One of the best transportation organization slogans of all time is SEPTA’s simple and self-deprecating: “We’re Getting There.” So Philly.

Now SEPTA is asking you how they are doing. SEPTA is inviting the public to suggest modifications to current SEPTA routes and requests for additional services. If they make sense, SEPTA may work them into its next annual service plan – for 2016. The service plan will go through a public hearing process before a final vote.

SEPTA received a record number of submissions for its last service plan, perhaps a reflection of the growing interest in public transportation. The recent reintroduction of all-night trains is another indicator.

“We’re seeing a renewed interest in transit, with many residents embracing SEPTA as their primary and preferred choice for travel,” Richard Burnfield, SEPTA’s chief financial officer, said in a press release. “Many riders are showing a great interest in service improvements, and we welcome those suggestions.”

It sounds like complaints about drivers, schedules or the delays in updating the fare payment system won’t go far, but constructive suggestions might.

Send your ideas to serviceplanning@septa.org. You can also mail them to: SEPTA – Service Planning Department, 1234 Market St. 9th Fl., Philadelphia, PA 19107.

They will be accepted through Aug. 31.
 

If you’re in Clark Park later this week keep an eye out for new benches inscribed with Charles Dickens quotes set to be installed between Wednesday morning (July 23) and Friday (July 25). A total of six new benches will be placed around the park.

Speaking of seating, new orange chairs are also on the way. The Friends of Clark Park voted during its annual members meeting last week to order 20 new chairs to replace damaged or missing chairs. The chairs cost $50 a piece and many have worn out since the experiment to place the movable chairs and tables in the park began in 2011. Despite initial doubts, the chairs and tables have been a huge success.

Members also voiced concerns about the growing amount of trash in the park, particularly overflowing garbage and recycling bins. Right now a seasonal city employee bags the trash on week days and the University of the Sciences picks up the recycling once a week. Also, event organizers and food trucks sometimes bring bins. Increasingly heavy use of the park in the summer – everything from large events to birthday parties and food trucks –  has resulted in more trash.

This seems like a good time to mention events coming at the park this month:

• The Awesome Fest continues this Thursday with Jingle Bell Rocks!, a wacky documentary on underground and alternative Christmas music.
• Shakespeare in Clark Park kicks off next Wednesday (July 30) at 7 p.m. in the bowl.

A recent post on the West Philly Local forum led us to think about the most effective way of reporting ongoing crime to the police. A forum poster wrote:

“I have seen an increase in drug dealing at 49th and Baltimore, right by and along side of New Third World. I was offered Drugs on several occasions, and felt very uncomfortable. This had occurred today in the afternoon and last week, & wondered if anyone had the same experience, or what to do about it! I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable in my own neighborhood!”

Map image from Phillypolice.com.

One suggestion on our Facebook page where we shared the above post was to attend the monthly meeting of the police 18th District at the Calvary Church (4700 Baltimore Ave.), where a police lieutenant listens to citizen complaints and tips (the next one is Thursday, July 17 at 6 p.m.). But another reader rightly pointed out that the 18th District is divided into three “police service areas (PSAs),” and that the corner where the alleged drug dealing was taking place was just over the western edge of PSA 3, which has its community meeting at the Calvary Center. The northern border of PSA 3 (and all of the PSAs in the 18th) is Market Street. The eastern and southern border of PSA 3 is the Schuylkill River. Correction: The southern border of both PSA 1 and 2 is Baltimore Avenue and 57th Street divides them. 49th Street divides PSA 2 and PSA 3.

The neighborhoods south of Baltimore are in the 12th District. The Powelton and Mantua neighborhoods are served by the 16th.

Confused? How about it. We’re trying to get more information about the meetings at the other PSAs in the 18th. We’ll update when we get more info.

One way to alert police to ongoing problems is to e-mail the PSA commanders. Their e-mail addresses are here. For crimes in progress, 911 is still the way to go. A police officer we talked to said maybe the best way to get some action on a complaint is to call your police district, ask for a supervisor and request that a complaint be placed on the roll call. That will alert oncoming shifts of the problem each day for three days.

