COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FY26 BUDGET City Hall, Room 400 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, April 16, 2025 10:00 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE-RICHARDSON COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA COUNCILWOMAN NINA AHMAD COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILMAN CURTIS J. JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN NICOLAS O'ROURKE COUNCILMAN JEFFREY J. YOUNG, JR. COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS COUNCILMAN BRIAN O'NEILL COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS HELEN LOUGHEAD, CLERK - - -
Ms. Loughead, would you please call the roll to take attendance of this outstanding quorum?
Councilmember Ahmad. Councilmember Landau. Councilmember Brooks. Councilmember O'Rourke.
Present. A quorum of the committee is present and we are now officially called to order. Ms. Loughead, would you please read the title of the resolutions.
Bill No. 8 250-195, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1500 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Wage and Net Profits Tax by revising certain tax rates, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-196, an ordinance adopting the operating budget for fiscal fear 2026. Bill No. 250-197, an ordinance to adopt to fiscal 2026, capital budget. Bill No. 250-198, an ordinance to adopt a capital program for the six fiscal years 2026 through 2031 inclusive. Bill No. 250-199, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-2600 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Business Income and Receipts Taxes to revise certain tax rates and end certain exclusions from the tax on receipts, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-200, an ordinance amending chapter 12-1000 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Traffic Code to revise the fee for the use of parking meters, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-201, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1800 of the Philadelphia Code entitled School Tax Authorization to provide for an increase in the tax, the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia is authorized to impose on real estate. And amending Chapter 22 19-1300 entitled Real Estate Taxes to establish an equivalent reduction in the tax rate for the city real estate tax, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-202, an ordinance amending Chapter 19-1806 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Authorization of Realty Use and Occupancy Tax to eliminate certain exemptions all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-210, an ordinance amending Section 11 10-1001 of the Philadelphia Code, entitled Fees of Commissioner of Records to increase the portion of fees for the recording of deeds and mortgages and related documents to be used for housing trust fund purposes, under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-211, an ordinance amending Section -- Chapter 19-1400 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Realty Transfer Tax by revising the rate of the tax, all under certain terms and conditions. Bill No. 250-212, an ordinance to amend Chapter 19-4400 of the Philadelphia Code entitled Development Impact Tax to end the imposition of the tax, under certain terms and conditions. Resolution No. 250-214, a resolution providing for the approval by the Council of the City of Philadelphia of a revised five- year financial plan for the City of Philadelphia covering fiscal years 2026 through 2030 and incorporating revisions with respect to fiscal year 2025, which is to be submitted by the Mayor to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority pursuant to an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement by between the city and the authority.
Thank you very much, Ms. Loughead. Today we will continue the public hearing of the Committee of the Whole to consider the bills read by the clerk that constitute proposed operating capital spending measures for fiscal year 2026, a capital program and forward-Looking capital plan for fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2031. This morning we have scheduled testimony from the Free Library, as well as the Department of Parks and Recreation. This afternoon we will have scheduled testimony from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, better known as SEPTA. Ms. Loughead, could you please call up the first panel to testify?
Kelly Richards, President and Director of the Free Library, and we will also have Susan Slawson, Commissioner for Parks and Rec.
First and foremost, I just want to say good morning and welcome and thank you for being here as you present your testimony on behalf of the administration. As always, I just want to take a moment I want publicly have a chance, to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Commissioner of Park & Recreation. Welcome back, Sue Slawson, and thank you for just always being responsive and your leadership as it relates to how we continue to move forward with our park and recreational facilities. I also want to acknowledge my good friend I see sitting over there, who I had conversation with this morning, just about every other day regarding constituent services matters, Mr. Frank Fabey. And also just want to give a shout out to Aparna and Francesco for always making sure when doing the revitalization of my park and recreational -- my parks and playgrounds, they're always responsive to making sure we're on target to revitalize the park and recreational facilities inside my district. So I just want to publicly just say thank you and overall your team. And also, I know we have some good news that we are here in this presentation by Mr. Richards. Thank you for your leadership with the Philadelphia Public Library, making sure we are up and running. I think we up to six days and you'll talk more about the robust things that we're doing in terms of making sure our young people are receiving the best experience when they go to our libraries and overall the community as a whole. So Kelly, I always like the work that you are doing and I look forward to your presentation. And we're going to start with the ladies first, with Ms. Sue Slawson, Chairperson of Park and Recreation. Just state your name, for the record, and please begin your testimony.
