Tuesday, September 29, 2015

SOSNA Newsletter

Bloktoberfest 2015 & The 4th Annual School Fair

Friends & Neighbors, 
Bloktoberfest 2015 is almost here! Skip the lines this Saturday and pre-order your beer tickets online, but don't wait too long, pre-ordering closes on Friday at 5pm! Bloktoberfest is completely organized by volunteers and they could always use some extra hands, if you'd like to help out (and score a free t-shirt and beer tickets in exchange) head to main ticketing on the day of the event or email grants@bloktoberfestphilly.com for more info. Lastly, Bloktoberfest is an amazing event because it brings us together and gives back to the community; there is still time to apply for a Bloktoberfest grant- click here to learn more!
On Monday, October 5th we'll be at The Franklin Institute along with CCRA, LSNA, and representatives from 20 different public, private, parochial and charter schools to educate parents on elementary school options in the area. If you have a little one don't miss this opportunity to speak with all of these different schools in one room. AND The Franklin Institute is offering *free* parking and admission to attendees on the day of the fair! A dedicated group of volunteers organizes the School Fair, if you'd like to help out, click here!
Help us foster a safer neighborhood environment for all- join South of South Town Watch for a group patrol on Wednesday, October 7th at 7pm, they'll meet outside of SOSNA's office. 
Don't forget to register to vote for SOSNA's elections, coming up on October 13th! Click here for info on the candidates running for our Board of Directors!
Events
On Monday, October 5th from 5-7pm, Parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary age children are invited The Franklin Institute for our 4th annual elementary School Fair. The fair gives families the opportunity to speak directly to schools and compare individual philosophies and accomplishments. Public, charter, private and parochial schools in the three neighborhood association areas have been invited to attend.  Light refreshments will be served, and attendees receive free admittance to The Franklin Institute on the day of the fair!
The fair is organized by volunteers from three civic associaitons, and we could always use more helping hands on the day of the event. If you share our passion for education, please considering volunteering your time to help during this two hour event at The Franklin Institute! For details and to sign up, click here!
 
Events
The Southwest Center City Tree Planters are holding a fall pruning event on Saturday, October 10th! Maintaining our street trees is just as important as planting them, so join us to learn the trick of the trade for pruning! Meet at Julian Abele Park (22nd and Carpenter) at 9am. 
News
Get involved with SOSNA and Town Watch to increase safety in our neighborohod! Outlined below is an overview of opportunities to learn more about and get involved with neighborhood safety:
Events
Join the SOSNA Safety Committee for a Town Watch Neighborhood Group Patrol on Wednesday October 7th at 7pm. The patrol will begin at the SOSNA Office (1901 Christian Street). This is a good opportunity to check out what Town Watch is all about. This will consist of a 30-45 minute walk in the neighborhood.
Events
Join us on Wednesday, October 14th from 5-8PM at 23rd and South for the Design Philadelphia Festival, where we'll be showcasing design plans for the Triangles Pedestrian Plaza! SOSNA's Grays Ferry Triangles Committee has been working with Bergmann Associates to create a new design for this beloved public space. We invite you to learn what we've been working on and share what you love about the Triangles.
Events
Attention SOSNA members! Come out and vote to elect up to 5 new members of the SOSNA Board of Directors! Nominations were accepted at the September 9, 2015 General Membership Meeting. Details about the elections procedure and serving on the Board are below. The Elections will take place Tuesday, October 13th at Shiloh Baptist Church (2040 Christian St)! Polls will be open from 6:30pm-8:30PM, and the candidates will give their brief speeches at 7:30PM. 
Events
Run through our beautiful neighborhood in one of Philly's most unique races! This year's SWCC 5K has new and improved features including mile markers, a Spooky Sprint kids run, and a fan zone with refreshments.  Register today!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

SOSNA Newsletter

Meet the Candidates for SOSNA's Board of Directors!