As for the drug problem at 49th and Baltimore, the cop we talked to said he would get the complaint on the roll call.

Philippe Holland

The Department of Justice and the Police Advisory Commission will hold a public forum tomorrow (Thursday, July 10) at City Hall to talk about officer-involved shootings. The forum comes three months after two undercover police fired 14 shots at pizza delivery driver Philippe Holland, striking him in the head, neck and leg.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey asked the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Police Services (COPS) office to look at the PPD’s training, policies and tactics related to officer-involved shootings. The COPS program is also examining the department’s transparency and investigative policies.

“Our goal is to use the review process as a framework for detailed public discussions around the use of deadly force by Philadelphia Police officers,” said Police Advisory Commission (PAC) Kelvyn Anderson.

We reported on the program in more detail following a public meeting with police last month related to the shooting of Holland.

Holland had finished his last delivery of the night on April 22 and was walking back to his car when the officers approached him during the investigation of a recent shooting in the area. Holland, who may have believed he was being robbed, ran to his car and drove toward the officers. They opened fire. Holland was in critical condition for several days.

Tomorrow’s meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the City Council chambers on the 4th floor of City Hall. The PAC will also accept public comment on police-involved shootings from the last 18 months.

Photo courtesy of Penn Museum.

There’s a cool free event tomorrow at the Penn Museum and also check out other museum offerings this summer.

Firstly, in July and August, the Penn Museum (3260 South St) is offering admission for a third off the regular price. Adults, seniors, and children get in for one cool price: $10. As always, Penn Museum members, children under 6, PennCard holders and active military enjoy free admission. And through Labor Day weekend, active military families also get in for free.

And here’s a reminder of special summer activities community members are invited to enjoy during the summer months.

• Summer Nights Wednesday evening concert series. A diverse line up of music, a laid back outdoor vibe, as the Museum stays open. Optional gallery tours between sets! 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., through September 3.
• Summer Wonder Family Programs. International, interactive, and fun. Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. in July. (air-conditioned)
• Unearthed in the Archives. Fridays at 2 p.m. Join archivist Alessandro Pezzati and staff as they pull out a gem from the Museum’s archives—and bring Museum stories to life. (air-conditioned)
• Award-winning outdoor gardens. Penn Museum’s lush urban gardens feature sculptures and fountains by Alexander Stirling Calder, places to sit or eat, even a reflective koi pool.
• In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies. Conservators at work open their windows twice a day to chat with visitors. (air-conditioned gallery and workspace)
• Free bottled water at the admission desks, while supplies last.

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Architect Nancy Bastian from Cecil Baker and Partners shows preliminary drawings of a proposed affordable housing building at 46th and Spruce during a meeting of the Spruce Hill Community Association planning committee on Monday evening. (Photo by West Philly Local)

A non-profit told the Spruce Hill Community Association and a handful of nearby residents that it hopes to construct a four-story affordable housing building on the site of a burnt-out one-story structure at 46th and Spruce.

The Mission First Housing Group‘s building would include 24 one- and two-bedroom rental apartments aimed at people with a household income of $32,000 a year or less, according to Mark Deitcher, Mission First’s director of business development.

“Our plan is to replace affordable housing with affordable housing,” he said.

The burnt-out building at 46th and Spruce.

A fire gutted the building in February 2011, essentially putting out of business the non-profit that ran an assisted care living facility on the site. The insurance proceeds from the fire were not enough to cover rebuilding. Mission First is currently managing the property on the owner’s behalf and recently shored up the building’s roof and replaced windows by city order.

The project depends on a successful application for funding from the state. Mission First would own the property and fund the building’s construction through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s low income housing tax credit program, which would provide funding for the project. Deitcher said he expects the project to cost about $7 million, or about $200 per square foot. Funding applications are due late this year or maybe early next year, so completion of the project, if approved, is still a couple of years away. Mission First would also manage the building once constructed.  Continue Reading