Good morning, Council President. Susan Slawson, S-L-A-W-S-O-N. I want to say thank you for those comments. And I am the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. With me today, are Marissa Washington, first Deputy Commissioner, and Susan Buck, Deputy Commissioner for Operations. And it's a pleasure to be here. I appear before you to present our proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2026, which includes a general fund obligation of $83,535,660. A decrease of $7,384,841 from fiscal year 2025 estimated obligation levels. This decrease is primarily due to one-time payments for contracted bonuses and site preparations for special events in 2026 and non-recurring FY25 youth sports funding. In addition to the department's stewardship of Philadelphia's treasure parks and natural lands, we are continuing to develop and expand programs that advance the Mayor's vision for a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia. In the fall of 2024, the youth sports and anti-violence initiative provided 244,000 and travel grants through the Philadelphia City Fund to 32 football and cheer teams, an average of $7,625 per team who qualified for national tournaments in other states. Many of these organizations will also once again have the opportunity to participate in coaching clinics that cover both the physical fundamentals as well as mental health strategies that coaches can employ to support their young athletes. In spring 2025, we are providing $218,000 in grants and partnerships with Philadelphia Youth Sports Collision to support 70 organizations with grants ranging from $500 to $5,000. Thirty-four organizations received $5,000. PYSC is launching a second round in late summer -- the late summer of 2025 with a continued focus on those underserved communities. As a part of the youth sports and anti-violence initiative, these efforts across organizations, sports, and communities will create more safe spaces citywide for young people to learn, play, and grow. As we provide services to the residents of Philadelphia throughout the year, we remain focused on providing safe spaces for Philadelphia's youth through 95 after school programs, hosting 2,200 youth, serving over 322,000 meals during the school year, hosting 220 Play Streets and offering summer camps for 6,700 youth. Our targeted enforcement program operates from Memorial Day weekend to the late September with support from our Rangers, Philadelphia Police Department, Advisory Councils and neighbors. We also continue to prioritize safe spaces in Kensington, and we are grateful for partners such as Impact Services, Friends Groups, the Police Department, and the Free Library. Together, we will provide programming at McPherson, Hissey, Hope and Harrogate Park, as well as after school programs at Heitzman, Rivera and Schmidt. As we care for our citizens, we are mindful of the powerful connection and the positive impact that green spaces provide for communities. As stewards of Philadelphia's natural lands, PPR sustainability unit works to maintain, increase and protect natural resources across the city. The team continues its workforce development efforts to provide hands-on restoration training through PowerCorpsPHL. Staff will also continue to assess over 100 illegal dumping hotspots on park land. We continue our partnership with the Police Department's Environmental Crime Unit to issue violations for illegal dumping in Fairmount Park. Urban Forestry Tree team manages over 130,000 street trees. The regional crews manage 10,000 plus acres of park land. And storm emergencies and natural lands teams is responsible for 5,000 plus acres of forest metals and wetlands. The growth and care of our urban forest is an environmental justice issue. There are fewer trees where there is more poverty in black and brown communities.
Our Urban Forestry Unit and the Department of Commerce are partnering in a commercial corridor tree planting and care program to plant trees and train taking care of business ambassadors to care for them. To date, 468 trees have been planted and 40 TCB ambassadors have been trained and paid to take care of the trees through this partnerships. In closing, many of you have seen the transformative power of Rebuild. It has revitalized long, neglected facilities like Vare, Rivera, Heitzman, and others. But even at these renewed sites, there's work that still needs to be done. I hope together we can come up with a plan that fully revitalizes PPR sites and focuses on challenges like lighting and pavements. Thank you for this opportunity to discuss our department with you today, and I look forward to your questions.
Thank you very much. Before we hear the testimony from Kelly Richards for the Free Library, I want to acknowledge on the presence of Councilmember Kendra Brooks, Councilman Member Jeffrey J. Young, Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. Mr. Richards, the floor is yours.
Thank you. Good morning President Johnson and members of City Council. I'm Kelly Richards, President Director of the Free Library. Joining me today is Stephen Maccari, our finance director, and Tyreice DuPass, our property management director. And we have others from the Free Library team here today, too. So I'm pleased to provide testimony on the Free Library's fiscal year of 2026 operating budget. Our mission at the Free Library is to advance literacy, guide learning, inspire curiosity as part of the Mayor's vision to provide a world-class educational opportunity for Philadelphians of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Our plans for fiscal year of 2026 at this pivotal moment in our society, public spaces, especially libraries are more essential than ever. We need trusted sources of information, places for connection and spaces where individuals can be themselves, discover new passions or lose themselves in curiosity and creativity. The Free Library of Philadelphia provides invaluable resources to our community and its role is critical today as it has ever been in our city's history. Aligned with the Mayor Park's vision, the Free Library is part of creating a safer, cleaner, greener spaces in every neighborhood and access to economic opportunity for all. We are dedicated to uplifting and fulfilling the vital work we do every single day, providing necessary services and support for residents and communities. As we move forward with our strategic planning process, the Free Library is excited to share our vision and commitment to the future. Currently in the engagement phase, we are connecting with internal and community stakeholders to gather insights that will guide the development of a comprehensive plan for the library's future. These efforts will not only enhance service delivery, but also ensure exceptional customer service for everyone who walks through the library's doors. The Free Library is deeply committed to fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment by expanding our outreach efforts, developing the new community engagement and volunteer services division. We are ensuring that our community programming reflects the diverse needs of the people we serve. These initiatives are designed to ensure that the library authentically reflects the rich diversity of our community and provide services that are accessible to all. In addition, we are focused on expanding access and engagement across the city by increasing our public service hours. After the successful rollout of Saturday service at many libraries, we are now working toward continuing to extend Saturday public service hours to all libraries and eventually including Sunday service hours at key locations by FY27. Combined with strength and community outreach, partnerships with local nonprofits and other city agencies, these efforts will continue to position the library as a continued vital hub for civic engagement, workforce development, and lifelong learning for all residents. As we grow, we're all -- we're also prioritizing critical infrastructure improvements to our buildings and information technology to enhance the services we provide for both patrons and staff. We're planning a comprehensive facilities assessment for fiscal year '26. We have several improvements to our buildings and HVAC systems to meet critical needs to keep libraries open. We're committed to updating our beautiful historic facilities to ensure we continue delivering a world-class user experience. With the ongoing support of our Deputy Managing Director Dave Wilson and the managing director's office, the Free Library board of trustees, city leaders, staff and community partners, the Free Library will remain a safe, accessible, and welcoming space for all Philadelphians to learn, grow, and to connect. The Free Library of Philadelphia is proud to be a place where connections are made and where everyone can find a sense of belonging.
