Tag: northwood civic association

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Greenwood Estate at Rush Farm

Sometime, things do work out.  What has been a long campaign waged by several neighborhood groups is showing some real results.  The groundbreaking for the reconstruction of the Greenwood Estate at Rush Farm was held on Friday, April 30th.  It was a beautiful day and a good crowd of the folks who made it all possible was on hand.

The house, located on property once owned by Founding Father Dr. Benjamin Rush, was recently named Greenwood Estate at Rush Farm. Speakers at the event include Cornel Williams, Manager, Philadelphia Healthcare Properties, Inc., Michelle Mardenborough, President, Greenwood Cemetery, Joanne Clare, Chief Director, Friends of Greenwood, and Barry Howell, President of Northwood Civic Association.

Participating elected officials included State Reps. Anthony Payton and John Taylor, along with City Councilman Daryl Clarke. They were joined by special guest 90-year-old Betty Ewart, who lived in the cemetery caretaker’s house as a young girl, and community leaders, the new cemetery owners and preservation team members. They all worked together in an unprecedented effort to save this beloved but neglected 19th century residence from the wrecker’s ball.

Below you can see a short video of the ceremony and an exclusive look inside the first floor of the house.

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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Frankford Special Services District Board Meeting
    When – Mon, May 3, 8:30am – 9:30am
    Where – St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave, Griscom Street entrance. (map)
    Description – Open to the public.
  • Rachael Ray Shines on Frankford High
    When – Mon, May 3, 10am – 11am
    Where – TV ABC (map)
    Description – Rachael Ray show comes to Frankford.
  • PSA 1 meeting
    When – Tue, May 4, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – Aria Health, Frankford and Dyre Streets, second floor conference room (map)
    Description – Patrol Sector Area 1 – bring your crime issues directly to the 15th district captain.
  • Frankford Garden Club Annual Day-Before-Mother’s Day Plant Sale
    When – Sat, May 8, 9am – 10am
    Where – In Front of the Frankford Library, corner of Frankford Ave and Overington St (map)
    Description – We will have “Growing from Seed” Workshop at the Sale and at the Park VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
  • LOVE Your Park Day in Overington Park Planting, Mulching Flower Beds and “Growing From Seeds” Workshop
    When – Sat, May 8, 12pm – 3pm
    Where – Overington Park (map)
    Description – LOVE Your Park Day in Overington Park Planting, Mulching Flower Beds and “Growing From Seeds” Workshop
  • Historical Society of Frankford program
    When – Tue, May 11, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
    Where1507 Orthodox St., Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – FRANKFORD’s “SLOW FOOD” EFFORTS and LEGACY HSF Collections and Frankford Friends School Students HSF’s 2010 exhibit features aspects of food in Frankford and the Northeast. Frankford Friends School students have been researching food, urban farming (such as Kensington’s Greensgrow Farms — national leader in urban farming), and other aspects of slow food. View HSF’s display of historic food use, preparation, and storage items.
  • Frankford Business & Professional Association Meeting
    When – Wed, May 12, 8:30am – 10:00am
    Where – Northeast Treatment Centers, 4625 Frankford Avenue (map)
    Description – The next general meeting for Frankford Business & Professional Association will be held on Wednesday, May 12 at 8:30am. There was a scheduling conflict with the previous locations. At this meeting there will be presentations from SEPTA on the upcoming construction of the Margaret-Orthodox El Stop and from The Enterprise Center on the programs they now offer for Frankford businesses.
  • Happy Birthday Frankford High Open House
    When – Sat, May 15, 10am – 3pm
    Where – Frankford High, Oxford Ave. & Wakeling St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – Join us for a full day of fun, food and reminiscing!! FHS students, staff and alumni are invited Be a part of the fun! Tours of the Building Memorabilia rooms Gathering spaces for clubs, teams, and music groups Frankford Souvenirs Tickets will be on sale for the 100th Anniversary Banquet November 26th Current
  • Italian Style Family Dinner
    When – Sat, May 15, 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!
  • ANTIQUE (and COLLECTIBLE) APPRAISAL FAIR
    When – Sun, May 16, 10am – 3pm
    Where – Historical Society of Frankford, 1507 Orthodox Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – ANTIQUE (and COLLECTIBLE) APPRAISAL FAIR Annual fundraiser. Have your cherished items appraised by local appraiser/auctioneer Barry S Slosberg. Who knows — you may have a priceless treasure just waiting to be discovered! Cost: $8 per item; maximum 3 items per person.
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, May 18, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. (map)
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Northwood Civic Meeting

The Northood Civic Association held their monthly meeting last night, April 20th at St. James.  A good crowd was on hand.

The Civic has met now met with all political representatives involved and has their support on the issue of the Volunteers of America (VOA) purchase of the house on Roosevelt Boulevard for use as a group home.  No compromise is possible and the home must be used as a single family home period.  The ball is now in the VOA court.

The lawsuit against Northwood Civic Association by Attorney Guinan has been settled satisfactorily.  No further action is to take place on the matter.

Barry Howell reported on the meeting Friday night with New Frankford Developers LLC.  His comments are below.

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In addition, Felicia Richardson of New Frankford Developers attended the meeting and took the opportunity to speak for a few minutes about plans for the Y.  Her comments are below.

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The issue of crime came up at the end of the meeting and many of those in attendance had personal experiences to report.  Many were relatively minor nuisance crimes that would not usually get a police response.  Barry noted however that a call to report the problem should always be made to get it on the record.  Pete Specos (Frankford Civic) noted that people should take advantage of the newly implemented PSA meetings to bring these issues directly to the captain.  The next PSA (Police Sector Area) meeting for sector 1 is on May 4th at 7PM at the second floor conference room at Aria Frankford.