Friends & Neighbors, 
Elections for the 2015-2016 SOSNA Board of Directors are taking place at the upcoming October General Meeting! We've asked the candidates about their experiences and how they plan to make a difference -- to read about all of the nominees, click here. Elections will take place during the General Meeting on Tuesday, October 13th from 6:30-8:30PM at Shiloh Baptist Church (2040 Christian) and the candidates will make their speeches at 7:30pm. Remember, in order to vote you must register in advance of the election
SOSNA will be closed tomorrow, September 24th, but the Police Community Meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 6:30pm WILL take place according to schedule. 
 
 
 
More neighborhood events and updates below!
Events
On Monday, October 5th from 5-7pm, Parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary age children are invited The Franklin Institute for our 4th annual elementary School Fair. The fair gives families the opportunity to speak directly to schools and compare individual philosophies and accomplishments. Public, charter, private and parochial schools in the three neighborhood association areas have been invited to attend.  Light refreshments will be served, and attendees receive free admittance to The Franklin Institute on the day of the fair!
The fair is organized by volunteers from three civic associaitons, and we could always use more helping hands on the day of the event. If you share our passion for education, please considering volunteering your time to help during this two hour event at The Franklin Institute! For details and to sign up, click here!
 
News
It's official - phase 1 of Carpenter Green is underway! Thanks to Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and of course our AMAZING volunteers who have worked so hard to turn this lot into a community park! 
Phase 1 includes all of the underground utility work and will be completed in a few short weeks! We'll soon be halfway to creating Carpenter Green!
Events
Join us on Wednesday, October 14th from 5-8PM at 23rd and South for the Design Philadelphia Festival, where we'll be showcasing design plans for the Triangles Pedestrian Plaza! SOSNA's Grays Ferry Triangles Committee has been working with Bergmann Associates to create a new design for this beloved public space. We invite you to learn what we've been working on and share what you love about the Triangles.
News
Get involved with SOSNA and Town Watch to increase safety in our neighborohod! Click here for an overview of opportunities to learn more about and get involved with neighborhood safety:
Events
Join the SOSNA Safety Committee for a Town Watch Neighborhood Group Patrol on Wednesday October 7th at 7pm. The patrol will begin at the SOSNA Office (1901 Christian Street). This is a good opportunity to check out what Town Watch is all about. This will consist of a 30-45 minute walk in the neighborhood.
News
Appeal applications, for tax year 2016, are due by the first Monday in October (October 5, 2015). You can file an appeal if you think the estimated market value of your property is too high or too low, the estimated market value of your property is not uniform with similar surrounding properties, or the characteristics of your property that affect its value are substantially incorrect. Click here to get more information on how to file.
News
The SOSNA office will be closed on Thursday, September 24th during office hours. HOWEVER, the Police Community Meeting will take place at 6:30pm as scheduled. 
News
From the Streets Department: On a Citywide basis, trash and recycling collections will be cancelled on Friday, September 25 and Monday, September 28. Residents must hold their collections until the following week. Holding collections means keeping trash and recycling on-premises for one additional week. 

Friday, September 18, 2015

CCRA Newsletter



WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Francis Frenzy Facts
CCRA NEWS AND EVENTS
57TH Annual CCRA House Tour
Volunteers Needed for CCRA's 57th Annual Tour
School Fair
Preservation Easement Workshop
Clkassroom Volunteers Wanted For Greenfield School
Hear Ye, Here Ye
Call for Volunteers
Office Closure
Garbage Collection
CCRA Merchant Member Discount Program
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS AND EVENTS:
PHS Harvest Fest
Penn 5K for IOA
Classical Music Concert at the Acad of Vocal Arts
Art Exhibit: "The Nature of Coexistence"
Teen Reading Lounge Returns to PCI

  
       
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
CLIFF'S NOTES ON PAPAL VISIT
The restrictions pertaining to the Pope's visit, posted on the City's website,  cannot be adequately summarized within the space provided by our newsletter but here are some of the more significant provisions: 
 
