A little something for adults at Mayfair Memorial Playground

Volunteers hustled around all weekend at Mayfair Memorial Playground at Lincoln High School to install adult exercise equipment and put in a seven-foot fence, which is Phase II of the three-phase update for the playground.

Phase I of rebuilding Mayfair Memorial Playground happened two years ago when the Mayfair Community Development Corporation was granted $80,000 from KaBoom! and Giant. With additional efforts, the Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playground received an additional $15,000 grant for adult exercise equipment so parents can workout while watching their kids.

Melinda Mulvenna, a Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playground co-chair; and Mia Hylan, the secretary for the Mayfair Civic Association, kept parents’ views in mind as they thought about the placement of each exercise equipment. They walked around the area with the project manager to ensure that each piece was facing in a direction beneficial to a parent’s view of the children’s play set.

A lot of fathers came with their tools, as well, and put together the blue and red equipment that they’ll probably be using once it’s installed.

“I grew up here, and now my kids play here,” said Dan Collins as he looked at instructions for putting together a squat-dip-balance exercise piece.

Kathy Knorr also brought her 12-year-old son, Bobby, from Holmesburg to earn his community service hours for his upcoming confirmation. “[My son] needs to learn to take care of his community,” Knorr said. “There’s just so much bad in Philly. When there’s good, you have to come help out.”

Northeast Fence and Iron Works was also there all weekend replacing the four-foot chain link fence with a seven-foot iron fence to help protect the area from vandalism and keep it in good condition for the community. The Friends of Mayfair Memorial Playground updated its Facebook page regularly with pictures of progress and calls for more volunteers to finish pouring the concrete and setting the final pieces of exercise equipment.

The playground will officially be complete in the spring with Phase III when the community installs a toddler play set, making the Mayfair Memorial Playground functional for all ages.