Next Meeting:
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April
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Kildare's Irish PubKildare's Irish Pub is renovating the former site of Kansas City Prime, 4417-19 Main St. Kildare's opened their first restaurant in West Chester a year ago and recently opened a second restaurant in King of Prussia. Kildare's is an Irish theme restaurant with several rooms depicting various styles and eras of Irish Pubs. Interior furnishings and antiques are imported from Ireland. Kansas City Prime took up the fist floor of two adjacent buildings. Kildare's wants to expand to the second floor of 4419 Main St. The upstairs will include restaurant seating, an additional bar, and a small stage. MNC's board met with representatives from Kildare's on March 22. The pub plans include about 250 restaurant seats and 50 bar seats. Their hours will be 11 am to 2 am with llive music till 1:30 am. The kitchen will close at 11 pm. The menu is moderately priced. Kildare's will present their plans at our April 7 meeting. A zoning hearing was scheduled for March 24. Rather than continuing the hearing, the board agreed to let it go forward. The ZBA agreed not to render a decision until after our meeting. We will decide then on position for Kildare's. Bungalow SevenAurelia Saunders Satchell and three partners plan to open Bungalow Seven, a restaurant and lounge at 111-113 Cotton Street, formerly Amore and the Cotton Club. They hope to be open by May 27 (Memorial Day weekend). They will present their plans at our April 7 meeting. |
Grape St. Pub ComplexJoe Cahill, owner of Grape Street Pub, will present his plans for the GSP Music Complex at 4100 Main St. He closed the Grape Street Pub and has moved to the former Chemistry Night Club site. The complex will be, in Joe's words, "a full-service one-stop entertainment complex for performing artists". GSP is acquiring Chemistry's liquor license. Our prior operating agreement with Chemistry required them to notify us of a liquor license transfer. They failed to do that and we have filed an objection to the transfer, pending an agreement with GSP. GSP wants to enclose the outside deck and add bathrooms which will require a zoning variance. MNC, Wissahickon Neighbors, Councilman Nutter, and State Rep. Kathy Manderino met with Joe and discussed the situation. We are currently in negotiations over an operating agreement. Old Grape Street PubThe rumor is that the pub site, 105 Grape St., still has a liquor license and can reopen. While the site was a source of complaints by neighbors, the 911 record shows virtually no calls for noise or disturbances. Please remember that a 911 call is never wasted. Even if there is no immediate response, it builds a record for future use.
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Tommy Gunn's, 4901 RidgeChip Roller, Wissahickon Interested Citizen's Assoc., reported on a meeting with the owners of Tommy Gunn's BBQ, 4901 Ridge, and the Zoning Coalition of local civics. The owners presented a comprehensive business plan. The coalition had a problem with the name, Tommy Gunn's, but there was no opposition to a restaurant at that location. The Coalition and owners agreed on most issues. Problems of traffic congestion have yet to be met. SEPTA plans to renovate the Wissahickon Transfer Center across the street. Traffic control changes may mitigate some problems but there is no guarantee. Gunn's will have only ten parking spaces. Some may be revised for the disabled or removed to fit trash cans. The owners asked a nearby business about using their site for parking but it has not been procured. Trash removal is another concern. The owners will have daily trash pickup except Sunday. The parking lot is too small for a trash truck and cars simultaneously. Meetings will continue to resolve the problems. The Streets Dept. and City Engineers will lend their experience and advice. 400 Shurs Lane, Mill StorageThe owner of Mill Storage will present plans for converting some of his space to residential units at the May 6 meeting of Centra Roxbor-ough Civic Assoc.. The meeting is at 7:30 pm at the Leverington Presbyterian Church, Ridge and Hermitage. |
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Pretzel Park The Friends of Pretzel Park ran into an obstacle with the water and drinking fountain project in Pretzel Park. The Water Department set up new standards for water related projects. They may require the installation of backflow preventers on all water access and connections to the sewer pipes for the drinking fountains. This has set us back several months in our project. Events are being scheduled with only our June 5 performance not yet finalized. This will be the grand opening of the newly established and long time name of Pretzel Park. Local band, 4 Way Street are tentatively scheduled to perform for the grand opening. Check out the calendar of events for our summer concert series and other events in and around Manayunk. Cleanups and garden tending will be held in the park the second Saturday of each month beginning on April 10 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Starting April 19, meetings will be held the third Monday of each month at 6:00 pm in Pretzel Park. Outdoor work will follow the meeting if the weather permits. Please join
us to enjoy the park!
