February 2018

Dear Staff:

With almost a month behind us already and no signs of slowing down, 2018 looks like it’s going to be a big year for PPR!

We’ve already had a few winter weather events – and while I hope that we don’t – chances are good that we may see a few more before spring arrives. The good news here is that the PPR team that fights snow alongside the other City departments is truly professional; a group of folks who really know how to get the job done. From the drives to the Parkway and all of the sidewalks and trails in our system, these men and women know the ins and outs of salting and plowing, and they work hard to make sure all of these routes are safe for the rest of us to use. I want to thank them for stepping up when they were needed during the snow events in December and January and for any winter weather that comes our way in the near future. Here’s hoping Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow next Friday!

Since we’re hoping for an early spring, now is the perfect time to look ahead at everything we’re eagerly anticipating in 2018. Major projects will be opening or returning this year including Centennial Commons and the Aerial Adventure Park in West Park, The Rail Park and of course, LOVE Park in Center City. It is most definitely going to be a big year for PPR. But because we’re not quite done with winter just yet, be sure to check out the PPR Winter Weather Guidelines included below for tips and advice for using our parks and facilities right now.

And last but not least, parks and trees aren’t the only thing that’s green in Philly right now… be sure to check out Boathouse Row lit in green next week to support our hometown team as they head to the Super Bowl. Fly, Eagles, fly!

Yours in service,

Kathryn Ott Lovell

Things We’re Looking Forward to in 2018

2018 will be an exciting year at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation! We’re bringing you new amenities, play spaces, and programs, and bringing back some of your favorite events and activities. Find out what we have planned for the new year.

Winter Weather Guidelines

With a few winter weather events already behind us and a few more likely in our future this season, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) is reminding residents about winter weather protocols specific to our park and recreation system-- like that waterways are for the geese and not people! 

Read all of our Winter Weather Guidelines.

Job Opportunities

• Water Safety Instructor I (civil service position): Employees in this class teach patrons of various ages and abilities, including people with physical and mental disabilities, in the skills and techniques necessary for safe swimming, lifeguarding, and other water recreational activities. Apply by January 26.
• Facility Inspector (9-month, seasonal position): This work involves inspecting assets in the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation system to ensure that all facilities are safe, clean, and usable for the general citizenry. Read the full Facility Inspector job description.

2018 Unity Cup Info Sessions

Get excited for the 2018 Philadelphia International Unity Cup! Learn how to register a soccer team and other important tournament details at one of five upcoming information sessions around the city.

TreePhilly Community Yard Trees

TreePhilly’s Spring 2018 Community Giveaway Grant application is open now! TreePhilly is a program of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation dedicated to the goal of increasing urban tree canopy to at least 30% in all neighborhoods of Philadelphia. This season, TreePhilly will be doing this primarily through partnerships with community groups located in the lowest canopy neighborhoods of Philadelphia that can benefit most from the services trees provide, such as cooler temperatures, reduced flood risk, and lower utility costs.

Groups that apply for this grant will have the opportunity to host tree giveaways in their own neighborhoods, with the support of TreePhilly, and receive a grant of $200-$500 to spend on improving their programs and operations.

Apply for a Community Giveaway Grant now!

Broad Street Run Registration

Save the date: The 2018 Blue Cross Broad Street Run will take place on Sunday, May 6! Registration for this year’s run will be by lottery with entry to the lottery available from February 1, 2018 to February 16, 2018 at 11:59 pm EST. The list of those selected and not selected for the lottery will be posted on the Broad Street Run website by Thursday, February 22.

Learn more about 2018 Blue Cross Broad Street Run registration

Become a Lifeguard This Summer!

We’re still deep in the middle of winter, but we’re already planning for summer! We need hundreds of lifeguards to staff our 70+ pools, and we’re beginning the recruitment process now. The first step to becoming a lifeguard is to attend a free screening at one of our indoor pools.

To find a screening location and learn more about the process to become a lifeguard, visit our Lifeguards webpage.

Save the Date: LOVE Your Park Week

Mark your calendars! 2018’s LOVE Your Park Week will take place May 12-20, with the citywide kick-off and service day taking place at unstaffed neighborhood parks on Saturday, May 12. In addition to volunteer workdays, LOVE Your Park Week includes dozens of special events, educational programs, tours, and family activities throughout the city.

2018 volunteer registration, a list of participating parks, and the schedule for the entire week will be available in mid-April. Until then, sign up for the LOVE Your Park newsletter to get the announcement when volunteer registration opens, as well as special event details once they’re confirmed.

PPR Receives $1.6 Million in DCNR Funding

In December 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced its 2017 Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grants recipients, including $1.6 million in funding for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation projects.

On January 16, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell joined State of Pennsylvania officials and nonprofit partners at an event celebrating the selection of Bartram’s Garden as one of those DCNR investments.

Read more about the Bartram’s Garden announcement and see a list of other awarded projects.

Thank You to Robert and Etrulia Gay of Wharton Square Park!

Robert and Etrulia Gay, longtime residents of the Point Breeze community, have spent more than two decades caring for the land and children of Wharton Square (23rd & Wharton). 

Recently, Mr. and Mrs. Gay announced their retirement from public service. Learn more about their civic accomplishments, and the key roles they played in keeping Wharton Square a clean, green, and welcoming space. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Gay!

