Tag: Volunteers of America

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Northwood Civic Meeting

Jorge Santana, Rep. Tony Payton's Chief of Staff

There were about 30 people last night at the Northwood Civic, which had been rescheduled to avoid next weeks election day.  The focus was on quality of life issues as follows:

  • The Civic is going back to court on the issue of enforcement against 950 Fillmore Street and the addition to the home at that location.
  • Residents of the 1100 block of Herbert Street have complained about one occupant of that block operating a business selling automobiles.  There are as many as 11 cars parked on the street.  The owner is moving tags from one to the other to avoid detection.
  • Illegal day cares continue to be a problem.  Some are offering care for as many as twelve children around the clock.  There are safety as well as traffic and noise issues.
  • Barry noted that the Frankford Civic voted to not support the zoning application of the Bridge to move onto the property at Adams Avenue.   Northwood will maintain its support for the move.
  • They will continue to work on the VOA group home by talking with the owners.
  • Members voted to approve attorney’s fees for the Bridge zoning hearing and the case for 950 Fillmore Street.
  • The Civic is looking to apply for a grant from the Preservation Alliance for demolition of the garages located Rutland and Fillmore Streets.  There were severely damaged in a fire.  Looking to make improvements to the nearby tennis courts at the other end of the block at Rutland and Harrison Streets.
  • Barry will be meeting with the Principal of Frankford High School today to discuss the problem with students roaming through the neighborhood and getting into trouble.  He is looking to having a similar discussion with the Principal of Emunds in the future.

Jorge Santana, Tony Payton’s Chief of Staff, announced that he will be leaving his position with Tony at the end of the week.   Jorge has been at almost every Northwood meeting and Barry noted that he has been invaluable to the Civic with his assistance in every way possible.

The next Northwood Civic meeting is scheduled for June 21st at 7PM.

 

Posted on by — 9 Comments

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.

[fg_youtube]Qi3JrOOkk5Y[/fg_youtube]

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.

[fg_youtube]e_fXr1esjsc[/fg_youtube]

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.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Northwood Civic Association Meeting

Over 30 people attended the Northwood Civic meeting Tuesday night.  Camera man from NBC channel 10 was also on hand.  Tim Wisniewski represented the Frankford Civic association.  Karen Phillips of Councilman Darrell Clarke’s office also attended.

One announcement of interest was that there will be a spaghetti dinner benefit this Saturday, January 23rd, at 5 PM in the gymnasium at St. Martins for the family whose home was destroyed in a fire at 957 Dyre Street.

The meeting was dominated by discussion of 4871 Roosevelt Boulevard which was purchased by Volunteers of America.  As it turns out, the purchase was funded by a city agency, Community Behavioral Health. Barry Howell lead the discussion.

Below is a video of about 8 minutes with the highlights of the meeting.



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.