Shamrock Shuttle 2010 outside McNoodle's. Photo/Mayfair resident and Civic Association board member Donny Smith

It’s that time of year again. The buses, the drinking, the public urination. The revenue for Frankford Avenue’s many bars and restaurants.

“The elephant in the room,” as Mayfair Civic Association President Joe DeFelice called it at last night’s meeting. It’s all coming back in March when the trio of annual bar-hopping events returns to Mayfair.

The Mayfair, Tacony and Holmesburg civic associations have already met to discuss finding a happier medium for the bars that participate in Shamrock Shuttle and the neighbors that deal with the aftermath. continue reading »

Upper Holmesburg residents study Holy Family University's early plans for the redevelopment of Liddonfield. Photo/Shannon McDonald

Of the 20 proposals awaiting consideration from the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the one from Holy Family University for the redevelopment of Liddonfield has the support of the Upper Holmesburg community.

If it wasn’t the speeches from Sr. Francesca Onley of HFU, 6th District Councilman Bobby Henon, developer John Parsons, Upper Holmesburg Civic Association President Stan Cywynski or UHCA board member Paul DeFinis, it was the applause and cheers from the 50-plus residents in attendance that proved the neighborhood is ready for a change.

Planning for Liddonfield’s future began early last year when the UHCA started working with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission to revitalize the neighborhood according to Philadelphia2035 goals.

“We were very practiced in our process, and that just may be our saving grace,” DeFinis said of his hopes that the effort Upper Holmesburg has made will be enough for the PHA.

With the help of politicians at the city, state and federal levels; a petition 4,000 signatures long; and support from the Holmesburg, Holme Circle, East Torresdale, Tacony and Morrell Park civic associations; the UHCA now waits to hear if the PHA will enter an agreement with Holy Family.

If that’s the case, John Parsons of BSI Construction (Island Green Country Club), outlined what he stressed are conceptual plans his development company has for the Liddonfield property at Torresdale Avenue and Megargee Street. continue reading »

Waste Management plans to add to its Holmesburg facility. Image/Google Maps

As part of its contract with the City of Philadelphia, Waste Management already runs a single-stream recycling facility on a portion of its 42-acre site in Holmesburg.

Pending approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Waste Management will add a facility to the property to do something with the 20,000 tons per month in waste the recycling center brings in [zoning plan PDF].

Tara Hemmer, director of area recycling operations for Waste Management, brought the proposal to last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association, where she explained how the Process Engineered Fuel facility would work. Waste Management plans to build a 59,000-square foot building on its property, which extends east toward the Delaware River from Bleigh Avenue and Milnor Street. continue reading »

The Mayfair and Holmesburg civic associations, state and local politicians and neighbors gathered against yesterday to protest the methadone clinic proposed on the 7900-block of Frankford Avenue at Decatur Street.

Neighbors opposed the clinic Healing Way, Inc., wants to open based on the applicant’s apparent lack of qualifications to run such a facility, and the facility’s proximity to schools and other family centers. continue reading »

A rendering of the New Foundations Charter High School

If things go according to plan, New Foundations High School will be open to students next fall. The new space will across the street from the existing K through 9 building at Rhawn Street and Torresdale Avenue at 4850 Rhawn St. Ninth and 10th graders are currently housed in a temporary spot at Franklin Towne Charter.

Holmesburg residents had one immediate concern at Tuesday night’s civic association meeting: parking. CEO Paul Stadelberger was at the ready, knowing already the congestion around Torresdale and Rhawn near Holmesburg Station would prove a sticking point with neighbors. continue reading »

UPDATE — At the Sept. 13 Holmesburg Civic Association meeting, the vote for the new bylaws, which included the expansion of the boundaries, was approved by the voting membership.  The vote was unanimous.

Following a meeting between the Holmesburg and Mayfair civic association boards, the two groups have decided the HCA will expand its coverage to include the area east of Frankford Avenue to the Delaware River between Sheffield Street and Cottman Avenue.

This area was previously not covered by any community organization. The HCA’s executive board has been revising its bylaws to incorporate the extra blocks, and those bylaws will be voted on by members in September. continue reading »

An estimated 750 people attended a Tuesday night meeting at Lincoln High School to get information about the methadone clinic proposed for the 7900-block of Frankford Ave.

