Joint Letter to Support State Funding for Bartram’s Garden Improvements

Sign now to encourage our state legislators to bring funds to Southwest Philly!

Bartram’s Garden and partners Mural Arts and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary are currently seeking state funds to support major improvements in the park, including FloatLab, the construction of the new Ecosystems Education Center and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery, and better trail access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Our state legislators are eager to hear from you as Southwest Philadelphia leaders and ambassadors. Please submit the form below to add your voice to joint letters in support of this project!

Click here for the joint letter about FloatLab.

Click here for the joint letter about all other improvements, including the Ecosystems Education Center and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery and better trail access.

By submitting the form below, your signature, street name (without full address), and comments will be added to the linked letters, which will be submitted securely to state officials.

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Joint Letter about Campus Investments (Ecosystems Education Center & Freshwater Mussel Hatchery and Trail Improvements)

September 2025

To whom it may concern:

We write on behalf of the Southwest Philadelphia Community Leadership Team to express our sincere hope that you will select Bartram’s Garden for a Redevelopment Capital Assistance award to support improved public education facilities and trail access. Bartram’s Garden is a vital space in our neighborhood for outdoor recreation and community connection; these improvements will allow a greater number of residents of all ages to enjoy the benefits of learning about and spending time in nature.

This project includes two major components: constructing a new Ecosystems Education Center and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery and improving the Garden’s trail and pathway system to better welcome pedestrians and cyclists of all abilities.

Trail Improvements

Across Philadelphia, city residents benefit from a robust and well-maintained trail network, particularly the renowned Schuylkill River Trail. We look forward to the Schuylkill River Trail’s upcoming connection to the Bartram’s Mile Trail within Bartram’s Garden and are eager for the Garden’s full range of trails, including many pedestrian- and bike-only routes, to showcase the best of Southwest Philadelphia as visitors arrive via the SRT from other parts of the city. This connection also brings increased economic opportunity to our neighborhood, as increased traffic through the park will contribute to increased activity along nearby commercial corridors like Woodland Avenue.

In addition, because Southwest Philadelphia has not historically been targeted for investment in safe outdoor recreation infrastructure like comprehensive bike lanes, we believe strongly that improved trail conditions in safe spaces like Bartram’s Garden will support more neighbors to enjoy biking and walking as accessible forms of exercise, stress relief, and community-building. Last year, more than 700 people enjoyed free biking activities at Bartram’s Garden, and regular resident-led walking groups in partnership with the Department of Parks and Recreation’s WeWalkPHL program create inviting, safe ways for neighbors to exercise and spend time together outdoors.

The Southwest Leaders are working closely with partner institutions like PIDC and Hilco Redevelopment Partners to ensure that their new investments in Southwest and South Philadelphia, such as the new biotech campuses planned by PIDC to the north and south of the Garden and the Bellwether District at the former PES refinery, will create professional opportunities for local residents. Because all these sites could be accessible via the trails in Bartram’s Garden, improving trail conditions for commuters will also impact our neighborhood’s health by decreasing vehicle emissions and offering more residents a safe way to stay active on their way to work.

Ecosystems Education Center & Freshwater Mussel Hatchery

With your support, the Bartram’s Mile Trail will soon lead past a major new educational and environmental resource thanks to the construction of the new Ecosystems Education Center and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery at Bartram’s Garden, a visionary project led jointly by the Garden and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE). This new facility will draw together world-class science and watershed restoration with accessible, inviting community space for hands-on education and STEAM investment, especially for our neighborhood’s youth and young adults. These connections between environmental restoration and investment in education represent some of Southwest Philadelphia’s highest priorities.

As you may know, freshwater mussels play an important role in sustaining healthier aquatic ecosystems: mussels function as natural water filters, removing suspended particles to create cleaner, healthier waterways while also contributing to nutrient-rich, stable riverbeds that can help other plants and animals thrive. PDE’s new Hatchery will propagate up to 1 million mussels annually for use in regional waterways like the Tidal Schuylkill River, helping our area’s rivers, streams, and lakes to be restored using the natural functions of a healthy ecosystem.

Perhaps even more important for the health of our community is continued investment in local students. The new Ecosystems Education Center will create the first dedicated educational space at Bartram’s Garden, with multiple lab-equipped classrooms and a teaching kitchen supporting partnerships with nearly 40 local schools, libraries, and childcare centers as well as paid youth workforce development opportunities for up to 50 local high school students annually. The facility will also have public amenities like trail-front restrooms and seating along the popular Bartram’s Mile Trail, as well as community gathering space for free events like yoga classes, resource fairs, and more.

This project is the result of a dedicated, long-standing partnership, and we are proud that several members of the Leadership Team have been involved in selecting the project’s architect and advising on other aspects of the project’s design and programming. We firmly believe that Southwest Philadelphia’s students deserve this high-quality place to learn and explore, just as our neighborhood ecosystem and our backyard riverfront are overdue for the environmental restoration that will be made possible by the new mussel hatchery.

We appreciate your attention to these projects and look forward to welcoming you to Southwest Philadelphia as these investments advance.

Sincerely,

Southwest Philadelphia Community Leadership Team

Joint Letter about FloatLab

September 2025

To whom it may concern:

We write on behalf of the Southwest Philadelphia Community Leadership Team to express our sincere hope that you will select FloatLab, a visionary project led jointly by Mural Arts and Bartram’s Garden, for a Redevelopment Capital Assistance award. FloatLab is a public art project that combines education, science, and community engagement in Southwest Philadelphia, welcoming visitors of all ages to our riverfront and connecting residents to world-class art and science.

FloatLab will transform the way Southwest Philadelphia neighbors access the Tidal Schuylkill River while also introducing visitors and tourists from throughout the city, state, and region to this vibrant riverfront. Designed by J. Meejin Yoon and Höweler + Yoon Architecture, the project’s innovative engineering allows visitors to engage directly with the river on their own terms, even safely viewing the river at eye level from the security of FloatLab’s sloped ring-shaped platform.

Although Southwest Philadelphia has always been a riverfront community, not all residents have been fortunate enough to develop their own relationship with the river as a space for recreation, learning, or healing. FloatLab offers a new perspective from which residents might build or strengthen that relationship, whether during a classroom visit for a local school, participating in arts activities or attending performances, enjoying river recreation like fishing or boating, or simply connecting with the river in a new way and from a safe place.

Investing in public spaces like FloatLab also strengthens Southwest Philadelphia as a whole, with opportunities for tourists, families, school groups, and recreationalists to visit the area from throughout the city, state, and region. Greater investment in destinations like FloatLab will undoubtedly increase visitors to Southwest Philadelphia, contributing to increased traffic along the Schuylkill River Trail and for nearby commercial corridors like Woodland Avenue.

We are grateful that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has previously invested in FloatLab and other key projects in Southwest Philadelphia, and we are excited to hear that Mural Arts and Bartram’s Garden have secured the majority of the remaining funding for FloatLab’s construction. With a final investment of $750,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program, this project can finally be brought to life for the deserving residents of Southwest Philadelphia and serve the city as a premiere destination. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Southwest Philadelphia Community Leadership Team