, all Big Cities tie Cleveland s New York Philadelphia Los Angeles PDR FPC Why Is This Important? Why Invest In Parks? 33 Reduce Crime 34 Improve Health Wissahickon Park 35 Improve Quality of Life Gorgas Park 36 Increase Property Value Fitler Square 37 Encourage Economic Development Clark Park 38 Manage Storm Water Runoff Retaining Basin at Saylors Grove 39 Reduce Pollution Schuykill River Park 40 Citizen Inspectors Found More Trouble In Philadelphia’s Parks 41 Tennis Courts Hunting Park 42 Ball Fields & Courts 100% of Inspections Report Disrepair invasives & bare & brown weeds areas flooding dangerous uneven pavement conditions & holes dumping broken glass and trash Data based only on inspected parks that have ball fields or courts 43 Ball Fields and Courts Papa Playground 44 Basketball Courts Hunting Park 45 They Should Be Clean & Green Mount Airy Playground 46 And More Trouble … Cobbs Creek Park 47 Picnic Areas and Benches 88% of Inspections Report Deterioration dumping bare & brown areas graffiti dangerous broken & disrepair conditons needs painting broken glass and trash Data based only on inspected parks that have picnic areas or benches 48 Picnic Areas and Benches Clark Park 49 They Should All Look Like This Pennypack on the Delaware 50 Even More Trouble … West Parkside 51 Open Space and Grass 100% of Inspections Report Neglected Grounds pruning / invasives/weeds dumping

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