Barry also noted that there was a flash mob in Northwood last Wednesday, April 14th.  Police had been monitoring it and expected it to happen at Roosevelt Mall.  No damage or injury was reported.

The Greenwood Cemetery will hold a ground breaking on the restoration of the old farmhouse on Friday, April 30th at 10AM.  The pols will be there for picture opportunities.  It is a historic building and the public is invited.

The next meeting for the Northwood Civic is on May 18th.

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New Frankford Community Y Stakeholders Meeting

Felicia Richardson of New Frankford Developers Presenting

Friday night my father and I attended a dinner meeting at Gallo’s Friday night for a presentation on the new plan for what is going to happen to the New Frankford Community Y.  Among the attendies were democratic ward leader Dan Savage, State Rep Tony Payton Jr and his chief of staff Jorge Santana, representatives from state senator Christine Tartaglione, and counselwoman Sanchez.  Francis Clay and Barry Howell from the Frankford and Northwood Civics were also in attendance.

After an optimistic initial presentation, discussions of the Y’s future turned contentious and questions of legality were raised when the development team proposed to turn the non profit center into a for profit business, with the Northwood Civic voting last month to file a suit in Orphan’s Court to see the past financial records of the center.

The new proposal, (the main portion is linked at the bottom) has the Y staying a non profit with an infusion of funds from the for profit company New Frankford Developers, which owns an apartment building on the block.  Exclusive the benefits to the community, NFD will profit by the management fee they will charge, along with intangibles such as  having better neighborhood amenities to offer their tenants.

To ease neighborhood local fears, the Y will have an advisory board composed of members of the community and neighborhood associations and also noted they would not be opposed to signing a written community commitment agreement.  As Jorge Santana pointed out, it wouldn’t be a legally binding document, but it would list, in simple terms, the commitment by the Y towards the community it serves.

When questions opened up, there were still issues toward the financial viability of the project, Tony Payton noted that the proposed budget had a high percentage of operating funds from government programs.  Presentation leader Felicia Richardson said that it was a best case situation and that funding for many programs  had not yet been secured.  She said that the minimum opening programs would be the day care and computer centers and that they’d build out from there, she also noted that they’ve already secured a grant writer.  Also raised was skepticism of how this plan would work while Terry Tobin was unable to keep operations afloat before.  Richardson responded that she has composed a team, while Terry was a one man show.

Tons of other stuff to note:

  • Apparently being defensive about a rumor I personally started on the message board about them turning the facility into a teen party mecca, they promised no disco, only family style parties and pool parties
  • Barry Howell brought up that they’ve lost a lot of credibility with the Northwood Civic over the financial records issues, but that stated clearly he’s known Terry Tobin a long time and doesn’t believe Terry Tobin was involved with any financial improprieties.  Ms Richardson welcomed Mr Howell to investigate the records
  • they plan on renaming the Y after the late Edward Becker, the former federal appeals judge that once sat on the board.  They stated they had already approached his family for permission

The meeting ended well, all parties expressed cautious optimism of the future, with the presenters pledging a fresh start.

New Frankford Y Proposal [PDF]

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Coming Up in Frankford

  • Italian Style Family Dinner
    When – Sat, April 17, 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!
  • Northwood Civic Association Meeting
    When – Tue, April 20, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – St. James Lutheran Church, at Castor Avenue and Pratt Street. (map)
  • Frankford Garden Club Meeting
    When – Tue, April 27, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
    Where  – Wissinoming Recreation Facility (map)
    Description – we need to iron out Plant Sale plans and plan more trips! Bring your ideas and a bite to eat. Coffee and tea provided by Nancy.
  • Frankford Special Services District Board Meeting
    When – Mon, May 3, 8:30am – 9:30am
    Where – St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave, Griscom Street entrance. (map)
    Description – Open to the public.
  • Rachael Ray Shines on Frankford High
    When – Mon, May 3, 10am – 11am
    Where – TV ABC (map)
    Description – Rachael Ray show comes to Frankford.
  • Frankford Civic Association Meeting
    When – Thu, May 6, 7pm – 8pm
    Where – Frankford Hospital – 2nd floor conference room (map)
  • Frankford Garden Club Annual Day-Before-Mother’s Day Plant Sale
    When – Sat, May 8, 9am – 10am
    Where – In Front of the Frankford Library, corner of Frankford Ave and Overington St (map)
    Description – We will have “Growing from Seed” Workshop at the Sale and at the Park VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
  • LOVE Your Park Day in Overington Park Planting, Mulching Flower Beds and “Growing From Seeds” Workshop
    When – Sat, May 8, 12pm – 3pm
    Where – Overington Park (map)
    Description – LOVE Your Park Day in Overington Park Planting, Mulching Flower Beds and “Growing From Seeds” Workshop
  • Historical Society of Frankford program
    When – Tue, May 11, 7:30pm – 9:00pm
    Where – 1507 Orthodox St., Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)
    Description – FRANKFORD’s “SLOW FOOD” EFFORTS and LEGACY HSF Collections and Frankford Friends School Students HSF’s 2010 exhibit features aspects of food in Frankford and the Northeast. Frankford Friends School students have been researching food, urban farming (such as Kensington’s Greensgrow Farms — national leader in urban farming), and other aspects of slow food. View HSF’s display of historic food use, preparation, and storage items.