NET clients will maintain the Frankford Avenue corridor between Womrath Park (A) and the Frankford Transportation Center (B).

The Frankford Community Development Corporation has announced a partnership with NorthEast Treatment Centers to help keep Frankford’s commercial corridor clean.

Three days a week, the CDC will provide four NET clients with supplies to clean Frankford Avenue from Womrath Park to Frankford Transportation Center.

“The Frankford CDC is fortunate to have NET as a partner, and we are pleased to team up with them to work towards such an important goal,” CDC Managing Director Tracy O’Drain said in the announcement. “Clean commercial corridors are key to crime reduction as well as small business retention and attraction.” continue reading »

Last week brought a major milestone to the Frankford Gazette.

Until now, the neighborhood publication has been online-only, like NEast Philly. But last week, the Gazette hit the streets of Frankford in print form.

As part of the PhillyRising effort in Frankford to bring the police, city departments and neighborhood organizations together, the Gazette is printing to keep neighbors without computer access informed. continue reading »

Friday – One man died in an early morning fire on the 1000-block of Red Lion Road. Firefighters responded around 5:30 a.m. and were able to extinguish the blaze in less than a half hour. A secondary search of the complex after the fire was out led to the discovery of the man in a second-floor back bedroom. The cause of the fire remains unclear. continue reading »

A Frankford SSD Detail Team keeps the 4600-block of Frankford Avenue clean. Photo provided by FSSD.

From the Frankford SSD:

The Frankford Special Services District has deployed a “Detail Team,” a new beautification program for the Frankford Avenue Business Corridor. The team will be responsible for a range of tasks, including graffiti removal, pressure washing the sidewalks, sweeping litter and planting flowers.

The Detail Team has been trained to identify small details along the Corridor that most would overlook, for instance a 2-inch sticker on a stop sign, or a graffiti tag on a parking meter. Rather than reporting every small detail to various city agencies, the Detail Team will take action itself, providing quicker and more scrupulous service to the Business Corridor. continue reading »

Three of the original Safety Ambassadors and their supervisor, with Mayor Michael Nutter and Frankford Services District Executive Director Tim Wisniewski during the program's announcement in June, posing on Frankford Avenue near Orthodox Street. Photo by Bill Achuff. Click to enlarge.

The Safety Ambassadors Program in Frankford is growing, despite one source of its revenue remaining uncertain at the month’s end.

Last week, a two-person ‘detail’ team and another two ambassadors joined the revived program that patrols the Frankford Avenue corridor. Where the now six  Safety Ambassadors walk the avenue — escorting patrons, talking to shop owners and maintaining a consistent uniformed presence — the detail team will work to remove graffiti, trash and grime.

“We are making an impact on the avenue for very little cost to the businesses that are trying to survive there,” said Tim Wisniewski, the Frankford Civic Association treasurer and executive director of the Frankford Special Services District, which is funded by assessments totaling between $70,000 and $80,000 on the businesses that are within the 4100- and 5300-blocks of Frankford Avenue, from Adams Avenue to Bridge Street.

continue reading »

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

The Safety Ambassador Program has returned to the Frankford Business Corridor as of yesterday. The program — part of the Frankford Special Services District — was a part of Frankford in the late 1990s and will allow for of uniformed personnel to patrol Frankford Avenue in order to increase commerce on the corridor.

Keep reading for news on a police couple who saved the day, the first ever doctoral program at Holy Family, and more. continue reading »

The Frankford Special Services District held a public meeting last Monday, Feb. 1, which included board member elections, and neighborhood discussions about Welfare to Work, public trashcans ongoing plans for area businesses.

The Frankford Gazette has the full story with video.

The backyard of Frankford resident Majorie Rivera's neighbors, where she says she's seen drug deals take place.

It was early afternoon on Feb. 28, 2009 when Frankford resident Marjorie Rivera got an unexpected scene. She was getting ready to celebrate her wedding anniversary with her husband when they noticed a moving van outside of their two-story home. That chilly February day would be the first time Rivera would learn that the house next door was being turned into a recovery home for men.

As a mother of two daughters and aunt of many nieces, Rivera panicked as the thought of living right next to a recovery home settled into her brain.

“I’m thinking, ‘Oh wow, I got problems. These are all men. Recovery home? Well that’s for drugs. And don’t courts usually send people to them? What if these guys did something?’ I don’t want that next door to me,” she said. continue reading »