Next Meeting:
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May
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WHY MORE BARS? WHO DECIDES? |
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The expansion of Kildare's Irish Pub, 4417-19 Main St., and the Grape Street Music Complex, 4100 Main St. were approved at last month's meeting. Why would we approve these when there are so many complaints about late night bar patrons? The businesses were approved for a variety of reasons. Many residents feel Kildare's will be a place they can go for dinner. There aren't many affordable restaurants on Main St. Kildare's offers the decor and prices residents can enjoy. |
The GSP Complex will focus on music. The first floor will
hold three areas for a variety of artists. The second floor will hold offices
for the entertainment industry along with five recording studios.
These new places will contain expensive, high-end furnishings. They also agreed to work with us to improve conditions on Main St. Residents decided these businesses would be appropriate for our community. Less desirable places could come in without any zoning or licensing. |
Manayunk Neighborhood Council is the civic group for Main
St. We represent the residents that show up at meetings. Decisions are made
by those attending meetings and voting.
We are volunteers. Our job is to inform and involve residents about issues in the community. We produce this newsletter for you and we provide venues for you to respond. Your job is to speak up and work with us to make this neighborhood a better place to live. |
RIDE THE SCENIC ROXBOROUGH/MANAYUNK TOUR BUS |
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The scenic Roxborough-Manayunk Tour bus runs through our community every half hour on weekdays and Saturdays. It runs hourly on Sundays. You can get the bus on most corners throughout the route. The bus runs from Wissahickon Creek and Fairmount Park, through historic Main Street Manayunk and up the hills through the quaint residential district. It passes Hillside and Kenrick Recreation Centers, then travels on a Native American Trail, now Ridge Avenue. It stops on the Ridge, an eclectic business district known as "The High Point" of Philadelphia. You can also stop at the beautiful Gorgas Park or ride the route all the way to the modern Andorra Shopping Center or to Houston Playground and Fairmount Park. The return route is just as exciting, down the hills to Green Lane and then back to the Wissahickon Creek. |
Rides on this scenic tour bus cost only $1.30 with a SEPTA token but are $2.00 cash. You can use SEPTA passes as well. Two children, under 42", can ride free with an adult. SEPTA Tokens are available at the following locations:
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Senior citizens (age 65 or older) ride FREE weekdays except for one hour in the AM and PM rush. They ride FREE all day on weekends and major holidays. Seniors must pay full fare (cash or token) weekdays, 7 AM - 8 AM or 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM. Seniors must display one of the ID cards below:
Please check out the enclosed brochure for more information on the scenic Route 35 Tour Bus. |
| JUST A FEW MINUTES . . .
Meeting came to order by Kevin Smith, President, at 7:30 p.m. Kevin started the meeting by welcoming back Bill Ballou, the curator of VI Playground. Minutes from last months meeting were approved and the financial report and Pretzel Park donations were acknowledged and found on the meeting's agenda. David Magrogan from Kildare's Irish Pub was introduced. David immediately handed over the meeting to his attorney, Richard DeMarco. Mr. DeMarco gave the members an overview of the plan for the Irish Pub. The location is the former site of Kansas City Prime Restaurant. Mr. DeMarco explained that they need our approval for zoning to expand to the 2nd floor of the building. He noted that they have provisions in place for the following: music will not be audible outside on the street, no one will be allowed to leave the premises with alcoholic beverages, and dumpsters will be enclosed with lids. Parking is being discussed with MDC. He emphasized, along with Mr. Magrogan, that this pub is not a "young person's spot". It is primarily a restaurant and family spot. David Magrogan returned to the floor to discuss events and hours of business. He said they approached the Historical Committee to convert a window on the 2nd floor to a Fire Escape Door. It was approved. Kevin asked the meeting attendees to vote on the 2nd floor zoning. There was no opposition, everyone agreed. Joe Cahill of the Grape Street Pub was introduced next. He began by letting us know the kind of establishment he will be opening at the location of the now defunct Chemistry Club. It will be a local and regional showcase for musical acts. The entrance will be changed from the front (Main Street) to the side of the building. This will help on the security. Security will be managed by ex-police Sergeant Leo Manning. There will be an acoustic room and an enclosed glass exterior deck. The windows will be sound proof. Manayunk Brewing Company will have the food concession. A member asked about the type of music. Neighbors are concerned about violence that comes out of some music. Joe said he will provide a variety of music. Y100 will be aired from the location one night a week. A suggestion was made that he hand out pamphlets regarding parking, language and behavior. He agreed to something of this type. Bob, from the 100 block of Shurs Lane, brought to Joe's attention the kind of behavior that crowds from Chemistry brought to the neighborhood and said he is done calling the policy that he will hire a lawyer the next time. Bob would like the phone number and contact of the new GSP so that he can call directly when he has a problem. One person asked why we are picking on Joe and not CJ & Ecks and Castle Rox. Members spoke up and said they have discussed these in previous meetings along with Grape Street Pub. They spoke about the drunks and loudness their patrons bring. Bob said he had petitions from his neighbors that were not acknowledged by the police. A woman said we were dwelling on the past and should give Joe a chance with his new ideas. Peggy spoke up to let us know what it is like to live next to a bar in Manayunk. Keith suggested having parking lots closer to buildings so people do not filter