AUTOMOBILE RESTRICTIONS
 
THE LARGE VEHICLE MOVEMENT BOX
 
As we reported in our August 7 article "Thinking Inside the Papal Box" a  traffic box will be erected on the evening of Friday September 25 - no specific time of the day has been mentioned to date. While the box extends into West Philadelphia, for CCRA purposes, the relevant boundaries are Delaware to the Schuylkill Rivers,  Girard Ave to the north, South Street to the South. See maps from the Inquirer for more detail. Vehicle travel within the box will be permitted but two cautions:
  1. Cars which exit the box will not be permitted to reenter.
  2. If you use a parking permit to station your car on the street,  be advised that  cars with permit stickers from other neighborhoods will be permitted to park in  any parking permit space regardless of number designation 
THE SMALLER NO PARKING BOX 
 
A smaller no parking box will be erected within the larger vehicle movement box. For our neighborhood the only no parking area is bounded by 18th Street on the west, Broad on the east, and Sansom on the south. Cars parked in this box after September 20 will be towed if they do not have a Parking Authority placard, which also entitles placard holders to a spot in a parking garage.  After September 24 at 10 PM, all vehicles, including those with placards, must be removed from the No Parking box.
 
PERMIT PARKING REVISIONS
 
Starting this Sunday Sept 20 through Tues Sept 29 at 8 am, cars bearing permit parking stickers can park in any permit parking zone (even zones to which they are not assigned). We can expect that neighbors to the north in the smaller no parking box will be looking for spaces in the CCRA area.            
 
BIKE USAGE
 
Travel by bicycle will be permitted throughout the City. Note however that bikes will not be allowed through the checkpoints for the events on Saturday, September 26 (Festival of Families) and the Sunday, September 27 (Papal Mass)
 
WHAT MAY NOT BE CARRIED THRU PAPAL VISIT  CHECKPOINTS
 
Those who wish to attend the events scheduled for Saturday, September 26 (Festival of Families) and Sunday, September 27 (Papal Mass) will be screened at checkpoints. In addition to the usual excluded items (weapons, mace, ammunition etc) the following are prohibited:
 
            Aerosols
            Animals, except for service animals
            Backpacks and bags exceeding 18in x 13in x 7in 
            (Clear bags are recommended to speed the MAG line                 process.)  
            Balloons
            Bicycles
            Glass, thermal, or metal containers
            Hard-sided coolers (soft-sided thermal coolers are allowed)
            Laser pointers
            Packages
            Selfie sticks
            Signs exceeding 5ft x 3ft x 1/4in made of any material                   except cardboard, poster board, or cloth
 
TAXIS/UBER    

The City website suggests but does not clearly state that taxis and  Uber  will operate on streets within the "box" except for restrictions applying on Sat September 26 through Monday Sept 28.  The site states:
 
"Taxis and legal Uber vehicles will be able to access the Francis Festival Grounds until    Saturday, September 26, at 2:00 a.m.  Service in the Francis Festival Grounds will resume on Monday, September 28, at 3:00 a.m."
 
