State Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell (D- 190th Dist.) announced Wednesday that Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse has been awarded a $100,000 state grant to help fund a new greenway on its site.
“Creating spaces in Philadelphia that foster our children’s love of the outdoors and allow them to do what children do best, which is to play, explore and discover, is so incredibly important,” Johnson-Harrell said. “This money will allow Smith Memorial Playground to provide more space for children and families and to make improvements that will increase accessibility to those spaces.”
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse will use the funds to create a new greenway space at its current playhouse space, including installing new signage, developing play zones for children and adding lights, bike parking and trash and recycling enclosures. The project will include the addition of permeable surfaces and rain gardens to improve stormwater management. The funding that Johnson-Harrell announced Wednesday was awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, which holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth. The CFA is unique among state agencies in that project approval requires five affirmative votes, four of which must come from the legislative appointees who compose the board, along with the secretaries of the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Office of the Budget and the Department of Banking and Securities.
The CFA provides funding for a multitude of projects that help businesses succeed, including those focused on development, water quality, energy infrastructure and more. The grant awarded to Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse focuses on greenways, trails and recreation.
To learn more about the CFA, visit: https://dced.pa.gov/programs-funding/commonwealth-financing-authority-cfa. For more information about Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse, visit: www.smithplayground.org/ .
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