Improvements to Playwicki Farm a Possibility

During this mild winter, members of the Lower Southampton Township Parks and Recreation Department were cleaning out a garage at Playwicki Farm when they discovered a better use for the space.

At Wednesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Marian Gilbert announced to the board that the garage, which is located adjacent to the barn, has the potential to serve as a community building with some improvements.

Gilbert said that in order to open this space up to the community, the garage would need electric service, a wheelchair accessible ramp and drywall insulation materials. The cost of these improvements is estimated at $11,9000, with the work being done in-house by the public works department.

In order to make the improvements, the Parks and Recreation department did budget $2,000 under Playwicki expenses in the 2012 budget as well as $3,900 in the general fund that is appropriated for general building repairs and maintenance, Gilbert said.

The Playwicki Farm Foundation is willing to donate $5,000 toward the improvements.

"All of the foundation members are excited about the prospect of a sizable in-door space at the farm," Playwicki Farm Foundation President June Olsen said Wednesday.

"It’s a really nice, usable space...much larger than we have in the farm house," she said of the garage. According to Gilbert, the room could hold 75 people in a classroom setting and 35 people with chairs and a table.

In addition, Gilbert said that the building would not require a fire system -- only a smoke detector, fire extinguisher and exit sign.

Gilbert requested that the board give its blessing for the Parks and Recreation department to move forward with this project, which they will consider doing at the next meeting.