Cheltenham Township officials recently unveiled schematic designs for the La Mott Community Center at 7420 Sycamore Avenue in Elkins Park.
The main level floor plan is below:
The lower level floor plan is below:
More details can be found here. Cheltenham staff and consultants will be at Camp William Penn and Historic La Mott Day on Saturday, September 20 between 10:30am and 3:00pm to share the latest progress on the project.
The center closed its operations in December 2022 due to maintenance concerns with the building. Officials are expecting construction for the revamped La Mott Community Center to begin in spring 2026, with a reopening planned for spring/summer 2027.
Prior to its shutdown, the facility featured a full indoor basketball court, playground, a supervised summer playground program, a summer teen enrichment program, year-round indoor recreational and educational programs, senior citizen programs, various health programs, and a playing field.
In February, the La Mott Community Center Restoration Rehabilitation Project’s final renovation design and request for proposals was approved by the Finance Committee and Board of Commissioners at a cost of $6.6 million. A presentation of cost proposals to the Finance Committee can be found here.
In March 2024, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean announced $3,828,500 in funding for the project. Cheltenham has since received an additional $1 million for improvements to the Rowland Community Center and $450,000 for improvements to the Public Works Facility, the update said, noting that the township “is performing serious financial analyses and projections to plan for facilities improvements, and has initiated the borrowing process to ensure that plans can continue to move forward.”
La Mott Community Center was featured by USA Today in May 2023. The Elkins Park facility, which is located on Willow and Sycamore Avenues, is one of 16 facilities in the Township in disrepair.
In related news, the township’s Board of Commissioners amended its existing Single-Use Plastic (Bag) Ordinance during their regular meeting on September 17.
The amendments include regulations on single-use plastic straws, utensils, and expanded polystyrene food containers. Any retail establishment caught violating the ordinance could be subject to a minimum $500 fine.
The following regulations will go into effect December 16:
- Retail Establishments will be prohibited from providing expanded polystyrene food service products at the establishment or through delivery.
- Single-use plastic straws may be given to customers only upon request.
- Single-use plastic utensils may be given to customers only upon request.
Additionally, retail establishments will be required to charge a minimum $.10 fee per reusable carryout bag provided to customers at point of sale, effective immediately. This change matches the existing requirement to charge a minimum $.10 fee on recycled paper bags for carryout.
The amended ordinance can be found below:
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