NEastPhilly.com has a two part article this week on Frankford Revitalization. It is written by Pamela Seaton and Kirsten Stamn, students reporting for Philadelphia Neighborhoods, the publication of Temple University’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab.
It is certainly worth reading since it covers just about everything going on in Frankford now. Have a look at part 1 here. Part 2 is here.
At last month’s Frankford Civic Association meeting Pete Specos announced that Alice Henry, the President, had to stop down for personal reasons. Last Tuesday night, Barry Howell, President of the Northwood Civic Association, presided over his last meeting as President. He is not running for reelection so that he can devote more time to his duties at St. James Lutheran church.
Pete Specos will be acting as President at Frankford Civic. Joe Krause has been nominated for President of Northwood Civic, with no opposition. We wish the new presidents of these vital organizations the best of luck.
Chris Wink over at NEastPhilly.com gave a detailed account of the Northwood meeting. Check it out here.
We wish Barry Howell the best. His energy in working for the Northwood Civic has been greatly appreciated by many in the community.
Ron Holliman
We will miss Alice Henry with her congenial charm and long time dedication to Frankford. Alice, you are not abandoning Frankford at all. You have made it a better place by your work and now its time to let others take over. Take care and keep in touch.
One last word on a man who I meet every month at the Northwood Civic Association meeting. He is Ron Holliman the night Sexton at St. James. He always has a smile and kind word and I have been threatening to take his picture for the last year. So here you are Ron.
The meeting had over 20 in attendance. Opening announcement from Pete Specos was that Alice Henry has had to withdraw from the board for personal reasons and he will be acting president.
The first issue was the application for a zoning variance for a day care at the church on the corner of Harrison Street and Frankford Avenue. The variance is needed because part of the property is zoned residential.
The main topic of discussion was the presentation made by Joe Bella, attorney representing Harry Patel, the owner of the Quickie Mart Express at the corner of Unity Street and Frankford Avenue. Mr. Patel says that business is down and he sees an opportunity to recoup those losses by offering take out beer at the Quickie Mart. His proposal would include remodeling the entire shopping center, which he also owns, as well as the interior of the Quickie Mart to accommodate sit down dining . That is a requirement of the license to sell take out beer.
Mr. Patel is trying to determine whether the community would support this change in his business before he proceeds. Discussion from the group was centered on the problems now seen on the Avenue with people and alcohol. Will this change make a difference or make things worse then they are now. I have a video here of the presentation along with some of the comments and questions raised. It’s 10 minutes long but might be worth a watch.
There is no doubt that Mr. Patel is an astute business man and the Quickie Mart is a nice store. If you have concerns about this issue, you should attend the next Frankford Civic meeting to voice your opinion. It will be held on December 1st at 7PM at Aria Health 2nd floor conference room.
Chris Wink for NEastPhilly did a great report on the Northwood Civic Meeting today so I’ll point you in that direction and hope you enjoy reading it.
The subject of the Frankford Y building at 4704 Leiper Street took up the better part of the meeting. A suggestion was made that the Civic should petition in Orphans Court to have a receiver appointed who would then be able to take control of the property. That action might give the community some leverage in the disposal or reuse of the building.
Nominations were opened for board members and only one person volunteered. That does seem unfortunate and not a good sign for the future of Northwood.
