In 1997, after months of planning and fundraising, the Chestnut Hill community built Jenks Playground. With assistance from Leathers & Associates, a playground design company, hundreds of volunteers gathered to construct it over the course of 11 days. Soon thereafter, a nonprofit organization called Friends of the Children’s Park (FOCP) was formed to maintain the playground.

Now, almost 30 years later, FOCP is hoping to draw similar community support for the playground as it ages. On March 13-15, FOCP is hosting a three-day work event to revitalize parts of Jenks Playground.

Assessing conditions

Well before becoming principal of Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences, Corinne Scioli was initially drawn to the school by a sound: children’s laughter coming from the playground.

“What drew me in was the playground and learning about its history — that it was built by this community model,” Scioli told the Local. “It was really the Chestnut Hill community that built this through their love, blood, sweat, and tears.”

When Scioli became principal in 2021, she made sure the playground underwent a conditions assessment. At that point, Jenks Playground had exceeded its 20-year lifespan as a wooden structure. The assessment found the playground in good shape for its age, but there were some glaring issues, such as the swings. The following year, new swing sets were installed through fundraising efforts.

According to Scioli, Jenks Playground still needed “some tender love and care.” Since this upkeep was going to be costly, FOCP was able to secure a Keystone Grant in the amount of $500,000 several years ago. After filing for some extensions for the grant, FOCP contacted the original builders and had Leathers come back to the site this past December to give a current conditions assessment.

“It was really exciting to work with the original company,” Scioli said. “In honoring the history and the whole evolution of this, we’re so excited to partner with [Leathers] again to help us revitalize our playground.”

In the report, Leathers indicated that Jenks Playground needs to fix certain deficiencies with engineered wood fiber. According to Joyce Lenhardt, a member of FOCP, the three-day work event will address these issues and the group needs all hands on deck.

We’ll need “wheelbarrows and pitchforks because the idea is to remove some of the packed-down wood fiber, move it into the garden areas, and replenish it with fresh stuff,” Lenhardt said. “There will be a lot of moving stuff around during those work days.”

The ‘heart of the community’

Past the three-day work event, FOCP is considering the best path forward for Jenks Playground as it nears the end of its practical lifespan. Students at Jenks were recently polled to address three topics: what they enjoy most on the playground, what they don’t use as often on the playground, and what new features they would like to see.

With about 400 responses, Scioli said the results will be taken into consideration as planning progresses. One factor that is very important to FOCP is accessibility.

“One of the focuses is to be inclusive, not just to people with physical disabilities, but also to be inclusive for neurodiverse people,” Lenhardt said. “Leathers has developed changes in the kinds of materials they use and the kinds of play equipment.”

As FOCP continues to plan for the future, the organization is calling on local parents or community members to take the lead. In 1997, many of the builders were in their 30s or 40s, but are now in their 60s or 70s. FOCP is looking for younger people to be a new generation of stewards.

FOCP members are passionate about Jenks Playground’s longevity; they view it as an essential part of not just Jenks, but also Chestnut Hill. From the students bonding on the playground during the weekdays to the local children using it on weekends, community members say the structure is more than just a playground.

“It is the heart of this community in my opinion and I’m really honored just to be here and be a part of it,” Scioli said.

To learn more about Jenks Playground’s updates and how you can help, visit jenksplayground.org.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.