Even so, two local cab companies advised CCRA this afternoon that they were still uncertain as to what restrictions would apply next week.
CCRA NEWS 
AND EVENTS
57TH ANNUAL CCRA HOUSE TOUR, SUN, 10/18,1-5 PM
The 57th Annual House Tour features 9 residences and the spectacular interior of the Swedenborgian Church which has been repurposed for office uses. Tour tickets purchased before 10/15 are $30 each.  To buy a ticket, click here, call 215-546-9719, or mail a check to CCRA (1600 Market St, Suite 2500, Phila. PA 19103).
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CCRA'S 57TH ANNUAL FALL HOUSE TOUR, SUN, 10/18
Hosts/Hostesses are stationed in beautiful homes and condos from 1:00PM until 3:00PM or from 3:00PM until 5:00PM.  Duties include greeting tour goers, protecting household items, and encouraging a safe flow of foot traffic.  In thanks for your gift of time, you will receive a free ticket to use either before or after your volunteer assignment to tour other homes. If you wish to volunteer, email us at  centercity@centercityresidents.org .
School Fair: Choosing the Right Elementary School for your Center City Child, MON, 10/5, 5-7pm, fRANKLIN INST. 222 N 20TH ST.
Parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary age children are invited to an elementary school fair designed to help parents research grade school options. The fair gives families the opportunity to speak directly to schools and compare individual philosophies and accomplishments. Public, charter, private and parochial schools have been invited to attend.  Light refreshments will be served.  Free general admission to Franklin Institute day of fair to all attendees (ask at ticket desk).
Presented by The Franklin Institute, Center City Residents' Association, Logan Square Neighborhood Association and South of South Neighborhood Association.
PRESERVATION EASEMENT WORKSHOP, WED, 10/21, 6 PM, WELLS FARGO BANK, BROAD & WALNUT
Preservation easements provide tax Incentives which encourage current owners of historic properties to restrict the development options of future purchasers. If you wish to ensure that future owners will "do the right thing" with your property, you should explore the merits of a preservation easement. 
 
Find out more at a special workshop by the Center City Resident's Association and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.  It is sponsored by George C. Pilallis, Connelly & Moore Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.  The meeting will begin at 6:00 with a wine and cheese reception in the Wells Fargo banking museum, at Broad and Walnut Streets.  The registration fee is $15 for an individual, $20 for a couple and seating is limited.  For more information and to make a reservation, click here
CLASSROOM VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR GREENFIELD SCHOOL
CCRA has long been a supporter of the Greenfield School, our neighborhood public K-8 school located at 22nd  and Chestnut Streets?  Would you like to be a classroom volunteer in the school?  Or would you like to find out about their volunteer opportunities, including flexible hours and days and choices of subject matter?  An information session (with coffee and pastries) will be held in the school library on Wed., Sept. 30, from 10:00 to 11:30 am.  Please contact Volunteer Representative Amy Arcaro ( amygarcaro@gmail.com ) if you plan to attend the session.  Perspective volunteers will enter through the playground door located at 22nd and Sansom Streets to sign in at the office.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE: MEET OUR REPS
The tentative schedule for the Town Hall meetings with our elected officials looks like this:
 
November, 2015            Councilman Johnson
December, 2015            Senator Farnese
February, 2016              Councilman Clarke
April, 2016                    Representative Sims
 
Dates and venues will be provided ASAP.  
CALL FOR CCRA COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS
CCRA is looking for members to serve on several committees and taskforces.  If you are interested, please email CCRA.
  
The committees and taskforces for which CCRA is seeking members include:
  • Parking taskforce - to examine the demand for parking, parking patterns and what we can do to improve on-street parking in our neighborhood
  • Sidewalk cleaning taskforce - to examine efficacy of our street cleaning efforts and fundraising for those efforts
  • Technology/innovation taskforce - to improve CCRA's use of IT to better serve our members, including redoing our webiste
  • Finance committee - our finance/audit committee needs additional staffing
  • By-laws committee - this committee reviews proposed revisions to the buy laws
  • Nominations committee - selects future board members and officers for nomination
OFFICE CLOSURE
Due to the Papal visit, the CCRA office will close on Friday, 9/25 and will reopen on Monday, 9/28 at 12 PM.
GARBAGE COLLECTION SUSPENDED 9/25 AND 9/28
Due to the Papal visit, the City has suspended all garbage and recycling collection for 9/25 and 9/28.   Residents with Friday and Monday collections must hold their trash and recycling on premises until the following week's collection. 
CCRA MERCHANT MEMBERS DISCOUNT PROGRAM
S upport our local merchants and save money too. These local merchants will provide a discount  (described here)  to any member who shows a current CCRA membership card (Di Bruno Bros. has its own CCRA card) and personal identification.

