We came upon this bike near 45th and Osage. (photo by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local)

The Greening Lea project began with installation of this pilot planting bed. (Photo courtesy West Philly Coalition for Neighborhood Schools)

Now here’s an enormous chance to help a neighborhood public school transform their playground from a swath of asphalt to a green area. The Henry C. Lea Elementary School is one of 10 finalists for a $75,000 Green School Makeover grant from Global Green USA. The school has been selected out of hundreds of entries from across the country!

The 2nd Green School Makeover Competition will award a $75,000 cash prize and a $5,000 Office Depot gift card to one K-12 school in the U.S. for an innovative green school project. The winner will also receive technical assistance from Global Green USA’s team of green schools/green building experts.

Organizers from the Henry C. Lea School (4700 Locust St.) hope to transform the school’s play area into a green and healthy environment. Currently, the school’s primary play space is a barren asphalt lot devoid of benches, greenery and shade. In addition to a new school garden that would provide an outdoor area for science classes to do planting, the school plans a new recycling program and the installation of rooftop solar panels. For more information on the Greening Lea project visit this page  or contact Julie Scott at jscott1225@verizon.net

To vote for Lea please follow the link below, select Lea’s entry at the bottom left and click “Submit.”

http://globalgreen.org/gsmctop10

The project proposes transforming the school playground into a green environment.

SEPTA is conducting trolley track work this summer on the Routes 10, 11, and 36 and residents should expect shuttle buses on these lines and limited traffic on the affected blocks.

A switch and track crossing renewal project for the intersection of 49th Street and Woodland Avenue will take place June 9-22 and service on SEPTA’s Route 11 and 36 trolleys will be affected during this two-week period. Normal construction hours will be Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. and possibly on weekends if it is necessary for maintaining the project schedule. During the project, 49th Street and Woodland Avenue will be closed to traffic in all directions for a full block from the worksite. Here are more details on the changes in the operation of the 36 and 11 trolleys for the duration of the project (source: septa.org).

Route 36 Service:
• Buses will replace all trolleys from the Eastwick Loop to the 40th Street Portal.
Passengers traveling to Center City can board any trolley at the Portal for service to 13th
Street.

Route 11 Service:
• Eastbound, Route 11 trolleys will operate from the Darby Loop to 50th Street and
Woodland Avenue, then travel over 49th Street to Chester Avenue and on to the 40th
Street Portal for Center City destinations. Passengers needing to make stops on
Woodland between 50th Street and the 40th Street Portal can transfer to shuttle buses at
50th and Woodland.
• Westbound, trolleys will operate from 13th to 40th Streets via the Center City tunnel, then
travel on Woodland Avenue to Chester Avenue to 58th Street and back to Woodland for
service to the Darby Loop. Shuttle buses will be available at the 40th Street Portal for
customers that need to make stops on Woodland between the Portal and 57th Street.

SEPTA is also conducting a track renewal project on a portion of the Route 10 trolley line. During this project, which is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2013, tracks will be replaced on Lancaster Avenue from 40th to 44th Streets, the intersection at 48th Street and on 41st Street between Wallace Street and Lancaster Avenue.

The project will be completed in three phases. Shuttle bus service for the Route 10 trolley will be in effect between 63rd Street and Malvern Avenue to 33rd and Market Streets for the project’s second and third phases, June 23-August 31, 2013. Buses will also substitute trolley service on the Route 15 from August 18-24. For more information, visit SEPTA’s website or call SEPTA Customer Service at 215-580-7800.

The 6th Annual West Park Arts Fest is happening this Saturday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the theme “Friends Across Cultures.” The festival celebrates the richness of art and culture in Philadelphia and focuses on the resources in the Fairmount Park Centennial District. Around 2,000 people are expected to attend this free public event that brings together more than 30 arts, cultural, nature, science and community organizations from West Philadelphia and across the city.

The festival activities will include a youth Chess Tournament hosted by A.S.A.P., drawing and theatre workshops, storytelling, science demonstrations, book giveaways, face painting, and more. There will also be live music and dance performances by more than 100 professional artists and 200 talented children and youth. The event will also include a free guided historical trolley tour of the Centennial District with Kathy Lee, educator and Associate Producer of the Trudy Haynes Show. Please check out the flyer below for more information or visit this page.

SEPTA has announced new schedules for a number of trolley and bus routes effective June 9. Schedule changes will affect all the trolleys serving West Philadelphia (Route 10, 11, 13, 15, 34, 36) and buses such as Route 21, 42, 43, 44, 52, 64, 65, and Route G. You can download new schedules on the SEPTA website (follow this link).
 

Great news for Cedar Park residents – Friday Night Jazz series, an annual mid-summer tradition, is returning to the park in June and July, thanks to the support from local businesses and contributions from community members. Everyone is invited to come out and join their neighbors for the following live jazz performances every Friday night from 6-8 p.m. in the park (Baltimore Ave. between 49th and 50th Sts).

June 7 – Ronin Ali and Friends
June 14 – Dr. Ketchup
June 21 – Rich Tucker & The Universal Koncept
June 28 – Elena’s Usual Suspects Jam Session
July 5 – Glenn Bryan & Reference Point
July 12 – Perseverance Jazz Band
July 19 – The Jazz Doctors
July 26 – Lucky Thompson and The Crew

To support the series please contact Algernong Allen at algernong@gmail.com or visit http://www.cedarparkneighbors.org/.

Malcolm X Park at 51st and Pine started hosting its annual summer jazz series last week. Performances are every other Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m. until September (next performance is June 13). Read more about this music series here and visit the Malcolm X Park Neighbors Facebook page for more information on the upcoming performances.