A community meeting focused on inequitable school funding system in Pennsylvania will go underway Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community. The system negatively impacts neighborhood public schools in West Philadelphia, many of which face crumbling buildings, overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of staff and resources, and other issues. The West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools is inviting parents and caregivers to hear a presentation from Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg of the Public Interest Law Center, which is campaigning to fix the system.

Shanée Garner, the policy and legislation director and for City Council member Helen Gym will also speak about local advocacy initiatives. The event will conclude with a roundtable discussion by parent organizers in West Philly neighborhood public schools.  Continue Reading

UPDATE (3/11/2019): Here is a recap of Sunday’s meeting from The Philadelphia Tribune.

A “community debrief and discussion” will be held on Sunday, March 10, from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Ethiopian Community Center (4400 Chestnut St.) to discuss the police shooting of Kaleb Belay, a 25-year-old Temple University graduate student, on March 6th on the 4900 block of Hazel Avenue.

Residents may also be interested in attending the monthly 18th Police District’s “Captain’s townhall meeting,” which will be held March 19th at the 18th District headquarters at 5510 Pine St. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.  Continue Reading

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has scheduled another community meeting about the future of the former Provident Insurance Co. building at 46th and Market. The previous meeting discussing the proposed sale of the property to local developer Iron Stone Real Estate Partners took place last month, after which Blackwell halted a vote on the sale in City Council. The previous community meeting called for more transparency in the sale process.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut).

The Walnut Hill Community Association also held a community meeting about the proposed development of the property earlier this month. Read more about it here.

West Philadelphia residents are invited  to discuss the proposed development of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance campus at 46th and Market this Tuesday, Dec. 10, at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut). The meeting has been organized by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who has expressed her concern over the way the City, which owns the 15-acre property at 4601 Market, is handling the campus’s sale and proposed development.

Iron Stone was named as a future developer of the building a few months ago after a selection process that took approximately a year. The Philadelphia-based real estate company is planning to transform the building and the surrounding land into a public health campus.  Continue Reading

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney will be a featured speaker at an upcoming Spruce Hill Community Association’s annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Penn Alexander School Cafeteria (43rd and Locust). The mayor will address the future of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building at 4601 Market (pictured).

The site was chosen by former mayor Michael Nutter administration for the new police headquarters and has been undergoing renovations since 2014. But, the Kenney administration canceled the plans to relocate the Police Headquarters to the site in the spring of 2017. In August, the city began seeking a new developer for the site.  Continue Reading

West Philly residents have an opportunity to learn more about solar power for their homes at an upcoming Cedar Park Neighbors meeting at the Calvary Center (48th and Baltimore). The meeting will be held on Monday, July 17 from 7 – 8 p.m.

In an effort to make solar power more affordable for all Philadelphians and to provide solar installation training at the School District, a special city-run program, Solarize Philly, has been recently created as part of the Philadelphia Energy Authority. Representatives from Solarize Philly will be at the meeting to explain how the program works and to answer questions.

The program has already been picking up steam in the city, including in West Philadelphia.  Continue Reading