Venice Island work to begin 'any day now'

June 29, 2011 -
By Amy Z. Quinn of PlanPhilly for NewsWorks

Work could be about to start on the long-awaited overhaul of the Venice Island Recreation Center in Manayunk.

The Philadelphia Water Department recently awarded a general contract on the $45 million transformation of the disused playground to Keating Construction. A notice to proceed on the work is expected "any day now," PWD spokeswoman Joanne Dahme said this week.

Long talked-about and the subject of several previous false starts, the current plan for Venice Island center will replace the old swimming pool with a sprayground, create a 250-seat performing arts space, upgrade athletics courts and include 195 parking spaces.

A key feature is a sewage overflow storage tank needed for stormwater management on the flood-prone slip of land between the Manayunk Canal and the Schuylkill River. The performing arts building will also include "iconographic signage" visible from the nearby Schuylkill Expressway, according to plans.

Read the entire Newsworks article HERE.