Rebuilding Community Infrastructure (Rebuild) is an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in neighborhood parks, recreation centers and libraries across Philadelphia.  Proposed in Mayor Jim Kenney’s first budget as a part of his vision for a more equitable Philadelphia, Rebuild seeks to improve pivotal community spaces, empower and engage communities, and promote economic opportunity through diversity and inclusion.  Rebuild is a public private partnership made possible by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax. For more information about Rebuild visit rebuild.phila.gov.

Community Ventures is a non-profit developer with a mission to work in partnership with neighborhood-based organizations to improve communities and to increase the supply of affordable housing. Community Ventures (CV) was selected by Rebuild as one of the 20 pre-qualified non-profit organizations approved to lead Rebuild projects and was selected to manage the Rebuild project at the Cohocksink Recreation Center. CV will lead the community engagement team (detailed below) to ensure that community voices are heard, manage the design team (detailed below) and construction team (to be selected at a later date) to carry out the Rebuild improvements. For more information about CV visit www.community-ventures.org and follow @CVbuilds on Facebook or @community_ventures on Instagram.

Community Ventures has selected a diverse and experienced team of consultants to work on the Cohocksink project. The team includes minority-owned businesses (MBE) women-owned businesses (WBE) and other non-profit organizations. In addition to these businesses, CV will be working with various City agencies, Councilman Mark Squilla, facility staff, community groups and the community to determine the scope, design, programming and implementation of these improvements.

Recreation Center Building This project will add an accessible ramp into the building off of Cambria Street; however, due to rising costs and inflation, the other building interior upgrades are postponed and will be considered as part of a potential future phase. Playground and Fields Improvements include: Basketball court relocation Playground expansion New safety surface for the playground New seating New trees Baseball and football field upgrades Site lighting and security improvements Improved ADA Accessibility. How were these improvements determined? An initial site assessment evaluated the need for general maintenance updates, site security, improved ADA accessibility, and playground/field improvements. Community and stakeholder input was gathered during each design phase and included 1 virtual and 2 public meetings, multiple stakeholder touchpoints, and public surveys.

The project schedule will continue to evolve but currently Community Ventures anticipates the following milestones: Fall 2023 to Early 2024 - Design finalized with community and stakeholder engagement. Spring 2024 - Preparation for Construction & Community Updates May 2024 - Playground / core area closes for construction; Groundbreaking ceremony July 2024 - Site / Field area closes for construction. Late 2024 - Anticipated playground completion 2025 - Anticipated fields reopening

Playground The playground/core area is temporarily closed for construction. Construction completion is anticipated at the end of 2024. Ball Fields The ball fields will remain open until June 30, 2024. The refreshed fields are anticipated to reopen by Spring 2025. Building The building will remain open and active for programming during construction.

One of the main priorities of the Rebuild program is to promote diversity and economic inclusion. Rebuild and Community Ventures will support minorities and women who work (or want to work) in the design and construction industries. CV already has a diverse team including minority, women, and locally-owned firms and CV has committed to furthering Rebuild’s goals throughout design, community engagement and construction. For more information please visit the Rebuild website: https://www.phila.gov/programs/rebuild/

The design and community engagement consultants listed above were selected using Rebuild’s Vendor Selection requirements. These requirements state that most opportunities to work on Rebuild projects include a Requests for Proposals or Qualifications (RFPs/RFQs) that’s posted on the Rebuild Contract Opportunity Portal for a minimum of 14 days. All selected consultants were among the respondents to the posted RFPs/RFQs and CV selected them based on their experience and qualifications, with special consideration for MBE/WBE owned companies to meet CV’s and Rebuild’s participation goals. Additional opportunities, including the project general contractor and all subcontractors, will be posted on the Rebuild Contract Opportunity Portal for the Cohocksink project and all other Rebuild projects managed by CV and others. The Rebuild Contractor Opportunity Portal is located at this link: rebuildphila.wpengine.com.

Individuals with construction experience and especially individuals interested in gaining construction experience should check out Rebuild’s workforce development programs which are designed to help more minorities and women gain access to careers in construction. Information about these programs is available at www.phila.gov/programs/rebuild/careers. Additionally, Community Ventures plans to select a general contractor early in the design process per the Selection Process described above. CV will work with the selected general contractor on a series of community subcontractor and workforce interest meetings to identify local MBE & WBE subcontractors as well as interested individuals looking for employment during the Cohocksink renovation. If you are specifically interested in working on the Cohocksink renovation, email cohocksink@community-ventures.org with your contact information and experience and we will add you to our list and notify you of future construction opportunities for the Cohocksink Rebuild project.

Community input is critical to making this project a success and is a priority for all major Rebuild projects. Rebuild and CV encourages all residents to participate in community engagement activities, so their voice can be heard and inform the changes that are made at Cohocksink. Anyone who is interested in being part of the engagement and design process is encouraged to sign up on this website or email Community Ventures at cohocksink@community-ventures.org. We will let you know about all community meetings, focus groups, and other opportunities to get involved and become a partner in the project.

Please contact Aaron Rowlett from Community Ventures via email at cohocksink@community-ventures.org with any questions. Aaron or another member of the Cohocksink Rebuild team will respond to your question as soon as we are able to gather the correct answer. Email is preferred, but Aaron can also be reached at 215-564-6004 x107.

You can get all current information about the project from multiple sources. You can check out our progress on the project website community-ventures.org/rebuildcohocksink, by following us on: Facebook- @CVbuilds Instagram - @community_ventures We also run a periodic e-newsletter which we can send out directly to you in your email. Please provide us with your information either on the website or by emailing us at cohocksink@community-ventures.org.