Our Sustainable 2017

In 2017, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation sought to push its sustainability initiatives as far as they would go, pursuing stronger methods to protect the natural environment, the health of Philadelphians and our neighbors, and more efficient use of our human and financial resources. Check out some of our most notable sustainability accomplishments in 2017, ranging from Zero Waste efforts, to urban agriculture, to native plant gardens, and more.

Bird Census

In June of 2016, Matt Halley from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, organized a census of breeding birds in Philadelphia green spaces. 73 citizen-scientists participated in this effort. The results of this effort have recently been published in Cassinia, the journal of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club.

June was selected as the month to conduct the census because bird migration is largely over by then, and birds encountered are likely resident breeders. The presence of a bird species in June indicates a possible breeder; however, we look for fledglings or breeding behaviors like carrying food to confirm breeding. Some species like large birds of prey are finished breeding by June, so reports on eBird are used.

101 bird species were counted; the most common bird was America robin, followed by European starling, gray catbird, house sparrow, Canada goose, common grackle, and red-winged blackbird. Read the full article, “The Philadelphia Breeding Bird Census of 2016.”

Visual Arts: Mummers Parade Poster Contest

This year, children from recreation centers in all of PPR’s eight districts were asked to create a poster depicting Philadelphia’s own annual Mummers Parade. The contest was divided by age and district.

Contest winners were selected by the Visual Arts team for the City of Philadelphia. Those who won received special recognition at a ceremony hosted at the Mummers Museum and were given special certificates acknowledging their work. Along with said certificates, all recipients grouped together for a couple of pictures. Contestants will receive their artwork back by the end of the month.

New PPR Website!

In partnership with the Office of Open Data and Digital Transformation (ODDT), PPR will launch a redesigned website (www.phila.gov/parksandrecreation) in February. 

The new, mobile-friendly website was built with users of our spaces, programs, and services in mind. It prioritizes commonly used forms and search tools, and uses plain language that can be quickly understood by the widest possible audience.

One of the key features of the new website is its “Finder” application, which lets website visitors view our activities and locations on a map, search for specific phrases, and enter an address or ZIP code to sort options based on what’s closest to them. 

The best way to learn about the new website will be to visit it after the February launch. If you see anything that needs to be fixed, click on a feedback link at the bottom of any page to make a suggestion.

We are excited to launch this new website and look forward to working with you to keep it up to date and useful to Philadelphia residents, visitors, and our staff. 

PPR January Social Media Report

Looking to promote your program to a larger audience? See what PPR is doing on social media for inspiration and to learn what types of posts get more attention than others.

PRPS Application

Attention, staff! PPR is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2018 Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) Conference. This year’s conference will be held March 27-March 30, 2018 at Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains.

The application deadline is Wednesday, January 31, 2018. All are encouraged to apply.

Questions about the conference? Contact Kathi Muller or Bill Salvatore.

Erica Smith Fichman Recognized by Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation has announced finalists for its annual Arbor Day Awards program, which recognizes leaders in tree planting, conservation, and environmental stewardship from around the country. This year, 24 finalists have been identified for six awards. One of those finalists is our own Erica Smith Fichman, TreePhilly program manager, who is nominated for the Trail Blazer Award.

The Trail Blazer Award recognizes an individual under the age of 35 who has demonstrated leadership in forestry, community forestry, research, or tree care during the past five years.  Erica is being nominated for her work developing and managing the TreePhilly program. Under Erica’s leadership, TreePhilly has given away over 20,000 trees to Philadelphia residents to plant in their own yards, hosted six successful Arbor Day celebrations, and raised the profile of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation's urban forestry work through marketing campaigns aimed at turning Philadelphia into the "City of Arborly Love."

Congrats, Erica, on this well-deserved recognition!

Iris Howard Remembered

On January 11, we learned that our friend and colleague Iris Howard passed away overnight. Check out this moving video tribute to Iris, created by Recreation Leader Bill Arthur (and including Bill on vocals as well).

Customer Service Corner

Theme for January: New Beginnings

Gandhi once said, “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.  He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

Neighborhood News

North Philly

• Pictured above: The Star Players, an adult performing arts group organized by PPR, celebrated its fifth season with the 4th Annual Holiday Award Banquet in December. The group will announce its 2018 season shortly. Learn more about the recent award banquet, as well as how you can become a Star!
• Athletic Recreation Center shared updates about a very successful holiday party in December, as well as an art project for After School Program participants focused on Octavius V. Catto. Check out what’s new at Athletic.
• On December 22, Dendy Playground held its annual holiday party, hosting more than 30 neighborhood children for a night of games, dancing, presents, and food.
• On December 20, Shuler Playground held a Holiday Festival, hosting more than 50 Swampoodle Heights neighbors for an evening of fun & games, storytelling by Irma the Storyteller and her team from Keepers of the Culture, and gift giving to children in attendance.

South Philly

This holiday season, PPR’s District 7 (South Philly) embarked on its very first district-wide holiday food drive. Together, throughout the entire district, District facilities were able to collect and donate 216 pounds of canned goods and other nonperishable items to Philabundance.




A special thanks to Joe Brogan and all of the people of District 7 who helped make this first drive a success.




 




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