So thank you for your continued support as we work together to shape the future of this invaluable, awesome institution.
Thank you very much. Just a couple brief questions before I turn it over to my members. Also, I want to acknowledge the presence of -- I think I said Brooks already, correct? All right. Making sure. Dr. Nina Ahmad, Councilmember Mark Squilla. I'll announce their presence, for the record. Commissioner Sue Slawson, give me an idea of the status of the master plan and the progress we're making regarding FDR Park. I know it started under the prior administration, a significant commitment under Jim Kenney. Under this administration, we still want to make sure that we complete the work that has put -- has started. And I know the Mayor's a champion of -- on the revitalization of FDR Park, because we were down there together, talking about the great fields that we're going to have, how we're going to revitalize the space as relates to 2026, when the World Cup is coming across the street at the Lincoln Financial Field. So just give us an update on that particular project.
So to let you know, the FDR Park project, those places and spaces have been funded completely. The gateway phase has been funded completely, the nature phase has been funded completely, the picnic and pet play phase has also been funded completely. And I can give you a description of those. The gateway phase is the Anna Verna -- part of the gateway phase is the Anna Verna playground, open Fall of 2023. Park wide bike lane, America's largest swings, 3 acre inclusive and sustainable play space. A new parking lot with storm water, lights and cameras. New waterline, waste water lines, and electrical connections for the park, and a Patterson Lagoon restoration. And then there's the Gateway Plaza, which will be opening -- actual ribbon cutting this spring. Way finding information to help visitors navigate the park, misters for cooling off on a warm day, seating groves with benches for meeting friends and family, rain gardens that create native plants and flowering understory canopy to absorb storm water. Bike recs to welcome cyclists, raised pedestrian crossing at the Park Loop Road, lighting and security cameras. And then we have the Welcome Center, which should be opening this spring as well. LEED Gold Historic Preservation project, public information and welcome center, 6,000 square feet, new offices for park staff, 22,000 square feet. A welcome terrace, food and beverage concessions, community and meeting spaces, new parking lots, storm water management lights and cameras. Phase 1 of the five-park loop trail. All of this has already been funded. And with that you also have the construction of a five multipurpose fields, which is what -- and four basketball courts.
And so give me the status of the five multipurpose fields, basketball courts and where we're at in terms of the funding of that phase.
That's been funded as well. The project is not moving yet, but it will be moving, but it has been funded completely.
All right. Thank you for that update. There was an investment of $2.5 million in youth sports initiatives in 2025, but we're only requesting $500,000 for FY26. And so give me an idea of why the significant decrease in the funding requests from last year to this year regarding sports youth initiatives? And then also, I think this is also relevant for the sports fund, which I think was a brilliant idea of the Mayor. How do organizations that want to apply for this funding?
And so we are in partnership with PYSC, as well as Philadelphia City Fund, and we are opening up. We just closed the spring grants, they're going to be opening up opportunities for summer grants as well. And the -- so the actual funding that the Mayor gave us was $3 million, President Johnson. And we will be getting an additional $500,000 in our budget. But some of the funding was used for supplies that we will not have to purchase again. And, you know, one of the things is we are -- we were lacking in updated equipment in our facilities. And we have enough funding to supply additional equipment, upgraded equipment in all of our sites. One of the things that we're going to do also is a boxing program. So we have the funding to purchase all of the equipment for the boxing program. We won't need that funding again in our budget. So a lot of what we're doing, we need funding for one-time purchases and that $500,000 will assist us in making sure we'll be able to provide the grants for next year for these -- for these teams and community people that need support.
Okay. I just have one request. If you and your team could work with members regarding that process, right? Because it's operated by a third party, which is good, but however, we need to make sure we have that connection, and so when members have individual constituencies that want to apply, then we are aware that this upcoming summer we can relay that information to the youth groups in our individual districts to actually apply for the funding. And I think it's great because our children shouldn't have to be on the highways on the middle of the streets with their handout asking for money where we should be supporting, which I consider our best assets in the city of Philadelphia, which are our children, so.
Council President Johnson, I will make sure today that we will get information over to you so you can ensure that all the other council members can notify the constituents how to apply for the next round of funding.
And last question before I go on to Mr. Richards. We know every year, particularly during the summer, right, we anticipate, right, more youth are outside, more youth are on the playgrounds, more youth are on the basketball courts. And it's inevitable, unfortunately, that we see some level of gun violence taking place on our basketball courts. What are we doing to be proactive and from a prevention standpoint to the best of our ability to be in front of this issue? I know we work in partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department, but they can't be everywhere, right? And I know we also work with the advisory boards -- the advisory council and members of the neighborhood to self-police, you know, our parks and recreational facilities. But also, I just want to get an idea from your perspective different strategies what we are doing. For instance, are we turning off the lights at 9:00 p.m. so young people won't be hanging out in the park, similar to what happened in my district in Southwest Philadelphia. Give me an idea where we're at?
