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Councilman Nutter approved our request to officially
change the name of Pretzel Park to Pretzel Park. Legislation is required
to rename the park. The Councilman is preparing the ordinance for introduction
in January.
The official name has been Manayunk Park since its creation in 1929.
Although no one ever called it by that name.
When the Friends of Pretzel Park began its affiliation with the Pennsylvania
Horticultural Society's Philadelphia Green program and the Department
of Recreation, signs were installed welcoming visitors to Manayunk Park.
This year we hope to establish signs welcoming everyone to Pretzel Park.
4 Way Street agreed to perform in Pretzel Park. A date
has yet to be set as they are touring with their new album, titled Pretzel
Park.
Thank you to 5th district police Captain Maye for speaking at our December
meeting. We invited Captain Maye, in part, to communicate to him our concerns
with continued sidewalk parking and late-night party noise. We received
several reports of officers sympathizing with parking violators and reluctant
to issue tickets. There were also accounts of lackluster responses to
loud bars and party houses. We hope that Captain Maye will take our messages
to heart and impress upon his troops the importance of these quality of
life issues.
In turn, you have a responsibility. Call 911. Call 911. Call 911. When
cars are parked on the sidewalk, call. When there is a loud party house,
call. When bar patrons wake you up at 2am, call. Get your neighbors to
call. Get everyone on the block to call. If there is no response, call
again.
If the police do not respond adequately, there is a record of calls that
are proof of the problem. If a conscientious landlord tries to evict a
problem renter, the 911 calls provide a valuable record.
We've asked the Captain to do his part. We are asking you to do your
part. Take 30 seconds, and make the call!
We heard from Sgt. Fran Healey, of the Nuisance Bar Task Force that he
had sound meters in his office and was waiting for money to get officers
trained. That day is finally here and, as Captain Maye mentioned at our
last meeting, training is now in progress.
This means that an officer can take a sound reading at a bar or party
house and issue a citation on the spot. We can't wait!
There will only be one sound meter in the district but an officer on
each shift will be trained to use it. It may take a few months but there
should be an improvement soon.
A big thank you to Bernie Strain, Ray Jones and the Neighborhood Tranformation
Initiative work crews for all the completed projects.
- Slverwood between Leverington and Green Lane
- Tower Street between Pensdale & Shurs
- Leverington between Pechin and Wilde
- Fountain Street between Silverwood and Smick Sts.
- Cresson Street between Carson and Green Lane
- Station Street between Pensdale and Rector
Next Meeting:
January 7, 2004, 7:30 PM at Venice
Island Rec Center
Invited Guests
Bernie Strain of the Mayor's Office and Ray
Jones of the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
Brad Epstein, owner of the proposed Fountain of
Juice on Main Street.
December 18, 2003 was a historic event for the
working class neighborhood of Port Richmond. Residents came out in large
numbers to attend the final City Council session of 2003. A visual count
suggested around 20 residents were there in support of Wal-Mart while
about 80 residents and employees of Port Richmond opposed Wal-Mart. In
addition many unions (for and against) attended along with concerned neighbors
from other communities. The room was filled to capacity.
Councilman Frank DiCicco, who sponsored this bill,
withdrew it from a vote. For now, it is effectively dead. The issue of
how many Council members might vote against his bill is unknown, because
it was withdrawn.
This is indeed a victory, but one that will be
only briefly enjoyed by those who worked for three weeks without breath.
DiCicco forewarned them that he would raise this bill again at the next
Council session in 2004. In the meanwhile residents are working to come
up with an alternate plan for the site.
The local civic leaders are concerned that divisiveness
over the issue in their tight-knit community may be an obstacle in working
out a common vision. While only a small faction of residents are for the
Wal-Mart, nearly all people there know each other or are connected. They
are afraid the 'divide and conquer' strategy will be attempted and further
disenfranchise the community.
As you may remember, this strategy was used a couple
years ago in Manayunk. Offers were made to make improvements to Pretzel
Park in exchange for dropping Manayunk Neighborhood Council's appeal against
270 apartments on Venice Island. That attempt failed but it cost the community
dearly in time, energy, finances, and morale.
According to reports of the Council hearing, Councilman
Angel Ortiz drew a standing ovation from his speech. He recounted Wal-Mart's
exploitative practices and its negative impacts in working class and low-income
communities. This was the Councilman's last time in council. He will be
replaced by Juan Ramos.
Councilwoman Joan Krajewski spoke against the project
as well. Her concern was about the site. The increase in traffic would
be hazardous to the safety of children at three churches, a hospital,
and numerous businesses.
David Cohen, the lion leader for the people, expressed
his concerns about the bill, Wal-Mart in general, and support for the
local businesses and families in their ability to determine the quality
of life in their own neighborhood. Councilmen Ortiz and Cohen, along with
Rizzo, were our supporters during the Venice Island hearings.
Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer. While
the company broke new financial records this year, it also faced numerous
lawsuits and a public scandal over a federal raid in October that netted
illegal aliens employed as cleaning staff. (For more information on Wal-Mart
check out PBS' website: www.pbs.org/now/politics/walmart.html)
Amendments to our bylaws were approved at the December meeting. One amendment
provided for the additon of four Trustee positions to the Executive Board
for a total of five Trustees. The Trustee positions allow us to involve
more people on the board. Mark Turtle has been appointed to one of these
positions but there are still three openings.
If you are concerned with what goes on in the community and want to get
more involved, please call Kevin at 215-482-5528.
Get Informed, Get Involved, Get Empowered.
