Mark Mroz

When Town Watch isn’t cutting it, Mark Mroz recommends Block Watch. The 2nd District Community Relations Officer promoted the idea at last night’s Lawncrest Community Association, with support from a handful of residents who said recent crimes around their house had been perpetrated by neighbors. continue reading »

At a February meeting, Upper Holmesburg residents identified areas that need improvements or enhancements.

Four months’ worth of work came together Thursday night at the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association, where the City Planning Commission unveiled its “Neighborhood Goals and Strategies Report” for neighborhood development and improvement.

The report is based on the efforts of the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association, the Planning Commission and neighborhood planning team and the 100-plus residents who attended meetings to share their ideas for the neighborhood.

“It’s just amazing what we did here,” UHCA board zoning officer Paul Definis said.” Definis, along with others, has been involved with deciding what Upper Holmesburg would like to see come out of the Planning Commission’s proposals, which are part of the city’s larger Phila2035 plan. continue reading »

Northwood Civic Association President Barry Howell at an earlier meeting. Photo by Christopher Wink.

Held a week early so as not to conflict with primary elections, Tuesday night’s Northwood Civic Association meeting focused on quality-of-life issues around the neighborhood, including the application for a grant to remove fire-damage garages from Rutland and Fillmore streets. continue reading »

Ian Litwin of the City Planning Commission (far right) addresses the Holmesburg Civic Association at the April 2011 meeting.

Two of the three candidates for the 6th District City Council seat went to last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association meeting to address neighborhood and district-wide concerns and answer questions from residents.

Republican candidate Sandy Stewart and Democratic candidate Marty Bednarek each addressed the members before taking turns answering questions. Democratic candidate Bobby Henon was not in attendance.

DROP was a hot topic, but a question about term limits drew the most discussion from the roughly 20 people at the meeting. continue reading »

John Buckley of Buckley Construction (L) talks with Holme Circle Civic President Joe Razler (R) about the work being done on the Holme Avenue bridge.

About 25 people attended last night’s meeting of the Holme Circle Civic Association, where John Buckley of Buckley Construction gave residents an update about construction on the Holme Avenue bridge.

The PennDOT-funded repairs will make the bridge structurally stable. “In my opinion, it should be closed,” Buckley said of the current state of the bridge.

Instead, traffic patterns will shift over the next year and a half to allow for the bridge to remain open. But as Buckley explains in the video below, homeowners in the stretch of the avenue between the Circle and Longford Street will take the brunt of the traffic and noise. continue reading »

With the help of the City Planning Commission, PHA and Philadelphia Sports Zone, Upper Holmesburg residents identify areas of note and trouble in their neighborhood that could be improved with better planning. Nearly 100 people attended the meeting.

Last night’s Upper Holmesburg Civic Association meeting drew nearly 100 people, as representatives from the Planning Commission and Public Housing Authority were scheduled to speak.

Ian Litwin, the Commission’s community planner for parts of the Northeast, was the highlighted guest, as the meeting is the first of many to address how Upper Holmesburg fits into the Philadelphia2035 plan.

But five representatives from PHA also stopped by to hear concerns, specifically regarding Liddonfield. The low-income development has been demolished, but residents want to know what’s coming next.

PHA has “no commitments to do anything at the site,” said Michael Johns, head of community planning design at PHA. Johns faced many questions from residents about what’s planned for the Liddonfield property and what will happen in the meantime. continue reading »

15th District Capt. Bachmayer reviews crime statistics with Holmesburg residents.

Capt. Bachmayer of the 15th Police District attended last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association meeting, where he gave comparative crime statistics from 2009 and 2010. He also promised to address concerns over the WaWa at Frankford Avenue and Sheffield Street, where aggressive panhandlers have been loitering and a video rental machine is blocking customer’s vision as they come out the door, causing safety issues. Video below.

continue reading »

15th District Captain Bachmayer

With another snowfall on its way, Mayfair residents noted at last night’s civic association meeting that some people are already saving their parking spots.

“You’re not allowed to put anything out to block your spot,” said Capt. Bachmayer of the 15th District — especially when the snow hasn’t even begun to fall. continue reading »

Weatherization specialist B.J. McDuffie explains how to seal your windows.

B.J. McDuffie recommends weatherizing your home when Daylight Savings Time ends. But the weatherization specialist brought her list of tips, demonstration tools and free weather-proofing kits to last night’s Lawncrest Community Association meeting since there’s plenty of winter left.

continue reading »

Despite the snow, the Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Town Watch will still hold a meeting tonight. The group, which meets every other month, has important homeowners issues on the agenda.