And so our hours during the summer are 9:00 to 9:00. And I believe you really did hit it. It's really key that we make sure that lights are out at 9:00, that the facilities that we have that we can shut gates, that the gates are locked. And of course, we don't have gates at all of our sites, but the gates that we do have, we are -- we're leaning on our park rangers a lot more as well, or we are in the process of just trying to make sure that those places where we have gates and we can ensure that the gates are closed. The other thing that helps us is to ensure that the lighting that's needed in our sites, that they're out on the fields until it's time to close the gates. Because you really don't really -- you really don't want to get -- most criminals are not going to do something --
They want it to be dark. So while our facilities are open, one of the goals is to increase our lighting in our facilities, those areas in our playgrounds, those areas on our fields where there's limited lighting, we are working to try to improve the lighting to make sure that parents and kids and family members feel safe when they're outside at our playgrounds. And one of the key things that I mentioned, I think it was last week, is that we need community members.
I'm with you on the community members side. Have we ever thought as a city to engage in public-private, like real security? Because just being frank, even though Ms. Maymay from the neighborhood and Ms. Maymay in the park, or, you know, Saleem from the neighborhood, he in the park, sometimes, though, without having that visible -- that visible presence of authority, you know, some young people still just brazen and still will take a life irregardless. But sometime that official authority, right, kind of make you think twice about it. So have we ever thought about maybe doing a public-private partnership in bringing in third party security to supplement the Philadelphia Police Department in areas where they can't be?
Are we talking about armed or are we talking about security guards?
We could do either one. I know armed, we not supposed to have firearms inside the park.
So this body banned that, right? Even if it's not -- for instance, you take University City, right, they have one of the models where the individuals who are patrolling in the neighborhood, right, and they're out there all times of the night. You'll think twice because there's a visible presence of authority monitoring what's taking place. So even if it's non-armed, have we ever thought about that?
We've thought about it. And I think it's something for us to consider. One of the things that we've discussed is if there is a security guard inside and that's what he's being paid to do, we would also have to think about having presence outside.
Because they're going to stick to what their job description says. And so now we're talking about additional funding, we're talking about additional --
We have an $8 billion budget and we're talking about the safety of our children. So we spare no 19 expense to keep our children safe.
And so we are talking about having guards inside, outside. And I think one of the things that also helps is that if we could also just fill our compliment that we currently have and have the staff that we need in our facilities, if we're bringing in security to work along with the security that we are talking about. So I think it's something we definitely we've had conversations about and we could continue to revisit and come up with a plan on how that could definitely support the safety of our young people. And it's just everyone that comes to our facility, it's not just our young people. It's everybody that comes and wants to be a part of community at our recreation centers at our parks.
I'm with you. But the ones that are being shot and murdered are our young people.
So I have to say that respectfully. So I do want to do a follow-up. We can talk offline, but I think we know it's coming during the summer. We can anticipate it. And that's unfortunate, right? And so at what point do we do something different, because the police can't be everywhere. Maybe they'll be in a high-crime areas, but at some point in time, we got to think about how we approach this differently. And I believe, yeah, we could recruit people from the neighborhood, right? But also I just believe that the official presence make people make think twice before they engage in something that's not becoming of our neighborhood. And so I'll be willing to work with you. And from this body, and I know members will support me on this, we would spare no expense. This is a negotiation process, and so for us to advocate for what we believe is in best interest of keeping our children safe. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Quick point of information, Council President. You brought up University City District from my -- from my district, but I actually wanted to point to Level Up Philly and suggest that we talk to them and maybe partner with them. I've been to their after- school spot several times. Pastor Aaron Campbell, he does have security there, but he also has kids from all over the city, sometimes hundreds of kids. These are kids that have been involved in violence, some of them are involved with street groups, but they come together peacefully at Level Up. And so I think it's a model for what we could do in our rec centers.
And I would look forward to having that conversation with you because whatever we can do to prevent any more of these homicides, we are willing to do whatever we can. It's not just traumatic for the parents, the children, the relatives, it is -- it is traumatic for our staff. Our staff members that have to run out and try to save the lives of the young people that have been attacked, whether it's a weapon, whether it's a fight, this affects our community all around. And so however we can work together to identify support to make sure that our young people are safe, I'm willing to have that conversation.
Thank you, Commissioner Slawson. Mr. Richards.
How many days are we operating currently? And I know you want to go to seven days a week, just give us an idea on that strategy. And then last, we know that we had to shut down libraries due to AC 11 issues, heating issues. And so if 12 we are operating six days, we're 13 going to seven days, obviously one 14 of the things we should be 15 advocating for is a robust capital 16 campaign to fix up our actual 17 library system. Because I'm sure 18 the infrastructure is pretty old, 19 and so give us an update. 20
Well, Council President, the budgets that we've received the last couple of years have really been significant to do something to move the Free Library forward in a very positive and optimistic way to serve our neighbors and serve every community. We have advanced our library services to where we're pretty much stable five days a week. And right now we have 30 -- about 30 locations open on Saturdays. That's 30 out of the 54. So our objective is to hire about -- about another 50 more full-time and about 57 part-time people with our municipal guards. And once we reach that figure, we believe -- we know we'll be able to open six days a week consistently throughout the system, and then we'll be able to provide Sunday hours. And that's something we have not done in a very, very long time. And could you -- what was the second question? Oh, the capital --
Capital Plan campaign. We shut down libraries. 3
6 Due to faulty heating and faulty air 7 conditioning. So tell me about the 8 capital plant plan. 9
Yeah. We've 10 got some very beautiful old 11 buildings with old infrastructure. 12 I was looking at some of the dates 13 of some of the boilers before we 14 came today, and some of them date to 15 the 60s. And now that we're open 16 more, you know, you can look at 17 global warming and all of that, too. 18 And we are utilizing the 19 building more warming and cooling 20 centers. We're putting a lot of strain on some of those systems. So what we have done and we put in the budget and the Mayor's budget was a facilities conditioning assessment, which will give us the ability instead of running, searching emergencies, now we'll have a strategic plan that will put in a hierarchy of our boiler issues, our -- and based on cost, too. Our boiler issues, our mechanical issues, roofing. It'll give us the ability to be very strategic and costing out and budgeting for in a way dealing with priorities, all of the issues we are confronted with that we're seeing with our buildings, but we're not waiting for that. In the interim, our teams are working with the capital project office. We're looking at the issues we have now in prioritizing those. So that is where we are right now in that particular effort.