into the neighborhood. Joe Cahill continued to let us know that they are not there as a club as they will not have drink specials etc. Joy stood up as a neighbor and board member. She supports this venture because the owner is working well with the civic committee. That committee is working on an agreement between MNC, WNCA, and GSP. A vote was taken - all in favor, none opposed. Next to be introduced was Aurelia Sanders Satchel from Bungalow VII. Aurelia introduced her 3 partners. Bungalow VII is a family run business. This establishment is for a mature clientele. A few brochures were passed out. Bungalow VII stands for the seven pleasure principles. It will have private booths with drapes for privacy. The 2nd floor will be a "Sky Bar", and the 3rd floor will be for members only where they can reserve lock boxes for bottles of liquor. They are looking to raise the standards for entertainment in the neighborhood. Their primary focus is as caretakers of the local environment. They are going to take pride in keeping high standards. |
April 7, 2004 General Meeting Only cosmetic changes are needed for inside the building. They are looking for our approval. They read about permit parking in our newsletter and suggested we implement the program to keep unwanted patrons from problems bars out of the neighborhood. A partner in Bungalow VII works for the Parking Authority, driving a tow truck. They offered to help us with this project. One member asked what the menu would contain. It will feature crab cakes like no other, chicken kabobs and other light foods. Another question was what kind of an establishment is this really? A bar? A restaurant? What? The answer was "It is something to talk about". Jane asked about parking. They will have valet parking. Another asked if it was a private club. The answer was no, but envision repeated customers. Hours of business will be 5:00pm - 2:00am. Occupancy for the building is 225. A resident asked if they are willing to work with the neighbors in the neighborhood. Their reply was yes. She also let them know that their dumpsters should be emptied every day and locked up. No 4:30 a.m. pick up either. Keith suggested to keep their area clean and become a member of the restaurant group. The Bungalow VII spokesperson also suggested that we get involved in the overtime of police officers and they will contribute. They are willing to work with us (civic/neighbors) No vote was needed due to no zoning/changes were going to be made. Kevin Smith took the floor back over to discuss the rest of the agenda for the meeting. The Rumors regarding VI Recreation Center closing are not decided yet. VI is not a particular target yet. Though Red Bell has a sign that they are "closed for renovations", they actually went out of business. A zoning hearing meeting was scheduled prior to their closure. Mill Storage wants to convert to condos. May 6 meeting with Roxborough Civic Assoc. Curves members are parking on the tow path and ruining the flower bed. Kevin asked if the police can patrol that area more and give tickets. Police Officer Charlie informed us of all the burglaries in the neighborhood. He suggested we keep a radio on when we are not home. Make sure all windows and doors are locked. Also, Write down the serial #'s of DVD's, VCR's etc. This will help if your belongs are stolen and they make an arrest. Auto thefts will be on the rise now that nice weather is here. Nancy asked if the police can circle back around to a house that has been called in for loud partying. The reason is that when the cops show up they get quiet for a little while and then go back to being loud again. Nominations for Executive Board were presented by Mary Turtle. There is an opening for a Trustee position. Mary asked if there were any nominations from the floor. No-one responded. Next on the agenda was discussion of the upcoming Main Street Events. Kay Smith from MDC (not present) wants to know if there are any concerns to go over with them. Kevin suggested that we setup a meeting with MDC. He noted that it worked for the Arts Festival last year. Someone brought up a concern regarding the Bike Race. They didn't like that the major beer companies go to houses and setup free beer. Pretzel Park - There is a scheduled clean up day on Sat. 4/10 around noon. Residential Parking Meeting - Monday, April 12 at Pilgrim Church. MEETING ADJOURNED - 9:05 p.m.
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Events - Join Us! |
Nominations & Elections |
Trash! |
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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 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
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Executive Board Nominations Kevin Smith, President Charlie Hewins, Vice President Mark Turtle, Treasurer Joyce Finnen, Recording Secretary Jane Glenn, Corresponding Sec. Nancy Hudecki, Sgt at Arms Joy Griffin, Trustee Keith Newman, Trustee Sandy Sorlien, Trustee Abby Poash, Trustee All the officers are running unopposed, so this list is also the election results.
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To report trash problems, call the Street & Walkways Education & Enforcement Program (SWEEP) at 215-685-4275 Place trash and recycling out only on your scheduled collection day. If you are unsure of your collection day, ask your neighbors. Your trash must be placed on your property. Put trash and recycling out after 7:00 PM the night before collection. You may set out up to four trash cans (32 gallon maximum) or ten 30"x 37" sealed plastic bags, for a maximum of 220 pounds. Private collection is required or you exceed these limits. Tie newspapers, wood, cardboard boxes, and other loose items into bundles no more than 4 ft long and 2 ft thick. Never use cardboard containers for trash! City litter baskets are for pedestrian use only. Do not put household trash in them. |
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MNC Executive Board |
Next Meeting: |
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| Kevin Smith, President
Charlie Hewins, Vice President Mark Turtle, Treasurer Joyce Finnen, Recording Secretary Jane Glenn, Corresponding Sec. Nancy Hudecki, Sgt at Arms |
Joy Griffin, Trustee Keith Newman, Trustee Sandy Sorlien, Trustee Abby Potash, Trustee |
Wednesday May 5, 2004 7:30 PM Venice Island Rec Center
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