Former Eagles Player Gives South Philly Playground A Makeover
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Kids, young and old, in Philadelphia are getting a new place to have fun. A South Philadelphia park has been refurbished with the help of a former Philadelphia Eagle.
Back in 2015, former Eagle Connor Barwin and his foundation developed a plan that would revitalize Smith Playground in the West Passyunk neighborhood of South Philly.
After more than two years and roughly $3 million, Smith will open Saturday with a ribbon cutting.
The seven and a half acres playground includes a state of the art fitness pod, a spruced up rec center, a brand new football field, two baseball fields and much more.
Barwin and his Make the World Better foundation helped raise $200,000 for the project. He says that like another park he helped clean up, he's looking forward to the community taking full advantage.
"We learned a lot at Ralph Brooks Park, it was our first project, and we learned about what it can do as far as bringing a community together, empowering leaders in that neighborhood and then creating a safe space for kids to play," said Barwin. "And really that's why we want to continue doing these projects. Smith was a huge undertaking. We're excited that we build a place for everyone, whether you're an infant or an older person, there's something for you to do at Smith, and it's going to be a great center for this community."
Barwin's next neighborhood project is to refurbish Waterloo Playground in Kensington.
As far as Barwin on the field, he is now a free agent looking for a team, but says he's enjoying his time off, training back in Philadelphia after a season with the LA Rams. He says he'll probably make a decision on joining a team during the summer.