What's the overall cost of the capital campaign?
How much are you requesting in this particular budget?
In this particular budget, our -- for '26 is, I believe it's 3,850,000.
And have you anticipated your overall capital campaign number?
That will -- that will be able to address some of the emergency issues that we see going into this particular year.
Okay. I just want to go on the record. I think my members agree with me. This is something that's critical to -- the Chair recognizes Councilmember Brooks.
Just a point of information, I was wondering for the staffing needs, do you have a plan to recruit the staff that you need to kind of build up? Because I think there were some shortages that were happening throughout the system. So is it a hiring plan? And towards the building needs, you asked for what, the 3 million -- I wrote it down, 3,850,000. Is there a five-year plan? Because you only talked about emergency repairs.
What is the long-term strategic plan to maintain the library system and can we plan for that so we are not just piecemealing this as we go along?
We -- good. A very good question, Councilmember. We do have a five-year plan, but the five-year plan isn't based on this facilities condition assessment report. Once we get that, we'll be able to have better data to revise that five-year plan. The five-year plan now is just based on what we see, but once we get that facilities condition assessment report, that very strategic report, which will be able to prioritize those particular needs that we have, even knowing, and even in the midst of that, we'll still have some emergencies that pop up. But that plan will give us our best guide, and that's something that we don't have and haven't, and it will be a guide for us to be able to put a plan together to bring before you.
Member Brooks, regarding the point of information, we're going to wait until it's your line of questioning; is that okay?
Because it's really just providing -- you're providing information -- doing the point of information. Now we are engaging in questioning and as relates to the presentation, so when we get to your time, we're going to call you so you can officially --
--- do a double down regarding his responses. The Chair, before we turn it over to members, recognizes Councilmember Curtis Jones.
Thank you so much. So I'm excited about the plans for FDR Park. I mean, I'm going to bring --
But I'm going to use the two of you in your proximity to illustrate the proximity between the Wynnefield Library and John Anderson Center. They're right next door to each other. They share a space, right? The majority leader is a Wynnefield person, so she understands what I'm saying. How -- and almost similar to what Member Brooks is talking about, on a strategic plan, you share the same roof. You share the same HVAC. Do you talk about how to maximize those efficiencies? Because you share a space together, how you can be cost effective in the renovation of that facility and the timing of those renovations? I raised that because we've put the money in for the renovations years ago, but we have not seen shovel in the ground. And I can't understand that. In Wynnefield, as my commissioner knows, that's the town hall. That's where all of the community groups come to go. And we have to -- we have to be a little more strategic on facilities that we co-operate. How we can create a plan to do that, that's No. 1. Number 2, during the -- not Liquor Buy The Drink, the sugary beverage tax, we were promised a group of workers under Frank Fabey, the famous Frank Fabey. Is he here?
Because he's actually a myth. Is he actually in here? There he is.
He's actually -- he exists. We were supposed to get a workforce of trained workers under him. I know we hired him, but it's my understanding, under your watch, I'm going to say it three times, not under your watch, not under your -- that those positions were then used to backfill people that retired. So therefore it was not a net gain. We were told that if we paid out of the budget for the materials, we'd have the labor, this would be a more efficient time-wise production of renovation of needed -- of renovations in our smaller facilities. Those two questions. My first round: joint shared footprints, are you working together, and what happened to our laborers?
Well, I guess, I'll start. One of the things with we're doing with the Capital Projects Office is we all are working together.
What -- from the -- Kelly, Free Library, we are all working together with the Capital Projects Office on these projects where we're rebuilding and remodeling, especially if the rec center and the library is aligned and close together instead of --
So give me the example of Wynnefield and Anderson, how's that working together, that case in specific?
I believe that particular question would probably be best --
If I could ask for a Aparna Palantino, who is now in charge of capital projects to come up and respond to that.
Thank you. MS. Palantino: Aparna Palantino, Director Capital Program Office. Councilmember Jones, thank you for your question. So one of the most important facets of rebuild was to prioritize sites that are co-located. So Wynnefield Library and Anderson Cultural Center being a prime example of that. So as to not disrupt operations, Wynnefield is actually under construction currently with an outdoor renovation and classroom space expected to be completed later this summer, as soon as the grass establishes. And John C. Anderson, once that's completed, John C. Anderson Cultural Center is actually in design and construction will begin right afterwards.