River
Birch (Betula Nigra) |
Manayunk Tree Tenders Over the last five years, Mana-yunk Tree Tenders planted over 50 trees. We began in 2000 with 3 trees purchased from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's (PHS) Philadelphia Green. A resident also donated a Paperbark Maple. All four trees were planted in Pretzel Park and are doing beautifully. This year we planted 17 trees from PHS, 14 street trees in front of homes, and 3 River Birches in Pretzel Park. Over five years, we planted 35 street trees, 14 trees in Pretzel Park, and 4 at North Light Community Center. In 2002, we joined with PHS and submitted over 20 requests for street trees to the Fairmount Park Commission. The trees were to be planted last fall but due to equipment problems, Fairmount Park planted most of them this year. Many local residents are also planting trees on their own. For more information about the Manayunk Tree Tenders, call Jane Glenn at 215-482-5528 or e-mail mail@ManayunkCouncil.org. PHS Tree Tenders Training Philadelphia Green offers Tree Tenders training twice a year. The course covers community tree care, proper pruning practices, and tree pit care. The 12-hour training course is comprised of 4 three-hour sessions and is limited to Philadelphia residents. Dates & times for the spring session are as follows: Three Wednesdays: 5:45 - 8:45 pm, May 5, 12, & 19 Saturday, May 15, 10 am - 2 pm April 30 is the deadline for registration. To register call 215-988-8800. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA |
Fountain of Juice Fountain of Juice, Inc., 4243 Main St, signed a deed restriction with Manayunk Development Corporation and should be open soon. The agreement prohibits the Fountain of Juice from getting a liquor license. It also limits the use of the premises to a health cafe and juice bar, sets hours of operation (7 am to 9 pm Monday - Friday, 10 am to 9 pm Saturday, and noon to 6 pm Sunday) as well as prohibiting a take out window. Ridge Avenue Roxborough Development Corporation (RDC) presented preliminary plans for redevelopment of Ridge Avenue at a meeting on March 29. The next public meeting on the Master Plan is scheduled for 6:30 pm Monday, April 12 at the Salvation Army Headquarters, 7630 Ridge Avenue. Consultants from Kise Straw & Kolodner detailed street improvements for five commercial areas along Ridge Avenue that include new sidewalks, curbs, street trees, pedestrian lighting, landscaping, bus shelters, and crosswalks. Consultants from Brown and Keener Urban Design suggested revisions to the city's sign regulation and to RDC's design guidelines. Brown & Keener prepared "concept designs" for four Ridge Avenue properties: the Shop Rite parking lot, the former Woolworth Store, the Custard Stand, and the former Mobil Gas Station. Consultants from Urban Partners identified twelve properties along Ridge Avenue that have a strong potential for redevelopment. RDC will work to attract developers to these twelve sites, or if necessary, develop the sites themselves. The April community meeting would be the last chance for significant input on the Master Plan. A final community meeting, planned for the summer, will be a presentation of the finished product |
| JUST A FEW MINUTES . . .
