Tag: Civics

Posted on by — 5 Comments

I’ve Been Invited To A Brain Storming Session

I spoke with a reporter a couple months ago named Sean Scully.  He was fact finding about what the William Penn Foundation could do to assist emerging journalism trends as they relate to local areas.  He asked a lot of really good questions, questions about how the foundation could possibly nurture and support locally oriented online communities in Philadelphia.  And he asked me if I needed any money for the Frankford Gazette.  He didn’t say I’d get any, but I suppose the foundation was evaluating whether funding was an issue.

I did a lot of babbling with Sean but the one thing I tried to impress upon him what I thought the William Penn Foundation could do a lot with a little by helping put local communities out on the web.  I told him I’d like to see the foundation help put the local civic associations up on the web so their local residents can see what’s going on.  A while back Jon Campisi wrote a piece about how no one under 40 were involved with their local civic associations.  So it almost goes without saying they probably are a little bit behind the times when it comes to technology, let alone blogging.  But I think it’d be a great asset to any community to have it’s CDC or civic association or town watch run a blog or yahoo group or email exchange list, or message boards or whatever.  I think if the WP foundation were able to do an outreach and mentor technology use in getting out neighborhood information, it would create more informed, tighter knit communities.

Anyways, here’s my invite:

December 8, 2009

Jim Smiley

Webmaster, Frankford Gazette

Via Email

Dear Jim,

J-Lab invites you to participate on January 7 in an important brainstorming and visioning session to explore possibilities for new kinds of public affairs journalism for the Philadelphia region.

Your involvement is especially valued because of your generous contribution of time and insights for a media research project J-Lab conducted with a grant from the William Penn Foundation.

At this small gathering, we expect to share those research findings and invite your feedback as a fulcrum for exploring the community’s appetite for amplifying Philadelphia’s unique media assets in innovative ways.

This convening will begin at 9 a.m., with breakfast available at 8:30 a.m. in the main conference room at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, 190 N. Independence Mall West, 8th floor, (the American College of Physicians Building). We will go through lunch.  In the interest of encouraging candid conversation, we ask that discussion comments by individual participants be on background, not for attribution. We also want to limit the size of the group in order to be able to have a meaningful conversation; therefore, this invitation is not transferrable.

Sincerely,Your browser may not support display of this image.

Jan Schaffer

Executive Director

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Posted on by

Coming Up in Frankford

  • Pictures with SantaNext Week In Frankford
    When – Sat, December 19, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Dream Girls, 4601 Frankford Avenue, 2nd floor. (map)
  • Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House
    When – Sun, January 3, 2010, 12pm – 5pm
    Where – 4278 Griscom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Presentation at 1:30 PM:
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, January 7, 2010, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – Frankford Hospital – 2nd floor conference room (map)
Posted on by — 5 Comments

Northwood Civic Association Goes on Alert

The word had been going around that there would be a new, important issue to discuss at this month’s Northwood civic, so I got there early to get a seat close to the action.  By ten of seven Fox 29 had arrived so I figured the story must have been true.  There was a larger crowd than usual when Barry Howell called the meeting to order.

Fox took the time before the meeting to conduct a few interviews.  If they air I’ll post a link to them later.

Some old business related to the proposal to purchase the Frankford Y by a group of investors came first.  Northwood Civic does not support the deal as it is presently understood and will petition Orphans Court for an audit of the books the Y.  They have concerns related to the potential sale to a “for profit” corporation and the disposition of the assets of the Y should a sale go through.

They are continuing their pursuit of some nuisance tenants on behalf of some property owners in Northwood.

The hot issue at the meeting is the sale of a house at 4871 Roosevelt Boulevard to Volunteers of America Delaware Valley.  As you can see from their web site they offer a variety of services.  The house is in the Burke deed restricted area and as such cannot be used for anything other than single family occupancy.   The house is presently being renovated for some purpose.  Efforts to determine the exact purpose of the renovations have been unsuccessful so far.

howell krause

Joe Krause and Barry Howell take questions

The Civic intends to make the new owners aware of the deed restriction and see what their position will be.  If necessary, the Civic will organize the homeowners in the surrounding area in filing a lawsuit to stop the intended use.  Councilperson Sanchez and Representative Payton are board in their opposition to any use that would violate the deed restriction.

At the end of the meeting Barry noted that Northwood is blessed by many very large homes that are coming on to the market.  Given today’s lifestyle, with smaller families, the demand for those homes as single family residences is not as great as it was when they are built.  This makes them an attractive target for groups who would like to use them for other purposes.  The community has to be extremely vigilant in order to control that situation and keep it from happening.  Fortunately in the deed restricted area, there is legal way to combat those who would break up those homes or convert them to other uses.

Barry also noted that if the community does not support the Civic with membership, the financial means to wage these battles will not be there when it is needed.  At present there are only 18 active dues paying members.  You can’t expect the Civic to function at that level of membership.

If I lived in Northwood I would be a member.  If you live in Northwood, you should be a member.  They need your dues and your support.

Posted on by

Coming Up in Frankford

  • Frankford Garden Club trip to Longwood Gardens
    When – Sat, December 12, 3pm – 9pm
    Where – Bus departs Griscom and Orthodox Streets (map)
    Description – Trip to Longwood Gardens on Saturday December 12- $5 for Garden Club members, $12 for adult guests, $6 for children guests! The Bus will leave from Griscom and Orthodox Streets at 3:00 pm, arriving at Longwood around 4pm – we will return by 9pm
  • 23.5 Credits Workshop
    When – Tue, December 15, 10am – 11am
    Where – Frankford High School, IMC Room (Library), 1st Floor 5000 Oxford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Come and learn: • What subjects your child needs to take each semester? • What are the numerical values that are assigned to each subject? • What are your child’s options if they failed a subject? • And more….. Presenter: Ms. Barbara Hutchins FHS Roster Office DATE: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 TIME: Session I 10:00 a.m. or Session II 6:00 p.m. R.S.V.P. to: Ms. Patricia O. Green Parent and Community Ombudsman Email: pgreen@philasd.org (215) 537-2519 extension 1343
  • Frankford Garden Club Holiday Party
    When – Tue, December 15, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
    Where – Wissinoming Park (map)
    Description – For Garden club members and their invited guests.
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, December 15, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. (map)
  • Italian Style Family Dinner
    When – Wed, December 16, 4:30pm – 8:00pm
    Where – St. Joachim’s Church, 1527 Church Street, Phila., PA 19124 (map)
    Description – MARK YOUR CALENDAR Every Third Wednesday from September thru May Italian Style Family Dinner The Dinners will be served from 4:30 PM to 8 PM in Fitzmaurice Hall Take-out will be available. COST: $8.00 for Adults, $4.00 for Children. Come Join us!
  • Pictures with Santa
    When – Sat, December 19, 9am – 12pm
    Where – Dream Girls, 4601 Frankford Avenue, 2nd floor. (map)