So to answer my question, on shared properties, you have an efficiency plan -- MS. Palantino: Yes.
-- that says if I have to replace the HVAC in one, we might as well extend it to the other and get it done in one stroke? MS. Palantino: Yes. So we evaluate the HVAC -- every system for the individual assets. In the case of Anderson and Wynnefield, we are actually separating the HVACs, so John C. Anderson will get a separate dedicated HVAC system.
So I would dare to use the W word, like when is that going to happen? MS. Palantino: That will start in the late summer, early fall.
Got you on the record. Thank you very much. The Frank Fabey question. MS. Palantino: I cannot answer that. I don't want to speak for Parks and Rec, sorry.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Majority Gilmore-Richardson.
Thank you, Mr. President. Quickly, I'd just like to thank Councilmember Jones. I rise with a parliamentary inquiry regarding the statement from Aparna. If you could give us the exact times, I couldn't hear you. The exact month and year for the John C. Anderson Cultural Center Project. MS. Palantino: The John C. Anderson Cultural Center project is in design, wrapping up design. So construction is expected to start this fall of this year, 2025.
So because of time constraints, I cut out all of the thank yous I want to give all of you. Just consider that an asterisk next to it because I do truly appreciate all you've done for my rec centers, even though they're not in South Philly. Thank you. MS. Palantino: Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Dr. Anthony Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to briefly say thank you to council President for entrusting me with the role of being a chair of parks and rec -- recreation. All the members have a briefing that I provided as a result of the work that we've done with Parks and Recreation this year with our committee about some of the great things that are coming from Parks and Recreation, but also some things that we're hoping to make progress towards. When I first started this -- I'm going to go into my questions really quickly. When I first started this, I was adjusting to this role and it took me a little while to understand what to do, but I was -- thanks to the veterans like Councilmember Thomas, Gauthier, and Gilmore-Richardson, I was able to observe what they do as chair people of their committees and try to adopt what we do with this committee. And so I've gotten a little used to it and we made a lot of strides. I want to just begin by thanking Commissioner Slawson, who works really well with our Mayor and also has been a great advocate for our parks and rec system. She's doing a great job, but all of her staff members from Sue Buck to Ann Marie to Frank Fabey and Marissa, thank you-all so much for the work that you're doing. Let's continue to do it. I do want to note that on our tours that I did with our committee members, we noticed a few things that's happening in our -- at our rec centers. One of them includes the need for a welcoming space for our rec centers in terms of lighting in and outside of the spaces. That was noticed by a lot of our staff, parks and rec, and it was a continued thing. As well as most of our rec centers have extensive paving issues that are needed. I just wanted to see if, Commissioner, if you can talk more to the public more about, you know, the need for LED lighting as a welcome space, as well as like, you know, for our staff in and out as well as our paving, as well.
As many of us -- Susan Slawson, as many of us are familiar with our facilities, the age of our facilities are, you know, except for the ones that have been a part of rebuild, they're 50 years and older. And so we're dealing with sites that have lighting issues because of the type of lights, they're not LED. Lights that need to be replaced really often. But we're also lighting systems that are -- they're dim, our facilities are dim. We need to do a better job at upgrading our lighting system, not only inside, but outside as well. And so as we were doing the tours, Council Dr. Phillips has it set up where we go out monthly to tour our sites. And it actually benefited me as well coming back as a new commissioner. And what we were observing is that the lighting inside our facilities for our young people, for our staff, is really not up to par. And I believe we owe it to our young people that are using the facilities, and the staff that are working to do a better job at upgrading the lighting system. But also we notice for paving around our rec centers, there pavement they're crumbling, and it's a challenge. And so we have some of these beautiful sites, where you have rebuild facilities, but the paving around the rec center has not been a part of the scope. And so you walk into a beautiful there -- they hit it on there, because the paving around there is complete. But you go to some of the other sites, they're not. And so I'm soliciting just some support, something that we can look into to see if we can address, it's a risk for the city of Philadelphia to have the pavement. We're talking about making sure that we are clean, we're green, we're beautiful, we're safe, it is not safe when you have paving that you have to be concerned about. And so that's some of what we saw. And we did come up with some numbers for lighting inside and out. Paving is something that we would have to look into, but I'm hoping we can work together to figure out how we can address the paving issue at our facilities.
And I just want to mention that really quickly and then I'll turn it back over to everyone else. I mentioned this because our ITEF funds would be --
Oh, I mentioned that because our Councilmember ITEF funds, which is what we do to help, you know, our own rec centers or be completely exhausted, if we try to do paving for our own rec centers. So this is certainly something that I thought about that we should have been having a maintenance strategic plan on every year since the 80s and 90s, and we just haven't done that. So we do a little by little in our budget, we can get to our rec center, so spaces where they need to be. So I'm hoping that we can, you know, change that. And then I just, -- if I just get one quick question in about the -- our seniors sub space. We also observed with our rec centers that we have -- they're open 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., which is, you know, our seniors like to come out early in there. What would need -- what would need to be happening in our programming so that we can be able to maybe make our rec centers more conducive to our seniors? Because we only have a little bit of older adult centers in our district. We don't have in our districts not that many. So, you know, what would need it from a funding mechanism -- what would be needed from a funding mechanism so that we can be able to make our rec centers more friendly for seniors in our morning?