Twenty-Two Gallery, 236 S. 22nd St, (215-772-1911)
Rim's Dry Cleaners & Tailors,2203 South St. (215-546-1889)
Rittenhouse Hardware, 2001 Pine St. (215-735-6311)
Rittenhouse Pet Supply, 135 S. 20th St (215-569-2555)
Computer Troubleshooters ,108 S. 20th St. (215-825-2101)
Di Bruno Bros., 1730 Chestnut St. and the Market at the Comcast Center (215-665-9220) 
Dom's Shoe Repair, 203 S. 20th St (215-972-0098)
Eye Candy Vision, 218 S. 20th St (215-568-3937)
Koresh Dance Company , 2002 Rittenhouse Sq St. (267-687-1769)
Liberty Vet Pets, 265 S. 20th St. (888-458-8587)
Nature's Gallery Florist, 2124 Walnut St (215-563-5554)
PhotoLounge 1909 Chestnut Street (267-322-6651)

Uber - Limo service Uber provides $20 off a first ride, Good for new users only.  Members use code CCRA14.
 
Philly Foodworks - Use the code "CCRA" when signing up for home delivery and receive a $20 discount on delivery charges.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS AND EVENTS
Phila Horticultural Society Harvest Fest at the PHS Pop Up Garden, FRI, 9/18 - SUN, 9/20, 15TH & SOUTH ST
The PHS Harvest Fest will be held in the PHS Pop Up Gardens, located at 15 th & South Streets.  The full schedule of events in the gardens is updated regularly at PHSonline.org or click here to view the schedule.
Penn's 5K for IOA (Institute on Aging), SUN, 9/20, 8AM, PENN PARK, 33RD ST BTW WALNUT AND SOUTH
What better way to welcome the fading days of summer than a Sunday morning walk/run through a beautiful, part of our city?  Penn's Institute on Aging is once again hosting both a 5K through Penn Park and a serene 1-mile walk through Penn's shaded campus.  Penn Park- easily accessible by South Street Bridge- offers unique views of the city skyline, while traversing through maintained green space.  Likewise, dogs and strollers are welcomed on the Memory Walk through Penn's historic campus.  Join your neighbors and register today to support this leading national facility on age-related research!
CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT AT THE ACAD OF VOCAL ARTS, MON, 9/21, 7:30 PM, 1920 SPRUCE ST
Come hear the The Wister Quartet as they perform:
  • Haydn, String Quartet, "La Chasse"
  • Lloyd Smith, Piano Quartet, Op. 20
  • Schubert, "Death and the Maiden" Quartet
Ticket prices are $17 each.  Click here to purchase tickets and to view the season schedule.  
ART EXHIBIT: "THE NATURE OF COEXISTENCE," THRU SUN, 10/4, TWENTY-TWO GALLERY, 236 S. 22ND ST
"Weathered" Mixed Media on panel, 36" x 24" 

 

In this exhibit, Jessica Barber explores the co-existence of beings and their environments, whether it be industrial / man-made, or organic. Through printmaking and mixed media, she examines these relationships,through an intuitive, textual approach.
 
TEEN READING LOUNGE RETURNS TO PHILA CITY INS LIBRARY, TUES AFTERNOONS, 3:30-5:30 PM
Attention teens in grades 7-12! Are you looking for a community service opportunity this year? Are you passionate about your world and your future? Do you enjoy reading and want to hang out with other teens that also enjoy reading and talking about books? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider joining Teen Reading Lounge (TRL) at the Philadelphia City Institute Library. TRL will meet throughout the 2015-2016 school year for a series of interesting discussions, creative activities and awesome guest speakers. Experience your favorite books in a whole new way. Please stop by the Adult Reference Desk or call 215-685-6621 for dates and details. Registration for this program is required. Teen Reading Lounge is a program of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.