Here’s some exciting news for many local residents in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Rebuild Philadelphia, the City program that invests hundreds of millions of dollars in improving public spaces and community facilities, is expected to break ground on renovation projects at three recreation centers with over $60 million in investments. Public groundbreakings with the participation of local officials and community members, are scheduled to take place from Sept. 19-22 at Kingsessing Recreation Center, F.J. Myers Recreation Center, and Johnny Sample (Cobbs Creek) Recreation Center.

“This will be an exciting week for Rebuild and our communities in West and Southwest Philadelphia as we kick off the largest investment week to date,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. “Thanks to the collective efforts of the City, State, partners, and our community members, Rebuild Philadelphia will break ground on three renovation projects totaling over $60 million in investment. This historic level of investment in our recreation centers will bring a transformation that our residents will get to enjoy for generations to come.”

Here are some details about each renovation project:

Kingsessing Recreation Center 

Adjacent to the neighboring Rebuild project site, the Kingsessing Library which is currently under construction, the Recreation Center is set to undergo major renovations to both the building and its athletic fields. The over $25 million in improvements feature an artificial turf athletic field funded by an NFL Foundation and Philadelphia Eagles grant, a new playground, an updated security system, and more.

Francis J. Myers Recreation Center

Totaling more than $20 million in improvements, including necessary interim improvements completed during phase one of the project in 2021, phase two will fully gut and renovate the existing three-story facility, as well as demolish the existing annex and gymnasium sections of the original building. The new construction will include:

• Regulation-size basketball gymnasium and lobby addition including restrooms.
• Relocation of playground and adult fitness equipment.
• New sprayground, community garden, site landscaping, site lighting, repair and replacement of fencing and retaining walls, selective tree removal and new plantings, regrading, and stormwater management.

Johnny Sample (Cobbs Creek) Recreation Center

Home to the Cobbs Creek community, the recreation center is a highly used location with a gymnasium and multipurpose rooms where community members enjoy environmental education and other programming. Earlier this year, Rebuild held a ribbon cutting at Cobbs Creek Nature Playground, a $1.6 million investment into the community. The recreation center and playground are part of more than $15 million being invested by Rebuild in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia. Johnny Sample site renovations will include a partial demolition of the existing building, new construction of a two-story addition, renovation of the existing basketball gym and site work (hardscape, landscape, parking area), and more.

More details and updates about each renovation project can be found on the Rebuild website.