In Marconi, just a half-dozen blocks southwest of the Oregon Broad Street Line station, Anthony Spadaccini is keeping one of the city’s best Rec Centers humming. In a double win for best rec Center/Playground and basketball court/baseball field, the 2400 block of South Rosewood Street resident and five-year rec leader has been frequenting Barry Playground, 1800 Johnston St., since he was a child. Now, in a leadership position, he’s coordinating programming year-round and hiring help, often youths he’s watched grow up before his very eyes.
“I was working at Guerin at 16th and Jackson as a trainee when a position opened up at Barry, and they asked me if I would be interested and I jumped on it,” Spadaccini, a former personal trainer who turned to recreation as a more sustaining and satisfying line of work, said. “I have a lot of kids that worked for me as counselors that are now working [in the summers] as lifeguards and pool staff.”
His reach is diverse at the Marconi site – from pool staffing to summer camp planning; to basketball, volleyball and baseball; and he’s hoping to keep getting bigger and better. For one, their center’s being renovated right this moment: “We should have a new building come May or June. It’s great. They’re going to put in new bathrooms and make it bigger. There’s wasn’t much indoor space to do inside programming,” he added. “We’re going to add a lot more cultural programs, maybe an after-school program, we’ll have computers – there’s a lot of good changes to come.”
Some improvements are on their way for the pair of playgrounds on the park parcel – a regular one and a tiny one for the tots. They’ve got a great little pool, too, something Spadaccini says the locals (who don’t know better) can be suspicious of, “but it’s a really cool find for the summer if you don’t go down the Shore. It’s safe, clean, we have a great staff; a lot of people don’t even know we have it.”
As for a best-of honor, he’s very pleased.
“It’s great to be recognized from the community,” he said. “It’s very close-knit, I grew up here, and I feel honored to be recognized as the top playground, center and basketball court because we do put a lot of work in behind the scenes to keep it safe and I’m looking forward to the coming year. So come out to Barry!”
For Rec Center/Playground, Palumbo Rec Center and Playground came in second place, while Burke Playground came in third. In the category of Basketball Court/Baseball Field, second place honors go to the Delaware Valley Youth Athletic Association, and third place went to the Edward O’ Malley Athletic Association. — B.C.