Permit Parking: Permit Parking greatly enhances the quality of life for
residents of congested areas by limiting long term parking on selected
blocks to permit holders only. The permit increases the resident's chances
of finding parking by spurring turnover and removing storage of nonresident
vehicles, however, it does not guarantee a parking space. There are not
many Manayunk residents that can say they have a guaranteed parking space
or even an easily accessible space. Permit parking may be for you.
A permit costs $35 per vehicle for the first year and $20 for annual
renewal. To be eligible, a vehicle must display a valid Pennsylvania license
plate and be registered to an address in the permit parking district.
You can get a permit for a company car if you prove that you are a resident
and the principal operator of the car. Guests may park for the posted
time limit. For longer stays, you can obtain a temporary parking permit.
Anyone interested in getting permit parking on their block can call get
complete information and petition forms on our web page at http://www.ManayunkCouncil.org.
If you have questions can call Kevin at 215-482-5528 or send email to
mail@manayunkcouncil.org.
A Chinese proverb - 'Don't curse the darkness - light a candle.'
Used by Adlai Stevenson (1900-65), praising Eleanor Roosevelt in an address
to the United Nations General Assembly in 1962 - 'She would rather light
candles than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world.'
JUST A FEW MINUTES...
December 3, 2003 General Meeting
President Kevin Smith called the meeting to order at 7:35pm. Kevin asked
if there were changes or corrections to the minutes printed in the last
newsletter. Jane Glenn made a motion to approve the minutes. Charlie Hewins
seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.
The Financial report printed on the agenda showed a balance of $4,533.75
in the bank. Kevin noted $2,000 of slated toward summer concerts in Pretzel
Park. Kevin gave a rundown of the November 21 Boogie & Beer at the
Canoe Club. The event raised over $800.
A bill was presented from Hallwatch.org for a yearly subscription. The
cost is $145. Hallwath.org provides real estate and City Council information
along with other issues pertinent to Philadelphia. A motion was made and
seconded to join Hallwatch. The motion was approved.
Since our guest had not arrived, we moved along in the agenda. Kevin
announced the proposed amendments to the bylaws were printed on the back
of the agenda. He explained the reasons for the amendments. The number
of Trustees was raised from one to five to increase participation on the
Executive Board. Other than March, specific months were removed from the
bylaws to provide continuity for elections without restricting them in
case of unusual circumstances such as the hostile takeover attempt a few
years ago. Another change removed reports by committees and visiting organizations.
The reports will still be included in the agenda however, they will allow
flexibility when guests are invited to make presentations. A motion was
made and seconded to accept the amendments. The motion passed with unanimous
approval.
Captain Maye of the Fifth District Police Department was introduced by
Kevin. The Captain in turn introduced Lt. Victor Ramirez who will be assisting
him. Captain Maye handed out and gave a commentary on crime reports for
the month of November and the week of November 13. He noted the number
of 5th District parking violations were up by 21 percent for the year.
A reference was also made to an officer who was attacked while ticketing
a truck parked on the sidewalk. The attacker was arrested.
The Captain explained that most officers are not familiar with all the
City code violations. Training on the codes will be held soon. This will
increase ticketing for quality of life crimes such as trash and public
urination. Several officers will be trained on sound meters so citations
for loud noise can be issued.
Members brought up recent incidents at Castle Rox on Shurs Lane. The
establishment was shut down for a few days due to violations cited by
the Dept. of Licenses & Inspections (L&I). Residents have been
complaining about noise from the bar. However, Captain Maye said he checked
the records and there was only one 911 call regarding Castle Rox. Kevin
urged everyone to call 911 when there are complaints. Even if officers
cannot respond due to more important problems, it will go on the record.
A comment was made that 911 does not respond to all calls. The Captain
said chronic problems, such as one car parking illegally all the time,
should be reported to the 5th District.
Captain Maye heard a rumor that Chemistry was changing hands. No one
had any further information.
Flyers for the Jingle Bell Run were handed out. Complaints rose from
the audience because of the inconvenience of the route. Bus routes will
be detoured, emergency access will be reduced, and residents will not
be able to move their cars.
Serious crimes were discussed. A recent armed robbery occurred on Manayunk
Avenue but no arrests had been made. Someone asked about the death of
a student from Trinidad. Captain Maye said it had not been determined
whether it was an accidental death or a homicide.
Residents criticized officers responding to complaints of party houses
by driving by and not investigating. When the revelers see the police
they quiet down or go inside the house for a few minutes. It was asked
that Police wait a few minutes and return to the site or investigate the
situation on foot. The Captain said if they were a common occurrence to
let him know and he would stake officers out at that address.
Weekdays:
Leaves Wissahickon Transfer Center (WTC) to Andorra every half hour starting
at 5:30 AM. The last run leaves WTC at 8:00 PM.
Leaves Wissahickon Av and Cathedral Rd (Andorra) every half hour starting
at 5:57 AM. The last run leaves Andorra at 8:27 PM.
Sundays:
Leaves Wissahickon Transfer Center (WTC) to Andorra every hour starting
at 7:00 AM. The last run leaves WTC at 7:00 PM.
Leaves Wissahickon Av and Cathedral Rd (Andorra) every hour starting
at 7:27 AM. The last run leaves Andorra at 7:27 PM.
Fares:
The SEPTA Base fare is $ 2.00, but with SEPTA Adult tokens you save over
35% on each trip! Tokens cost only $1.30 each and substitute as a base
fare!
Use multiple buses and/or subways to link your trip! Whether you use
a token or pay a cash fare, the transfer costs just 60 cents.
Please join or renew if you are not a current member. Membership
Information & Form
Next Meeting:
Guests:
Bernie Strain, Mayor s Office
Ray Jones, NTI
Brad Epstein, Fountain of Juice
Wednesday, January 7, 2004 - 7:30 PM
Venice Island Rec Center
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