Frankie, a cat reported missing on October 25, has been found! We received this message from Project MEOW’s Tracy Byford (Frankie was adopted from Project MEOW when he was a kitten) :

Frankie, missing since October 18, was a smart boy.  He figured how to how get home and yesterday his family found him crying across the street from their house.

Congratulations to the Drake family and to Frankie, for having the good sense to make it home for the holidays!  (No cat wants to miss out on any of that delicious Thanksgiving turkey!)  Project MEOW would like to thank all of those kind folks who called and emailed when they thought they had seen Frankie.  They found many different orange kitties, but Frankie was tired of being lost and took matters into his own paws.

Do you know someone who has lost a cat?  Please ask them to email info@projectmeow.org for tips on how to find their feline friend.

West Philly Local is proud to present a series of vignettes of local block captains drawn from Them That Do, a multimedia documentary project and community blog by photographer and videographer Lori Waselchuk. We profiled Waselchuk in 2011 upon the release of her book Grace Before Dying. She lives in West Philadelphia and Them That Do begins with stories close to home. West Philly Local will publish a ten-part series featuring a block captain profile every Wednesday.

Waselchuk is an award-winning photographer and author. She began Them That Do as a 2012 Pew Fellowship for the Arts.

Thirty years ago Gregory Pac Cojulun walked into his first neighborhood meeting. He walked out a block captain. “I was ambushed,” Cojulun said with smile that hinted that all was forgiven. “I just wanted to see how things were going and they nominated and voted for me.”

Now in his sixties, Pac Cojulun needs a cane to walk, but rarely sits down. He is still the block captain, but his bigger commitment is given to Malcolm X Park.

Cojulun likes to network on behalf of his neighbors. “I’ve met a lot of different people in different agencies. I’ve gotten to the point I can call people up and they recognize me.” He is also the president of the board that maintains Malcolm X Park, which he says can demand 60-70 hours of his time a week.

“Our park was a thug park in the 60’s and 70’s. Nobody wanted to come through it,” said Cojulun. Through a grant from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society nearly twenty years ago, a small group of residents began to clean up and restore the park. Today the park is an active cultural and social center in West Philadelphia. Cojulun says that it has been a slow process to revitalize Malcolm X Park and the board’s ability to plan programming and make improvements depends on donations.

Cojulun’s pride, though, is apparent. During a recent theater event, he walked slowly around the park’s centerpiece, a large round gazebo, checking in on young and giggling high school actors. He proudly watches and greets them as they prepare for a theatrical performance. “We try to make sure everything is done right, and make sure the people are happy,” he said.

Great news for our little neighbors and their parents – the Halloween Tot Parade, a fun annual tradition in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, is scheduled again this year, so make sure to show off your bootastic costumes and have fun with your friends and neighbors (and West Philly Local will be there too to snap some photos). Here are more details from the Spruce Hill Community Association website:

The date is Thursday, Oct. 31 (no rain date). As it has for the last several years, the parade will start gathering after 4 p.m. on 45th St. just north of Baltimore Ave. (next to Milk and Honey). The kick-off time is 4:30 p.m., when marchers, led by drummers from the Penn marching band, will go north on 45th to Larchwood Ave., down to 43rd St., and then on to the 4200 block of Osage. There the block residents will welcome them – as always – with cider and goodies and some amazing Halloween decorations. The University City District will be assisting in directing traffic around the parade route. Parents, please be alert while crossing Baltimore Ave. and other busy streets. Parking on the 4200 block of Osage will be restricted Thursday afternoon to accommodate the parade. Overnight parkers will be able to get their spots once the clean up is done and all the ghosts and goblins are safely home.

Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local.

As West Philly Local reported earlier this year, a new form of public transportation in Philly – a bike share program – is scheduled to launch in 2014. The program will bring hundreds of bikes to the city for everyone to share (between 1,000 and 1,500 bikes will be included in Zone 1; see map). Currently, the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities is looking for property and business owners interested in hosting or sponsoring a bike share station. The City of Philadelphia requests letters of interest from interested business and property owners and institutions. The deadline to express this non-binding interest is Monday, Oct 7.

Here’s some more info if you want to be part of this exciting new program:

The City is looking for two types of partners:

Station hosts: Property owners willing to locate bike sharing stations on or near their property will be among the first round of sites considered for the system launch. Bike share stations require a minimum space of approximately 7 feet by 35 feet (235 sq. ft.)

Station sponsors: Businesses, property owners and institutions who would like to assure their participation in bike sharing from the outset are invited to become Station Sponsors. Sponsors will be at the top of the list for location siting, given the opportunity to host one or more stations at or near their location, and given the opportunity to underwrite their station(s).

Please note that your letter of interest will be used for planning purposes only. It does not commit the City of Philadelphia or interested businesses, property owners and institutions to any further obligations. You can view the full document with information about what is involved here.

To express your interest or if you have questions, address them to:

Aaron Ritz
Bicycle & Pedestrian Programs Planner
Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities
1401 JFK Blvd, Suite 1430, 19102
Phone: 215-686-9000
aaron.ritz@phila.gov

The City has a website with information about Philly’s bike share program, set to launch around this time next year.

Eva.

UPDATE (10/9/2013): Eva has been found and returned to her foster home.

Eva has been missing since last Wednesday, Sept 18 when she slipped out the door of her new foster home shortly after arriving. She does not know where she lives since she had only been in her new home for a few days. She was last seen at 47th and Woodland, but could have traveled anywhere from there. She would have a shaved down stomach from her recent spay.

Kind individuals have put up $125 in reward money for her safe return. Email: info@projectmeow.org if you think you have seen Eva. She is microchipped and very, very friendly. She also has a wee kitten who misses her mama terribly.

A taxi cab crashed into a tree on 46th Street between Pine and Osage after hitting at least two other cars and running along the sidewalk, according to a West Philly Local reader report. The accident happened around 5:30 p.m. No one appears to be seriously hurt, but the cabbie looked to be in a bit of shock, according to witnesses. It is unknown at this time what caused the accident.

Neighbor Joel DeGrands sent us the photo, wondering “what is up with this block?” since there was another car accident in that area recently when an SUV flipped on its side after hitting a few parked cars and a large tree suddenly fell last week, causing blockage of Pine Street for several hours.