[fg_youtube]http://youtu.be/0Yy1JTgdQKc[/fg_youtube]
Tag: jason dawkins
Filmore Street Residents Take a Stand
Stop Work Order - 1131 Filmore St.
New multiple electric meter box
The 1100 block of Filmore was a nice quiet little spot until a new owner took over the property at 1131 and began rapidly turning the single family home into a multi family structure. Residents began calling everyone that could be of help. 311 took the complaints and L&I responded with a violation notice but work continued. Yesterday it came to the Northwood Civic Association’s attention and was on the agenda at last night’s meeting. Jason Dawkins, of the Councilwoman’s office was present. Today after waiting a reasonable amount of time, with the contractors still at work and fearing that new tenants were close to moving in, the residents of the block began calling 911.
Today at noon, inspector Bevenour issue a stop work order which said “has exceeded electric permit, must obtain building permit for work being performed”. The contractors stopped work and closed up for the day.
I asked them about the new electric meter box for 3 meters which has not been used as yet. They said that was put in for future use. This entire block is zoned for single family housing.
The story that he residents heard was that the new owner (John R. Fisher) plans to turn the house into a rooming house for six individuals. The current zoning would seem to make that impossible but the neighbors are keeping an eye on the situation. They would prefer that he finish the rehab and then resell it to a family.
The residents are mobilized and ready to picket when necessary. There are no boarding houses in Northwood.
Northwood Civic Doubles Membership
The Northwood Civic Association meeting ran overtime with a full plate of issues on Tuesday, June 19th. Joe Krause opened the meeting. It was noted that membership has doubled in the Civic Association in the last few months. The minutes from last month were read and a verbal treasurers report was given.
1142 Kenwyn Street (Kenwyn and Horrocks)
1142 Kenwyn Street
The Northwood Civic board took emergency action after last months meeting when residents reported that the property was open to vandals and attracting problems. They cleaned it up and sealed it with new locks. The realtor who is handling the property has been advised of the deed restriction so that it does not become a rental.
4834 Penn Street (Penn and Harrison Streets)
Although this property is not in Northwood, it is too close to ignore. A population of 36 men in drug recovery only one block from Frankford High School is intolerable. Jason Dawkins, of Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez staff, discussed the issues and strategy that the councilwoman’s office will be taking to oppose the use of this property for a drug rehab. Northwood Civic will work with Frankford.
5030 Oxford Avenue Sheriff Sale Delayed
The property had been listed for Sheriff Sale but it is off the list. The owner says they have a possible renter. More news on that issue next month.
949 Foulkrod Street Deed Restriction Violation
949 Foulkrod Street
The Board has surveyed the Northwood deed restricted area and found some owners in violation of the restriction. However, the most significant violation is an owner who is renting a single family home to multiple families. The board recommends that the Civic file suit against the owner for compliance with the deed restriction. There will be a Northwood Civic meeting on July 3rd at 7PM at St. James for the specific purpose of having a membership vote on the issue. All voting members are urged to attend.
Northwood Town Watch
Tom McAvoy, President of the Town Watch, reported the they are still organizing and are looking for new members. At present they will be the eyes and ears for reports of problems. No patrols will be undertaken at this stage. The email for the Town Watch is nwtownwatch@hotmail.com.
Report on PSA1 Meeting
Frank Bennett reported that the board attended the PSA1 meeting in May. He noted that the answer to why there are no patrols in Northwood is that the police are too busy answering calls to do much patrolling. He noted that in some parts of the city, neighbors have organized to hire private security companies to provide that service. If enough households got together, it could be cost effective.
Thanks to Joe Menkevich
Frank Bennett went on the record with a thank you to Joe Menkevich for all the work he has done in the last few weeks on the deed restriction in Northwood. His research has been extensive and invaluable.
The next meeting of the Northwood Civic will be on July 3rd at 7Pm at St. James Lutheran Church, Castor Ave. and Pratt Street.
TreePhilly Yard Tree Giveaway a Success
It went really well. They ended up setting up in the 2nd Baptist parking lot across the street from the intended site, the Wilmot playground, because there was more room. The Church members were really helpful. People lined up early for their trees, and while I don’t have the exact numbers, I would say at least 2/3 of people that signed up for a tree got theirs on Wed. People were excited, and a lot of people had checked the tree choices online and knew what they wanted!
