‘Rebuild’ renovations have started at Kingsessing Rec Center after six years of delays

West Philadelphia residents cheered in 2017 when they learned that the more than 100-year-old building at Kingsessing Recreation Center was on the list of city facilities slated for makeovers, funded by a new tax.

But then there was litigation over the sweetened-beverage tax. Then there was the COVID-19 pandemic, the disrupted supply chain, and the skyrocketing materials costs. Then the HVAC system at the rec center broke and there were urgent problems with the facade.

“It’s been six years that we’ve been waiting,” said Constance Crews, president of the Kingsessing Recreation Advisory Council.

On Tuesday, the wait ended. Mayor Jim Kenney and a handful of city officials broke ground on a $25 million renovation project at the rec center, which will include a new playground, accessibility upgrades, updated bathrooms and security systems, and new plumbing and electric. The project also includes a new artificial turf athletic field funded by the NFL Foundation and the Philadelphia Eagles, who kicked in $200,000.

The recreation center — which is among the city’s oldest and has been a training site for world-class boxers and basketball players — will be closed for the duration of project, which is expected to take about 12 to 18 months.

“It’s wonderful that our children will understand that we care about them,” Kenney said Tuesday, “that we value them and that we want them to have quality sites, quality recreation facilities, quality libraries for them to grow.”

He ended his remarks with: “Let’s get this done.”

The renovation at Kingsessing Recreation Center is one of the largest projects that the city is undertaking as part of the Rebuild initiative, a $500 million investment in city parks, recreation centers, and libraries. The program is funded by the city’s beverage tax, one of Kenney’s signature policies.

Rebuild has hit a number snags over the years and the Kenney administration has drawn criticism from residents and City Council members who questioned the slow pace. In addition to litigation and the pandemic, Kenney has said that community engagement and the contracting process also takes time.

» READ MORE: Philly’s soda tax is paying for upgrades to rec centers. But Mayor Kenney and City Council disagree on the pace.

But there’s been a blitz of Rebuild-funded activity this year, Kenney’s last in office before the end of his second term. The project at Kingsessing is one of three West Philadelphia sites where construction is beginning this week.

On Wednesday, officials will break ground on a $20 million project at Francis J. Myers Recreation Center, where part of the existing building will be demolished and a new gym addition will be constructed. And on Friday, the city will host an event to celebrate the start of construction at Johnny Sample Recreation Center in Cobbs Creek, which will see a $15 million investment, including in an outdoor amphitheater.

Of the 72 projects the administration committed to funding, 15 are finished and 37 are in the design or construction phase, according to Rebuild executive director Kira Strong. She acknowledged that repeated delays — and the fact that construction hasn’t started at some sites — have been frustrating to residents and the administration.

But she said the Kingsessing Rec Center project has been “a big, big lift to get off the ground” and described Rebuild as “the largest capital program the city’s undertaken in a generation.”

“I think people underestimate the scope and scale we’re working with,” she said.

It will be up to the next administration to see through projects that are already underway, like in Kingsessing, or to start those that haven’t yet begun. Democrat Cherelle Parker, who is heavily favored to win the November mayoral election, has expressed support for Rebuild, but said her administration would examine the funding structure and potentially “make changes in areas where there may be waste or inefficiency.”

State Rep. Rick Krajewski, a Democrat who represents parts of West Philadelphia in the state House, said Tuesday that the renovation project at Kingsessing Rec has been “a long time coming” and commended city workers for continuing to offer programs there even while facing structural and environmental challenges in the facilities.

He said the renovated space will be “a cutting-edge facility that has the kind of investments that our young people deserve.”

“When we talk about local parks and recreation centers, it’s not just about making sure that kids have a safe place to play and hang out with their friends,” Krajewski said. “It’s about setting them up for a future where their options are limitless.”