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Extreme makeover: Water Works-area rehab moving forward
Doing any kind of major or glamorous upgrade to a Center City facility at an economic time like this — when many police districts, for example, are direly in need of repair or expansion — presents a conundrum. Sure, maybe Mayor Nutter is right, and projects like an $11 million upgrade to Love Park will be worth every penny; or maybe, that money could be better used if spread around to, say, repair a slew of crumbling rec centers. So, it's with that ambivalence in mind that we approach what could be, frankly, a pretty damn impressive addition to the Schuylkill River waterfront by the Fairmount Water Works. The plan, which includes a new a foot bridge and boardwalks over the peninsula of silt and weeds just past the Water Works, was hatched in 2006 and is finally getting started. The city has posted an RFP for the fountain reno, and the whole endeavor could be completed by the latter half of 2014. The $4.5 million project will progress in three phases: the rehab of the Italian Fountain at the Water Works; renovation of the silt peninsula; and, subsequently, new improvements to the stretch of park between the Water Works and Lloyd Hall. The project, according to Parks & Recreation Department First Deputy Commissioner Mark Focht, "goes back to 2006, when the Philadelphia Museum of Art approached us about constructing the parking garage and sculpture garden. … Even though the project was not taking any land out of public use, Mayor Street wanted us to look at adding more green space." The city just issued an RFP for the Italian Fountain restoration, and conservation work on its sculptures is already well underway. They're also working with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers to get permits before work on the island can begin, hopefully later this year. So, yeah, the almost $1 million restoration of the Italian Fountain does have, maybe, a ring of decadence to it. But on the other hand, this project is already funded, from previous years' capital budgets. So, may as well look forward to enjoying it.
Extreme makeover: Water Works-area rehab moving forward
Doing any kind of major or glamorous upgrade to a Center City facility at an economic time like this — when many police districts, for example, are direly in need of repair or expansion — presents a conundrum. Sure, maybe Mayor Nutter is right, and projects like an $11 million upgrade to Love Park will be worth every penny; or maybe, that money could be better used if spread around to, say, repair a slew of crumbling rec centers.
So, it's with that ambivalence in mind that we approach what could be, frankly, a pretty damn impressive addition to the Schuylkill River waterfront by the Fairmount Water Works. The plan, which includes a new a foot bridge and boardwalks over the peninsula of silt and weeds just past the Water Works, was hatched in 2006 and is finally getting started. The city has posted an RFP for the fountain reno, and the whole endeavor could be completed by the latter half of 2014.
The $4.5 million project will progress in three phases: the rehab of the Italian Fountain at the Water Works; renovation of the silt peninsula; and, subsequently, new improvements to the stretch of park between the Water Works and Lloyd Hall. The project, according to Parks & Recreation Department First Deputy Commissioner Mark Focht, "goes back to 2006, when the Philadelphia Museum of Art approached us about constructing the parking garage and sculpture garden. … Even though the project was not taking any land out of public use, Mayor Street wanted us to look at adding more green space." The city just issued an RFP for the Italian Fountain restoration, and conservation work on its sculptures is already well underway. They're also working with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers to get permits before work on the island can begin, hopefully later this year.
So, yeah, the almost $1 million restoration of the Italian Fountain does have, maybe, a ring of decadence to it. But on the other hand, this project is already funded, from previous years' capital budgets. So, may as well look forward to enjoying it.
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