Mural design unveiled

Artist design for pocket park discussed as RDC moves ahead with park improvements, strategic plan

ROXBOROUGH >> Local residents anticipating design work on the Roxborough pocket park now have a better picture of what the final product will look like.

The Roxborough Development Corp. (RDC), the Philadelphia Water Department and Mural Arts Philadelphia have unveiled the planned design for a mural at the park, located adjacent to the Royal Bargain Dollar Store at 6174 Ridge Ave. The announcement came at a May 24 community meeting at the park to provide updates about the RDC’s Roxborough 2020 initiative.

The mural will be painted on the side of the dollar store building on the north side of the park.

The design includes a water theme, with a rolling ball of water progressing down and across the mural.

“We’re really excited to see the merging of nature and art come together,” said Kate Jacobi, of Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Artist Paul Santoleri, a Rox- borough native who also did the Fountain Street steps project, said he was inspired by the site’s position along Ridge Avenue, which serves as the dividing line that sends water runoff to either the Schuylkill River or Wissahickon Creek.

Other visual elements include a fox burrowing under rocks in a

reference to the area’s name and references to Johannes Kelpius, the namesake for the Cave of Kelpius, or the Wissahickon Hermit Cave, in Wissahickon Valley Park, according to Santoleri.

“I feel this folklore kind of gives us something to bounce off of, something to sink our teeth into,” he said.

The design also includes depictions of local flora and fauna, according to Jacobi.

“We’re trying to align this artwork with the fact that this park is supposed to be a tranquil oasis,” he said.

The mural also will feature small pieces of stained glass integrated into the design, according to Santoleri, creating “these little moments of beauty that will pop out of the wall.”

“I hope to create some magic here,” he said.

The design met with positive feedback from the handful of residents in attendance.

The public will have a hand in the final look of the mural, with community members invited to a paint day scheduled for Saturday, June 24, according to Jacobi.

A celebration likely will be planned for early fall to dedicate both the mural and the planned improvements at the park, according to Jacobi.

Themural is not the only change coming to the park this summer.

While the first phase of work on the park, which included planting trees and shrubs, was completed in spring 2016, the phase two upgrades have been put out to bid, with the RDC hoping to begin construction within the next four to six weeks, according to RDC Executive Director James Calamia.

Plans call for installing stadium seating, a boardwalk, café seating, lighting and native plants and grasses, along with stormwater infrastructure work.

The RDC has received grant funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and PECO for the work at the park.

“We think this project in particular is special and important to commercial districts like this,” Calamia said.

The park was the main highlight of Calamia’s update on the RDC’s Roxborough 2020 initiative.

Launched in 2015, Roxborough 2020 serves as the development corporation’s strategic plan for the Ridge Avenue corridor, spelling out strategic goals for economic development, quality of life, finances, publicity and events.

Since the middle of 2015, the RDC has increased streetscape cleanup efforts, removing 85,830 gallons of trash and debris from Ridge Avenue, along with removing graffiti, according to RDC information.

The RDC also launched a new branding campaign, with a new logo and website.

“It’s really laying out a lifestyle we want to project for the neighborhood,” Calamia said.

Also since the adoption of the Roxborough 2020 plan, 25 new businesses have opened their doors along the corridor.

“We’re seeing more interest from folks. They’re seeing the neighborhood — it’s getting younger,” Calamia said.

“There’s a lot of great things we’ve accomplished, and there’s a lot of great things we’re still working on,” he said.