Parent: Don’t blame
me for the closure
By Jon Campisi
Times Staff Writer
Melinda Mulvenna has a message for the citizens of Mayfair — don’t blame her for the closure of the playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street.
The playground near Abraham Lincoln High School was recently shut down by school district officials, who stated they would not supply remediation costs related to upgrading the outdated play space.
The parcel of land is, in fact, district property, but the play equipment, dating back many years, had been purchased for the community by an anonymous donor. The district never agreed to maintain the area, known by many as a "weekend tot lot."
"I have become the most hated person in Mayfair," Mulvenna said.
Mulvenna claims she has received much backlash having informed the school district that her then-22-month-old daughter, Kaylee, was injured on the playground. She said many in the community blame her for the lot’s closure.
Kaylee, now 2 years old, was playing on the lot in mid-March when her foot got caught under the protective matting on the ground, and she went face-first into a metal bar, leaving her with facial injuries, according to Mulvenna. Pictures provided to the
Times show the youngster’s injuries, which included swelling above her right eye and bruising on her face.
Mulvenna said her intent was never to have the playground shut down. On the contrary, she has hoped that the incident would be an eye-opener for district officials, whom she feels have overlooked the dire conditions at the playground.
But her actions had the reverse effect and caused many of her neighbors to question why she ever opened her mouth in the first place.
The general sentiment, she said, was that "I should never had made the stink that I did, but it’s not (their) child being hurt," she said.
Mulvenna said the district’s argument against not wanting to maintain the playground — namely, that the district is afraid of lawsuits being brought on by potential injury victims, since the equipment would not be school district-owned and regulated — is without merit.
"You know a kid is going to twist their ankle; you know a kid is going to fall and get cut, because that’s what kids do," she said.
"Everybody tells me I should sue them (the district) over this. What’s that going to prove? What does this say to the children, the ones who are going to take care of us?" she added on the downfalls of raising children in a litigious environment.
Mulvenna said having the playground shuttered could actually be detrimental to the neighborhood, since it creates an additional place for teenagers to engage in negative behavior, such as drinking and smoking.
"I don’t want that for my children," she said. "That’s why I’m even regretting saying, ‘Hey, this is a problem spot.’"
But Mulvenna did speak up because, as she said, she cares about the community.
Mulvenna said she spoke to a representative with the Mayor’s Action Center, which fields calls from constituents, who assured her the city will do what it can to remedy the situation. But she was also told that the playground’s future will ultimately be up to the school district. A meeting between school officials and those concerned about the fate of the playground is pending, she said. ••
Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or
jcampisi@phillynews.com
And a letter to the Editor of the NE Times:
Where, oh where,
has my little tot lot gone?
The parents and small children of Mayfair are wondering what has happened to the beloved tot lot at Lincoln High. This favorite spot was suddenly torn down with no warning. Aside from it needing some minor repairs, the playground was trashed with no plans (from what I hear) to rebuild.
How can they throw away a playground that so many worked long and hard to build in the first place? I feel awful when I think of the long hours it took that group of people years ago to get that all together. The school district may have owned the property but they have no right to suddenly throw away thousands of dollars of equipment that many from the immediate area donated. No one was given a choice.
Can someone figure out what happened here? It will cost tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild this, not to mention years. Where are our local politicians and civic groups here in the Northeast? Don’t the little ones matter?
Mary McCann
Mayfair