City Budget
Senator Bob Casey has introduced a bill to appropriate $45 million from the federal government for Fairmount Park. If the bill passes, the money will fund capital improvements to the Centennial District, the slice of the park running from the Art Museum to the Mann Center. Casey would like to see the area become a cultural destination for tourists nationwide.
By Peter Crimmins
 Listen Now [1 minute 20 seconds]
WHYY News, July 8, 2008
Three years ago, a loose coalition of organizations in Fairmount Park created a master plan for the Centennial District. The Fairmount Park Commission, the Philadelphia Zoo, the Mann Center, the Please Touch Museum and the Fairmount Park Conservancy devised a 20-year plan to turn the area into a cultural and historical attraction. Much of the area was developed for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, which brought 10 million visitors to the area in just 6 months. Senator Bob Casey says the area could be brought back to life.
"When you think about one quarter of the nation's population came to that exhibit, if we could replicate just a portion of that, it would be an achievement," said Casey, "the federal government has an obligation to do its part."
The $45 million that Casey's bill could bring is a fraction of the projected $300 million needed to revitalize the district. Part of the plan is to improve transit and commerce along the economically depressed Parkside corridor. Miller Parker of the Business Association of West Parkside believes that the project would be good for the neighborhood.
"When you bring in thousands of people from around the world to see what's going on, to re-establish history long forgotten, it is going to generate a need for venues such as new restaurants, soda fountains, ice cream parlors," said Parker, "It will stimulate th value of the property around here."
So far there is no formal management infrastructure to oversee the Centennial District revitalization project. The coalition of area cultural organizations continues to spearhead the project.
More information
Learn more about the Centennial District from WHYY Experience: Centennial District Video
$45M allotted to revive Fairmount Park as tourist destination (7/8/08) Daily News
$45 million sought to fix part of Fairmount Park (7/8/08) Inquirer
Fairmont Park makeover proposed (7/8/08) The Philadelphia Tribune
|
