Please consider supporting FSRP with a 2025 tax-deductible year-end donation so we can continue our care of the park in 2026.

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As the year winds down, we want to thank everyone who spends their days running, playing, strolling, dog-walking, gardening, and gathering in Schuylkill River Park. Your support, your presence, and your feedback make this park what it is: a true neighborhood anchor.

2025 has been an active year for both Friends of Schuylkill River Park (FSRP) and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR). A few highlights:

• Dog run resurfacing. Completed through FSRP funding, grants secured by FSRP, and volunteer leadership from Sandy Abdelmalek and Cameron Dennis.

• Major flooding fix at the big dog run. PPR, funding from Kenyatta Johnson, with persistent stewardship from FSRP, cleared and repaired the long-clogged inlet—an improvement many of you have already noticed.

• Ongoing care for our green spaces. Susan Kahn and Dan Drecksage continue to elevate the park’s natural landscape with tree planting and maintenance, flower beds, and the new pollinator garden, supported by Bartlett Tree Experts and the PPR team.

• Weekend bathroom access. FSRP funded staffing to keep the bathrooms open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. via the Rec Center entrance by the baseball field.

• Classes at the Rec Center. Markward Rec Center continued to serve the community with classes for all ages, including kids art, chair yoga, and tai chi, and by providing a space for summer camp and aftercare for neighborhood families.

• Special community events. FSRP had a blast planning and hosting community-building events – the farmers market, clothing swaps in partnership with Trinity Church, basketball tournaments, Fall Fest, and our signature event, Party in the Park!

• Summer swimming. We had another incredible pool season at O’Connor Pool, which hosted swim lessons, swim team and open swim for the neighborhood.  

• Crosswalk installation at 25th & Delancey. In partnership with CCRA, FSRP successfully advocated for a safer entry point into the park.

• A new annual tradition. The FSRP survey will now be conducted every year to help us track progress and center community needs.

And we’re not slowing down. The baseball field is in the process of being resurfaced. And looking ahead, we’re working with PPR on improvements to drinking fountains, lighting, and flood prevention, along with continued support for youth soccer and baseball programming.

This year, you showed up in a big way. Our inaugural Friends of Schuylkill River Park Survey drew a great response, giving us the clearest picture we’ve had of what’s working, what needs attention, and where our shared energy should go next. The results were incredibly useful.

Here’s what you told us:

• Foundational needs are top of mind. Flooding (fixed!), bathroom access, drinking fountains, lighting, and safety surfaced as the most obvious opportunities for improvement.

• The natural elements are a bright spot. Walking paths, green space, flowerbeds, seating, and plantings earned ratings well above “satisfied,” reflecting the care so many of you notice every day.

• Park use varies. While the green space sees heavy, steady use, many of the interest-specific areas—courts, fields, the rec center, dog runs, and the pool—are used more selectively. 

We’ll walk through the full findings of the survey and the actions that follow at an upcoming community meeting. 

As always, we rely on neighbors who care about this place as much as we do. If you love this park and want to shape its future, there’s a place for you.

• Volunteer shifts

• Board service

• Interest-specific oversight (dog runs, courts, gardens, etc.)

• Event support

• Donations that go directly back into the park: fsrp.org/donate

 

Thank you again for your time and your partnership. Schuylkill River Park is better because of the people who use it, and because of those who roll up their sleeves to take care of it.

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