Short dumping in industrial areas of Holmesburg and Tacony has community leaders worried about quality of life issues and fires. Photo/Steven Mitchell

This is the second in a two-part series about quality of life issues in Tacony and Holmesburg, and the neighborhoods’ approach to growing stronger together. You can read the first part here.

Short dumping is a problem all over Philadelphia, and in some Northeast neighborhoods, the issue is weighing down the community.

Short dumping is the illegal act of disposing trash and debris on a street or vacant lot. Industrial areas — like those along Torresdale Avenue and State Road in Holmesburg and Tacony — tend to be dark at night, which allows for people to come and dump their trash and other items in this area.

The railroad tracks at James Street and Bleigh Avenue is a particular hotspot for short dumping. There, you’ll see trash and other debris, as well as abandoned tires. continue reading »

Former Holmesburg Civic Association President Fred Moore worked for more than a decade to get historical recognition for the Pennypack Creek Bridge. Photo/Jessica Lopez

Update May 9, 2013 ConRail has agreed to allow the Holmesburg Civic Association paint the bridge, and will waive the fees, registration and insurance.

The Pennypack Creek Bridge that connects Holmesburg with Upper Holmesburg has been cleaned up and remains under surveillance by town watch and police.

But as Holmesburg works to maintain the part of the park around it, the train trestle that crosses over Frankford Avenue is still an eyesore. continue reading »

A July 2011 rally against a Holmesburg methadone clinic was the first of many efforts by the neighborhood to keep the business off Frankford Avenue. Photo/Shannon McDonald

Holmesburg Civic Association President Rich Frizell attended Wednesday’s hearing The Healing Way’s appeal to operate a methadone clinic at 7900 Frankford Ave.

During the city hearing, the state took action, as well. Sen. Mike Stack announced Wednesday a new law to “raise the bar” on methadone treatment. The law calls for a review of overdose deaths related to methadone use. continue reading »

A July 2011 rally against a Holmesburg methadone clinic was the first of many efforts by the neighborhood to keep the business off Frankford Avenue. Photo/Shannon McDonald

The long-awaited court day over the fate of the methadone clinic at 7900 Frankford Ave. in Holmesburg has arrived.

Wednesday, The Healing Way and the Mayfair and Holmesburg civic associations will be in Common Pleas Court as the clinic operator appeals the decision to prevent the clinic from opening. The Healing Way obtained on over-the-counter permit in 2011 to open the clinic, but the Philadelphia Zoning Board overturned that decision in March following opposition from the community. continue reading »

NorthEast Treatment Centers needs a zoning variance to open a methadone clinic at 7520 State Rd. in Holmesburg. Photo/Bob Stewart

When the Holmesburg Civic Association convened Nov. 13 for its monthly meeting, the topic at hand was a familiar and controversial one – a proposed methadone clinic at 7520 State Rd.

NorthEast Treatment Centers, which would operate the clinic, needs a zoning variance because the site is currently approved for industrial use. The membership was there to vote on that issue.

HCA President Rich Frizell said he understands there is a drug problem in the area, but said he disagrees with the NET method of treating that problem. continue reading »

The Pennypack Creek Bridge that’s part of what is now Frankford Avenue received a state historical marker Saturday. Photo/Jessica Lopez

More than 200 years ago, soldiers of the Continental Army marched across the Pennypack Creek Bridge toward a monumental victory in Yorktown during the Revolutionary War. Saturday, neighbors marched across that very bridge to celebrate its historical marker, an honor that Fred Moore and the community of Holmesburg have worked so hard to achieve.

A celebration was held to commemorate the bridge, built in 1697. A section of Frankford Avenue between Ashburner Street and Solly Avenue was closed for the residents to walk across the bridge led by Scottish bagpiper Don Phillips and the Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard.

Moore, the chairman of the Bridge Celebration Committee and the former president of the Holmesburg Civic Association, unveiled the marker. continue reading »

Rich Frizell, new president of the Holmesburg Civic Association, leads the first meeting of the 2012-13 season. Photo/Shannon McDonald

Cars lined two full blocks of Ditman Street on either side Tuesday night. Children and their parents made use of the playground out the rec center as the Holmesburg Boys Club’s pee-wee football team practiced beneath the setting sun. Inside the rec center, Holmesburg Civic Association board members grabbed additional red folding chairs as the meeting room filled up.

And so began the group’s first meeting of the 2012-13 season. Members will meet once a month through June, and President Rich Frizell reviewed on Tuesday some of what members can expect in the coming months. continue reading »

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

If any assumption was ever made about the Northeast, by any Philadelphian, it would be its position as a younger brother to Center City Philadelphia, not unlike Philadelphia in comparison with New York. However, Mayfair Civic Association President Joe DeFelice said that was an image his neighborhood aimed to defy.

One year ago, after and extreme fundraising effort, DeFelice met with NEast Philly to discuss the renovation and reopening of the Mayfair Memorial Playground. At the time, Mayfair was struggling with the recent political changes caused by the indictment of Pennsylvania House 172nd District’s Rep. John Perzel. The indictment, coupled with a downturned economy, forced the district into a difficult era.

State grants, which were freely given in previous years, dried up. Pennsylvania voted in a Republican governor and a Republican majority who created serious budgetary constraints. In the 172nd District freshman Rep. Kevin Boyle was elected in 2010. continue reading »

Holmesburg Library. Image/Google Maps

If the Friends of Holmesburg Library had a mantra, these days it would be, “Help us help you.”

President Karen Lash was at Tuesday night’s Holmesburg Civic Association to recruit volunteers, seek creative fundraising ideas and promote several upcoming events at the library.

Complete with a new boiler but still waiting on roof repairs, the library has some of the highest circulations numbers in the city. And though city budget cuts forced the branch to eliminate its Saturday hours – peak days for fundraising – the staff is determined to let the neighborhood know about the library’s resources. The Friends of Holmesburg Library is one of 52 Friends groups in the city and is made up entirely of volunteers. continue reading »

St. Hubert's graduate and Advisory Board member Kathy Ott Lovell (center) at a Jan. 13 rally outside the school. Photo/Michelle Alton

Just because St. Hubert’s High School has been spared closure doesn’t mean the efforts to keep it open are through.

Advisory Board members Kathy Ott Lovell and Tom Forkin were at last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association meeting to thank residents for their support during the closure appeal and let them know what’s in store for the future.

“We flew into action,” Ott Lovell said about the board’s reaction to the Jan. 6 announcement that the school was among four Archdiocese of Philadelphia high schools to close at the end of this school year. Looking ahead, she said, “We will not take the school for granted. We will not take this community for granted.” continue reading »