Our rec centers for our young people are open from 1:00 until 9:00 during the winter months. Senior's light like to go in before it gets too dark. They like to be in the comfort and safety of their homes, but there are always -- there are always opportunities for them to participate after 5:00 in a recreation facility that's close to the -- where they live. And so it's just a matter of us providing programming and having the necessary staff to meet their needs.
Thank you. Thank you, Council President. I appreciate it, and look forward to doing work on this committee.
And we do commend you for you-all received a grant regarding autism --
-- playground equipment to also address those who may have disabilities. And also are we exploring like playground equipment or -- yeah, playground equipment for singers or the types of things that sing --apparatus that singers like to enjoy?
We are -- we are intentionally trying to create in our system equipment for not only seniors, but for, as you said first, Council President Johnson, autism. I want to say that Councilmember Driscoll is having a universal center playground put up in his district. And it is purposely -- it's intentionally for people, young people that have challenges. And so it is our responsibility to make sure that we are meeting everyone's needs, and I believe that. So you all are making it happen. So I commend you all for ensuring that you're holding us to the fire to provide services for everyone, not just for the kids that can jump up and get on something high, but for those kids that are in wheelchairs, those kids that are struggling, we're starting to build our system up to ensure that we're meeting those needs as well.
I just wanted to really quickly commend you about the work that we're doing. The reason why we have such a good turnout here is just showing that all of our council members are invested in our libraries and parks and rec. That's not for every committee. And I think that's why we're going to have a lot of questions to support you all. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The chair recognizes Councilmember Jim Harrity, then Vice Chair Parks and Recreation Center -- park -- Vice Chair Parks and Recreation, Member Cindy Bass, then Member O'Rourke.
Thank you, Council President. How are you? Hello, everybody. How are you today?
I have lots of questions, but I'm going to save my rebuild questions for the second round. And when I asked about our compliance with the HOPS law, what steps has the administration taken to comply with the HOPS law and eliminate toxic synthetic herbicides used in city grounds? And, you know, just for point of reference, are you aware that juries have repeatedly found Bayer Monsanto liable for serious health harms caused by Roundup and other toxic synthetic herbicides on the grounds that the manufacturer annuities projects posed a clear and present danger to human health and failed to warn the public? For example, a 2.25 billion jury award in January 2004, that was later reduced to 400 million and a 78 million verdict in October of 2024 were both issued in Philadelphia courtrooms. Just trying to figure out, does the city continue non-compliance with the HOPS law exposed not only to the public, but ongoing health risks, but also the city itself to significant legal and financial liabilities? You know, as I said, 2.2 billion was just one reward -- award that was granted. And us still continuing to use these products are putting not only our workers, but everybody in our city at harm when they go to a park. This is important to me because I came from the Laborers Union. And my union was, to say the least, highly affected by this. We're the ones that actually spray that stuff on an industrial level, and mostly are things, especially my union Local 57 --
The questions are there. Can you answer what I asked or?
Good morning. My name is Sue Buck, Deputy Commissioner of Operations.
Sue's been around like handling business because she's --
Our staff receives pesticide training yearly and are trained on proper application of pesticides on public spaces. We do adhere to the HOPS bill. We have --- we keep track of what is sprayed, how much is sprayed, where it's sprayed, and we turn that into the chief clerk yearly, that information. It's also available by a right-to-know request for those who have requested that. So we do adhere to that. We did some pilot testing with other non-herbicide products, and we continue to do that working closely with Penn State and their academics team.
So we do follow the, you can't spray 50 feet from play equipment, you can't spray in gardens, food producing gardens.
Well, we do spray as needed, yes. We have staff that is trained, we do spray. I mean --
No. 19 I get that. Our staff were trained too, it didn't stop them from getting cancer. You know, I get it. Things happen though. And the bottom line is this stuff is basically outlawed and we're still using it. And I don't care where you're spraying it, everywhere that you're spraying it is a hazard. It's going to eventually get somewhere. That stuff goes into the ground, gets pushed around by water going through, you know, it's pure physics, you know what I'm saying? And it goes to other places. So no 11 matter where you're spraying it, we're still going to have a problem. And you know, this -- we're not --
-- we're talking about a place where kids play, and that's why my concern is that this chemical is still being used. Whether it's not being used near the playground sets or not, kids have a tendency to roam and get into other spaces, so, you know.
Right. What we were spraying is similar to the products like Roundup that you would use at your home to spray the weeds and the -- at your home. It's not -- we're -- it's -- honestly, it's very labor intensive to remove all the weeds surrounding all the play grounds.
We are following the guidelines outlined in the HOPS bill the best that we can.
That's right. So to the best that you can, so you're not actually following guidelines.
Council, I don't get it. How can you being -- you're still spraying and still be in compliance?
We comply with the HOPS bill. I can say that, yes. And we track everything that's sprayed, where it's sprayed, how much, what is being used?
Is there any way we -- is there a reason why we're not using something else as opposed to this particular sprays?
We have done some testing and the organic material is -- it's not working. It's not -- it's not working. You want to answer that?
So I would ask that you and the chairman of Parks and Rec, and Member Jim Harrity, Chairman of Labor, if we can do a follow-up, because I guess there's a difference between a little harming. I'm just -- for us, there's no difference because harming is harming, and so we are doing everything we can on our -- on our half -- on our behalf as a city to see what all the other alternatives. And I'm sure if you're saying you tried something, it don't work, something has to work somewhere. And if not, I mean this is the norm across the country that this is the way it's done. So I'm sure somewhere else probably don't use this same type of spray product -- pesticide product. Commissioner.
