Press Releases

Philadelphia, PA – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) is today celebrating the grand opening of a new community schoolyard at the F. Amedee Bregy School in South Philadelphia. The project is in partnership with Trust for Public Land (TPL), the School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Water Department, and other local and national funders. Scanlon delivered $425,000 in federal funding for the project through the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package.

“Our children and families deserve safe spaces to play and gather within our communities,” said Rep. Scanlon. “Too many of our neighbors don’t have access to quality park space, so I was proud to help close the park equity gap in PA-05 by securing $425,000 in federal funding to help transform Bregy Elementary’s asphalt public schoolyard into a community playground, green space, and outdoor learning center to benefit the entire neighborhood. I’m thrilled to celebrate the schoolyard's opening, and I want to thank Trust for Public Land, the School District of Philadelphia, andthe Philadelphia Water Department for their work to make the project a reality.”

“Parks are essential for the mental and physical well-being of all Philadelphians, and this new schoolyard is a key part of our work to close the park equity gap, giving more than 8,600 residents access to the benefits of close-to-home green space,” said Owen Franklin, Pennsylvania State Director for Trust for Public Land. “In addition to serving the entire neighborhood with quality park access, this space will give students the opportunity to learn and play outdoors, while its green infrastructure features will absorb over a million gallons of stormwater that would otherwise flood our city streets.”

Through a participatory design process, TPL worked closely with the Bregy 3rd grade class to bring their ideas to life. The students engaged with community members to generate new ideas for the schoolyard and visited the Fairmount Water Works to learn about the city’s water history. Enhancing their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) skills through planning and design workshops, students worked in groups to propose concept designs and presented their ideas to classmates. They learned about the importance of healthy watersheds and took field trips to other renovated schoolyards in the city to get inspiration for their space.

“We know that high-quality outdoor spaces where students can enjoy recess and outdoor educational activities are crucial to our students' mental health and wellbeing,” said Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed.D. “By partnering with organizations to invest in our school communities, we can collaboratively create inclusive and welcoming environments where students want to be and learn everyday.”

This new space will not only benefit the more than 300 students of Bregy, it will now serve as a community hub for the over 8,800 residents within a 10-minute walk of the school to be able to access quality green space. The schoolyard will help advance climate solutions by managing 1,500,000 gallons of stormwater per year, ensuring the health of surrounding waterways, and including planting of nearly 30 new trees.

In addition to HUD Community Project funding, this renovation was made possible through the Philadelphia Water Department’s biggest investment in a TPL schoolyard to date of nearly $1 million. Additional funding was attributed to the School District of Philadelphia and generous grants from local and national partners including the VF Foundation, the Sixer Youth Foundation, The McLean Contributionship and Spring Point Partners.

“Our partnerships bringing green infrastructure improvements to local schools are always some of the most rewarding projects,” said Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Randy E. Hayman, Esq. “In addition to protecting our waterways and making improvements at Bregy, we are connecting with classroom teachers and students throughout the District with our Fairmount Water Works’ watershed curriculum, exponentially increasing the positive impact of our investments.”

Learn more about the F. Amedee Bregy Elementary Schoolyard project here.

Photos from the event are available for media use upon request. 

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