Dennis Kulp and Carl Primavera were booed at a meeting last night to discuss a methadone clinic in Holmesburg, but neither was around to hear it.

Primavera is the attorney for Healing Way, Inc., which has plans to open a methadone clinic at 7900 Frankford Ave. Kulp owns the property.

As the meeting at Lincoln High School got started last night, Mayfair Civic Association President Joe DeFelice announced Kulp had emailed him earlier in the day to say he’d been advised by his attorney not to attend the meeting in case it should interfere with future litigation. Primavera hasn’t answered any attempts to reach him.

DeFelice and Holmeburg Civic Association President Fred Moore cohosted the meeting, which drew an estimated 750 people to the school’s auditorium, and featured guest speakers 6th District Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, 5th District Sen. Mike Stack, 173rd District Rep. Mike McGeehan, 172nd District Rep. Kevin Boyle, 202nd District Rep. Mark Cohen and Karen Grumankin, who presented a letter written by Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz. continue reading »

People lined up outside Guppies Childcare Center last week to sign petitions and T-shirts in opposition of a methadone clinic on the 7900-block of Frankford Avenue.

Organizers are expecting more than 500 people at tonight’s meeting to discuss a methadone clinic set to open on the 7900-block of Frankford Avenue in Holmesburg.

The two-hour meeting at Lincoln High School is organized by the Holmesburg Civic Association, Mayfair Civic Association, Mayfair Business Association and Mayfair Community Development Corp., sparked by public opposition to the clinic.

A panel of speakers will address the issue before taking questions from guests. continue reading »

People lined up outside Guppies Childcare Center Tuesday to sign petitions and T-shirts in opposition of a methadone clinic on the 7900-block of Frankford Avenue.

As the sun beat down and the skies darkened to the north with the threat of rain Tuesday evening, Milt Martelack stood in the bed of a pickup truck, leading the crowd.

“Just say no to methadone,” the crowd cheered, speaking out against an addiction treatment clinic planned on the avenue by Healing Way, Inc.

Hundreds of people were chanting as cars whizzed up and down Frankford Avenue and police officers reminded those at the rally to stay out of the street. Residents and business owners of Holmesburg, Upper Holmesburg, Mayfair and beyond gathered to rally against the opening of a methadone clinic at 7908 Frankford Ave., across the street from schools and a daycare center.

“Can you imagine having to walk my 18-year-old son to the bus stop?” Sonia Latouche asked. Her son takes the 66 bus to school, waiting for it on the corner of Frankford Avenue and Decatur Street, where the clinic is set to open.

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This is part of ongoing coverage in “District 172: The Politics of Change after State Rep. John Perzel,” a collaborative effort with Philadelphia Neighborhoods funded by J-Lab.

Joe DeFelice has put a lot of effort into that little playground. And a few hundred residents and supporters have all helped in small ways.

In fall 2009, DeFelice, the Mayfair Civic Association president and now a new Mayfair CDC board member, kicked off a $50,000 fundraising campaign to renovate and reopen the Mayfair Memorial Playground at Rowland Avenue and Vista Street. More than a year and a half later, the Mayfair Civic Association has $20,000 and is seeking the opening on a smaller scale.

That fundraising was done dollar by dollar and almost exclusively by volunteers, like himself.

If fundraising for the playground, which closed in April 2008 after a young girl was injured on out-of-date equipment, was kicked off while powerful state Rep. John Perzel was still at the height of his influence, in the middle of this decade, DeFelice says the process would have been quite different.

Instead, in October 2009, Perzel was a month away from an 82-count indictment of corruption and a year away from losing his three-decade grip on a statehouse seat to a freshman Democrat who had never held public office before.

“When Perzel was in power, the CDC was buying houses, [a] movie theater, building [a] rec center, etc., so I’m sure that a little playground wouldn’t have been that difficult to come by,” DeFelice said. “So in the old days, a check may have been written, but now you have a large amount of neighbors who didn’t previously know each other coming together for a common good and coming up with new, innovative ways to raise funds.”

So what’s the biggest impact from Perzel’s indictment, the historic state budget deficit and a shake up of community leaders in a tight knit neighborhood like Mayfair? Perhaps nothing short of a change in how residents improve their blocks forever.

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