So Council President Johnson and Councilmember Harrity, what we will do if, as you said, if it's possible, if we could have a meeting outside of this conversation and we'll start looking into other alternatives to see how we can venture away from using those things that are harmful. And I will say, we just need to find out what works in other places. It may not happen next week, next month, but we will start doing our due diligence to see how we can make the necessary changes to make sure that all of us are safe.
Yeah, I agree. I'm doing a resolution next week, so it'll be a lot sooner than you think. So we'll get -- we're going to bring in some people and talk about it because this is -- as far as I'm concerned, this is a non-starter.
Thank you. I think Member Bass, you worked on this issue.
Yeah. Thank you, sir. So I would like to be included in that conversation as the author of the bill and to, you know, like be as helpful as possible. Because people do get sick. Like people are getting sick from this stuff. And we can't act like it's not happening. So I would very much like to be included and try to find some alternatives.
And we are -- we are -- we are -- we are actually grateful, this is what we're supposed to be doing. Making sure that we can find the safest opportunities to ensure that our playgrounds and our parks are safe. So we look forward to this conversation and coming up with alternatives to address it.
And just for the record, now I think about it, how really important it is just to be real. And me and my kids, we were at Chew yesterday. So we are on the field and we're having fun, and we're playing baseball, and they practicing track. I'm going to talk to Councilman Jones about their track stride, but -- and we also at Wharton Square Park. And we're going to play tennis during the summer. And so we're actually in the parks and recreational system enjoying ourselves, but now I guess this is a whole different level because like my own children out there now, and it probably makes it even more intentional in terms of how we need to address this issue in terms of all kids. But my kids actually, I'm not just sitting here as the Council President, but as a dad, we utilize park and recreational spaces with our children. But the floor is yours, Member Bass, and you will be a part of that conversation.
Just for the record, could I be included in that discussion? Seventy percent of the park is in the 4th Councilmatic District, so we have a vested interest in that.
Yes, Member Jones. The Chair recognizes Member Bass.
Thank you. Oh, he just had to say that, 70 percent of the -- he just had to say that.
Well, City Hall -- City Hall is located in the 5th Councilmatic Districts, so.
We hear you. And we hear you. No, but it's all good. It's all love. So good morning. Good morning. And so I want to thank you actually for being willing to have that conversation, Commissioner. I know that under previous administration and the last administration, it really just felt like it was a shutdown around the conversation. Like, no, we're not going to do it, period. And so I appreciate that you're willing and open because that's a, you know, sort of like a cultural shift. It's a change in the mindset around, you know, protecting our environments and protecting our workers. So I just wanted to say kudos around that matter. Speaking of parks, I just have a few questions probably, I'm going to have to go into a second round. First question, if we could be brief. When I was chair of Parks and Rec, we used to every four years do the authorization around members for the Fairmount Park Commission. And I have not seen that come up. Are we still authorizing? We stopped. The last time we were supposed to do it, it was during COVID. And of course, COVID stopped everything. It was, you know, right at the exact same time and it got pushed to the wait side. So I'm just wondering, do we have a Fairmount Park or a Parks and Recreation commission now? Are we bringing that back? You know, do we need to bring it back? Do we need to dissolve it? I'm just wondering because I know that there were some folks who were really active and engaged and involved and who really wanted to be a part of the system.
Thank you for that question, Councilmember Bass. As a matter of fact, the Mayor has put that on my agenda to make sure we can reconvene. So we are in the process of having that conversation to reconvene the park commission.
Excellent. And so we'll all be notified so we can -- so as people ask us, we can let them know.
And the other thing I just wanted to say briefly is that you're just so modest that you forgot to mention as the council president was talking about safety in our rec centers what we debuted last night, which is Playing It Safe In The 8th, which is a pilot program, Mr. President, around keeping our playgrounds and recreation centers safe during the summer months. As I had mentioned last night, during the summer, we all get very, very nervous because, you know, young people are gathering, you know, like tempers get hot, people get into arguments, and things start to happen. This is a plan and a program that was piloted by Parks and Recreation under Commissioner Slawson's leadership to make sure that we have boots on the ground, which is specifically pan and having those guys out and about as trusted messengers on site at the -- at the center. So we're going to do four centers in the 8th district, I'm super excited about that. And I just wanted to know if you wanted to add on anything about that, because it's -- this is a game changer, I believe, and once we spread it around the city, it's going to be very impactful.
Thank you for remembering and bringing that up. I think it's important that everyone that's willing to be a part of making sure that our rec centers and our young people are safe. And this is just one of those opportunities that we can use in your district. And like you said, make sure we spread it out, all the support that we can possibly get to help us with our young people and safety. And so I'm looking forward to this, because they're definitely ready, willing, and they're going to make a big difference in the 8th.
Excellent. Excellent. And I just have one other thing. And if you could answer this briefly. Internet service at our rec centers, we're constantly getting beat up, I'll say by members of our community who have been asking for internet. And, you know, to be able to access WiFi for a very long time at some of our centers, including, I'll just mention Stenton Park, which was built prior to your arrival as commissioner, maybe like four or five years ago, I think it opened up. But we just assumed that it would be ready for WiFi, but it wasn't. And so now we're sort of like starting over, but then I understand a contract was just recently signed with Verizon. Can you give us an update on that to get WiFi in our centers?