President Kevin Smith called the meeting to order at 7:38 P.M. He introduced Jack McGovern, property owner of 4111 Main Street. Mr. McGovern has owned the property and had his accounting office next door at 4109 Main St. for 11 years. Mr. McGovern introduced operators for the proposed pizza shop at 4111 Main St. The partners, Mike Letsky and Mike Brady, plan to offer pizza only with a few inside seats and a delivery service. Delivery cars can park in the lot next to the building. The property is not zoned for restaurant use. Mr. McGovern will go to the Zoning Board to change the use. The partners offered to sign an agreement prohibiting the restaurant from serving alcohol and to revert the zoning back to C2 commercial if the pizza business closes. A motion was made and seconded to support the restaurant based on an acceptable agreement. It passed without opposition. Angela DiProspero, Director of the Art + Science Salon & Spa at 4430 Main Street, spoke about their new business on Main St. They opened as a salon but need zoning for a massage license. She went to the Zoning Board but did not have the required legal counsel. Kay Smith, Manayunk Development Corp., suggested she meet with us. Art + Science Salon & Spa is an upscale full service Aveda Concept Salon and Spa. Aveda has spas throughout the country and around the world. A motion was made, seconded and approved without opposition. to offer Art + Science a letter of support for the zoning. Kevin announced that developer, Bart Blatstein, withdrew his proposal for an apartment complex at the Choice Seating site, 3745 Main Street. After the applause subsided, Kevin reported that the City Planning Commission rejected their plans because they had no provisions for off-street parking for the 30 apartments. Kevin reported on a recent meeting with Joe Cahill, GSP Music Complex. The Complex will replace Chemistry at |
March 3, 2004 General Meeting 4100 Main St. Board members of MNC and Wissahickon Neighbors, joined Councilman Michael Nutter, and State Rep. Kathy Manderino at the meeting. They commended Mr. Chahill for reducing the nuisance problems at the Grape Street Pub over the last few years. He agreed to review the agreement between Chemistry, MNC and WNCA. GSP Music Complex does not need zoning to open at the former Chemistry Night Spot. However, they would like to enclose the deck and build additional bathrooms that will require zoning. Residents brought up concerns about the future of the former Grape Street Pub site. It has the potential to become another nuisance bar. Residents were encouraged to monitor the property and report any problems to the police. Permit parking was discussed. The biggest concern remains the difficulty in obtaining visitor passes. Residents would like to be able to get the licenses locally rather than going to 31st and Market between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. Councilman Nutter's office on Ridge Avenue would be an ideal location. Jane Glenn reported on a proposal sent to Hudson Bank for funding for Pretzel Park events. The bank is interested and in return would like access to our member's names and address. A motion was made and seconded to support sharing this information. It passed without opposition. A box will be added to our membership form so members can let us know if we can share their contact information. Kevin introduced Nancy Hudecki, Sgt. at Arms, as the only member of the Nominating Committee present. Nancy is joined in the committee by Mark and Mary Turtle. Nominations will be made at the April 7 meeting. Officer Klein talked about the recent rash of burglaries in the community. He said another arrest had been made but that would probably not end the crime spree. He passed out information on theft prevention. |
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April 10, 10-1 pm Pretzel Park April 19, 6 pm Pretzel Park May 5, 7:30 pm MNC Meeting May 8, 10-1 pm Spring into Your Park, Pretzel Park May 17, 6 pm Pretzel Park June 1, 7:30 pm MNC Meeting June 5, Tentative June 6, Bike Race, Main St closed June 12, 10-1 pm Pretzel Park June 16, 7 pm Rick Gazda Band, Pretzel Park Polka June 21, 6 pm Pretzel Park June 26 & 27, Manayunk Arts Festival July 10, 10-1 pm Pretzel Park July 21, 7 pm Irish Music: John Brennan & Friends Aug 11, 7 pm Ken Ulansey Ensemble, Jazz in Pretzel Park |
A.I. Poland Jewelers Bourbon Blue Citizens Bank G.J. Littlewood & Son, Inc. S. C. Main Street Associates, InnerVision Eyewear Ligne Roset Manayunk Development Corp. Manayunk Sport & Social Club |
Monaghan Funeral Home Neducsin Properties Patricia Gorman Associates Propper Brothers Furniture V Salon
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MNC Executive Board |
Next Meeting: |
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| Kevin Smith, President
Charlie Hewins, Vice President Mark Turtle, Treasurer Peg Ingram, Recording Secretary Jane Glenn, Corresponding Sec. Nancy Hudecki, Sgt at Arms |
Joyce Finnen, Trustee
Joy Griffin, Trustee Keith Newman, Trustee Sandy Sorlien, Trustee Abby Potash, Trustee |
Wednesday April 7, 2004 7:30 PM Venice Island Rec Center
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