Year End Summary
What
a year! Covid was up, Covid was down, Covid is on the rise again. None
of us knew what to expect and there was no playbook on how to cope. But
CCRA soldiered on to a successful conclusion, all things considered.
Covid
curveballs notwithstanding, we got a great deal done this year. We met
the challenges of keeping sidewalks clean despite increased trash due to
late pickups; we adopted policy initiatives on a greener neighborhood, a
cleaner neighborhood and addressing diversity, equity, inclusion and
justice in our own activities, the neighborhood and the city beyond. We
had our first-ever Zoom annual meeting when Josh Shapiro stimulated us
with all that the Attorney General has done and is doing to ensure free
and fair elections and address fraud, corruption, and crime wherever he
finds it. And we modernized our by-laws and brought us into the 21st century legally and organizationally.
At
the same time, CCRA continued to address the burdens that
quality-of-life issues place on residents, businesses and tourists. CCRA
members should know that our Member Services function remains ready to
assist you with any quality-of-life issues that may arise. Just contact
Travis Oliver (centercity@centercityresidents.org)
and he will either resolve it himself or direct you to the person or
organization who “should” take care of it. (And good luck with that
“should”.)
Aggressive
panhandling, street crime, unbearably loud ATV’s and dirt bikes on our
sidewalks and streets all contribute to a deterioration of the
environment which must remain welcoming and safe. We worked with the
Center City Coalition and the Center City District to identify solutions
to intractable problems. We maintained a close relationship with the
local police to ramp up enforcement and alert them to problem situations
as they arise. And we worked to find better solutions for the homeless
population which contributes to some, but certainly not all, of these
problems.
And we made good progress on our initiatives:
1. Philadelphia
Tree Tenders has found a new home in CCRA; the relationship with the
Schuylkill River Park Garden was formalized and their funds segregated
for their use for the first time ever; green elements were made standard
in our Community Benefits Agreements with developers; and new trees and
stormwater runoff ideas proliferate;
2.
The “Trashforce” researched best practices for disposal in other
American and foreign cities and is developing concrete proposals for
bringing Philadelphia’s garbage practices into the modern era, if not
quite the 21st Century (we have a long way to go!);
3. The
DEIJ task force has identified a series of thoughtful and welcome
initiatives to increase our own awareness of the great racial and
economic disparities present in Philadelphia and to reach out to
institutions in our community with whom we can partner to address these
disparities;
We
continue to create new and enforce existing Community Benefits
Agreements (CBA’s) that mediate between the needs of new development and
the preservation of the existing heritage of the neighborhood. Copies
of the various CBA’s can be found here.
Finally,
we elected and installed a new Board and new officers. I am honored to
serve as the president. The work is even more challenging than I
anticipated when I threw my hat in the ring but the new Board and
Executive Committee are great partners who challenge us to move CCRA
forward and work equally hard with me to do just that.
Membership
is at an all-time high; our political relationships with our elected
leadership are solid; our cooperation and interaction with community
groups pay repeated dividends, and the publications and social media by
which we connect to our members are the best they have ever been
(according to the many raves from members and astronomically high open
and click rates). Despite having to postpone in-person fundraising all
year, the community’s generosity has kept our finances in a solid
position.
The
challenges in the year ahead to restore Center City West to the vibrant
and safe community it was pre-pandemic will be many. Let’s take a
well-deserved holiday break, connect safely with family and friends, and
prepare ourselves for what we have to do. The energy and enthusiasm of
our members and my board colleagues motivate me to try to make 2022 the
best year yet, as we celebrate our 75th Anniversary of being the voice of the community.
Warm regards,
Rick Gross,
President
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