Hasan Malik of the NE TreeTenders, Andrew Emma (PHS Tree Tenders) and students from Lincoln HS horticulture/environment program provided demonstrations on how to plant and mulch the trees- (the HS students were great) volunteers and Park staff helped people choose the best tree for their yard, and gave further advice on how to plant and care for their new trees.
All people getting a tree got some individual attention and a Wells Fargo tote bag containing info about their tree and tree care. Volunteers included members of the Frankford Garden Club, the Frankford Parks Group (including Jason Dawkins, staff for Councilwoman Maria Q Sanchez), the Frankford CDC, members of the 2nd Baptist Church, and the Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners.
The next TreePhilly giveaway is Saturday, April 28th, from 10am-1pm at the same location.
Banners Gracing the Entrance to Harding Middle School Tell Part of the Story!
You get a feeling that good things are happening at Harding Middle School! We went to visit on Friday, 2/24, the day that three banners, now hanging at the main entrance of the school on Torresdale Avenue, were dedicated. ArtsRising is an effort to make quality arts education available for all of our children in the city. When you visit their website, you will see their partners and sponsors. These wonderful programs need funding and our support. Schools can apply to be an “Artzone Hub” and there are site visits, surveys and consideration of other criteria before you are selected. If you would like your school to get involved, you can find out how here. Seven artzones or communities have been identified in the city thus far and Harding Middle School is our “hub” here in Frankford. You can read a profile about Harding here on the ArtsRising website .
These banners are a sight to behold but just as important is what they represent. Principal Michael J. Calderone explained that the banners depict the Arts, Academics and Athletics at Harding. It is by design that the Academics banner hangs in the middle because Academics is at the center, the heart, of all that Hardings’ staff and students are achieving. For the last three years, students have improved their proficiency levels as measured by the state’s PSSA tests. In the spirit of the moment, I am getting ahead of myself here. When you enter Harding Middle School, you are struck by the grandness of the lobby, even after 85 years. This school was built to showcase design and achitecture at the height of our Roaring 20’s! We were immediately greeted warmly by three students, Raina, Johnathan and Joe, who after reminding us that we needed to sign in, would be our escorts to the Independent Media Center. The IMC, which houses the library and a wall of Apple iMAC computers for sutdent use, had a classroom of students waiting expectantly. Due to the weather, the dedication ceremony could not be held outside.
Ambrose Liu, ArtsZone Coordinator, welcomed everyone. The Director of ArtsRising, Varissa Mickens, explained that while 45 students directly participated in the banners we see, they are meant to represent the dreams of all of the students and the community’s dreams for them. In a very visual and vibrant way, these banners express the dreams that Harding Middle School administration, teachers, parents and students are working to bring to life. These dreams go beyond the school walls to the larger Frankford community and beyond as well. Ms. Mickens congratulated the students telling them that they should be proud of their efforts and she thanked Principal Calderone for his belief in the power of arts education and his support of the program.
Mr. Liu explained that the teaching artist, Betsy Casanas, co-founder of Semilla Arts Initiative, partnered with Harding teachers John Papiano, Technology Teacher, and Jon Tietz, Visual Arts Teacher, and students to design and create these banners. Semilla, meaning “seed”, is how Ms. Casanas describes the way that art “plants” in students a feeling of empowerment, where as young as they might be, they are able to use their “strong and powerful voices today” to impact their communities. Ms. Casanas went on to say that this was just a beginning in future projects with the students that would integrate with their curriculum. Stained Glass depicting events in History and learning about light in Science. If you teach students “how” to do something, they will continue to use this creative power in their lives.
Speaking of student voices, several students from the Def Poets Club shared their works with us. You can see it here for yourself.
State Representative Tony Payton and Jason Dawkins, a representative from City Councilwoman’s Maria Sanchez-Quinones’ office were in attendance as well. Kimberly Washington, Coordinator of Northeast EPIC Stakeholders, spoke about growing up in the immediate area and that the Northeast EPIC Stakeholders are working to improve the quality of life in Frankford and Northeast Philadelphia. What impressed me, also, is the collaborative effort that went into this initiative. It does take all of us to work together for the good of our young people and the future of our communities! To experience this uplifting moment, you can watch it here. To all who participated and supported this project, you have both our congratulations and thanks!
