Parks and Rec 'Rethinking' Ropes Course

A representative from Councilman Jones' office describes the project as 'on hold.'

City Councilman Curtis Jones' Special Assistant Josh Cohen said at Thursday's Central Roxborough Civic Association meeting that the Parks and Recreation Department is putting a proposal to install a ropes course in Wissahickon Park on hold. "The Friends of Wissahickon Park withdrew their support for the project," Cohen said. "The Parks and Rec department are rethinking the project." Still, the Association for the Preservation of the Wissahickon will hold a formal meeting on Tuesday to continue to organize an opposition to the project. The proposed ropes course would be installed near the intersection of Henry and Wigard avenues, and it would bring in from $10-50,000 in revenue for the city. APOW and other neighbors do not believe that the …

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Friends of Wissahickon Oppose Ropes Course

In a statement, the Friends of the Wissahickon oppose the proposed ropes course to be built near the intersection of Henry and Wigard avenues.

The Friends of the Wissahickon announced on Wednesday that they would would not support a proposal from the city to place a tree top adventure course in Wissahickon Park at the intersection of Henry and Wigard avenues. “After lengthy deliberations, the Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) has decided not to support a proposed TreeTop Adventure concession in the Wissahickon,” a statement released Wednesday said.  “This recommendation has been conveyed to the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, the final arbitrator on this proposal.” The statement continues: [This statement] follows up on a prior statement issued on February 2013 that listed a number of concerns.  Although PPR was responsive to most of these conditions, several of them…

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Tim Miller

10:00 am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Forgive me. I'm catching this new "subject" at the tail end. Considering the area, I would think that it would add life to the area and be a great outdoor recreational attraction, not add "noise and congestion". How far away is the nearest permanent occupied structure? Of course, as was already mentioned, it would bring the scum of the neighborhood the chance to vandalise something meant to …   more ›

Citizens Mount Campaign to 'Save the Wissahickon'

A group of citizens bands together to oppose the proposed ropes course in Wissahickon Park.

A group of citizens from the neighborhoods that surround Wissahickon Park have banded together to oppose the proposed ropes course slated to go in at the intersection of Henry and Wigard avenues. “We need to continue to get organized and to get petitions signed,” said Kris Soffa, one of the group’s organizers.  “In a way, we’re pushing this car up the hill together.” Earlier this year, the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department released a plan to build a tree top adventure course in Wissahickon Park. People from the surrounding neighborhoods have opposed the plan claiming it would ruin the park and set a dangerous precedent. In order to unify that message, several Roxborough residents formed the Alliance for Preservation of the …

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Proposed Rope Course Concerns Residents

Nearly 100 residents voiced their concerns with a proposed ropes course in Wissahickon Park.

Bob Allen, the city’s Director of Property and Concessions Management in the Parks and Recreation Department, met with members of the community to discuss the proposed ropes course that would be installed in the Wissahickon Park near the intersection of Henry and Wigard Avenue on Wednesday night. Nearly 100 residents spoke at the meeting with the majority of those residents coming out against the proposal.  Below are the citizens most common concerns in bold, and Allen’s response. Why does this need to be built here? Several residents didn’t mind the idea of a ropes course; they just didn’t want it in their neighborhood.  Allen said that in order to build this kind of course you needed certain types of trees of a certain age.  Allen said …

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Carmen

10:37 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

This is about the Wissahickon, not just Roxborough. The park was set up 150 years ago to protect the water supply of the NW. The mills at that time were huge 4 story buildings that discharged waste into the creek or built dams without regard to those downstream. It was 100 years ago that Wissahickon Drive was saved as a bridle path when the River Drives and Lincoln Drive was paved and opened to …   more ›

Reminder: Tree Top Adventure Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday

A town hall meeting will be held Wednesday to discuss the tree adventure course proposed for Wissahickon Park.

Tree Top Adventure Proposal to be Discussed

The plan would put an elevated ropes course in Wissahickon Park.

The City of Philadelphia will host a public meeting on March 27 starting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the Tree Top Adventure Sports Program proposed to be installed in Wissahickon Park. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of The Schuylkill Center located at 8480 Hagy's Mill Road. Bob Allen city director of property and concessions management the meeting "is to provide information to the community at large and to enable community members to ask questions and provide feedback about the project. No decisions about the project will be made or announced at the meeting or immediately after the meeting." To read more about the Tree Top Adventure program please click here.

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WICA to Discuss Fast Food Proposal Wednesday

The Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association will discuss the fast food restaurant proposal on Wednesday.

The Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, and the agenda includes a discussion about what to do with the former Bunting House site. The agenda also includes discussion of a sign at the corner of Ridge Ave. and Osborn St, possible Wissahickon Station improvements, the proposed Tree Top Adventure in Fairmount Park and Northern Children's Services application for a new sign on Ridge Ave. WICA meets on Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. in the board room of Northern Children's Services, 5301 Ridge Ave.

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Treetop Adventure Course Considered for Wissahickon Park

The Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation is considering building a tree top obstacle course in Wissahickon Park.

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department is considering building a Treetop Adventure Course in the Wissahickon Valley Park as a way to “educate youth about forest ecosystem and provide healthy outdoor recreation.” Preliminary estimates put the annual income for such a course between $40,000-$50,000 annually based on what similar courses in other cities make. The course would consist of a series of walks, zip lines and other apparatus through the tree canopy. The construction of the course would be environmentally conscious, the Parks and Recreation Department says, and a new parking gravel parking lot would be built on the west side of Wigard Avenue near Henry Avenue adjacent to the course. The Parks and Recreation Department estimates…

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Diane Garvey

5:03 pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Q&A from parks and rec said 15 people per half hour....I created a mathematical model and find that 49 parking places will be needed. So what are they going to do? take over the horse pasture, or send the overflow cars to the roxborough neighborhood.   more ›