Photo by Berri Wilmore for UCD

On Monday, local stakeholders, elected officials, and neighbors gathered at 47th and Sansom to celebrate an official groundbreaking for improvements coming to the Walnut Hill Playground.

The improvements are the result of a collaborative effort between University City District’s Green City Works landscaping team, the Walnut Hill Community Association, and local non-profit Do Moore Good to secure a $75,000 investment from the Target Foundation.

Using input from a community survey and multiple community meetings, the first phase of the project will focus on replacing the existing play surface with new rubber tiles and installing a new retaining wall with built-in seating. The project partners are actively pursuing additional funding to support future phases, including shade structures, new play equipment, exercise stations, and other community-requested amenities. The Walnut Hill Playground was last updated 15 years ago in 2010.

Among the attendees for the groundbreaking were City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, State Representative Rick Krajewski, Walnut Hill Community Association (WHCA) President Margaret Livingston, Shuja Moore, who serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator for WHCA and heads the Do Moore Good non-profit, Morgan Rogers Burns, VP of Advancement for UCD, and Brian English, Green City Works Vice President.

For more information on this collaborative project, go here.