This is a reminder that the SEPTA Trolley Tunnel Blitz, the annual maintenance and construction project in the trolley tunnel connecting West Philadelphia and Center City, is underway until Monday, Aug. 17. All trolleys are being diverted to 40th and Market where passengers can switch to the Market-Frankford line.

Over the weekend, SEPTA crews were also repairing tracks at the 40th Street Trolley Portal at 40th and Woodland (see photo below).

Local artists are invited to be a part of a new project on 52nd Street. The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation (TEC-CDC) is seeking experienced artists to paint 56 parking meters on the 52nd Street commercial corridor between Arch and Walnut streets.

The designs will be created with community input and according to a coordinated branding scheme for the corridor. Beginning in September, the selected artists will work with local schools, community groups and businesses on the initial design of the parking meter art. The painting project will begin in October, and is expected to be completed by mid-November.

The project, which will help fight blight in the form of aging parking meters, is part of the ongoing 52nd Street commercial corridor revitalization efforts spearheaded by TEC-CDC. The project is funded by Philadelphia LISC.

This is a paid opportunity for artists or creative groups (up to 10 artists can be selected to participate in the project), and TEC-CDC will cover all the supply costs. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 10. More information about the project, application details and forms are available here. If you have questions, please contact Akeem J. Dixon at 215-895-4021 or ADixon@theenterprisecenter.com

UPDATE (8/6/2015): Good news for the Walnut Street West Library staff and customers: the AC system has been repaired, and the library is set to re-open on Friday, Aug. 7. Check out the library’s Facebook page for more information.

8/4/2015: Here’s some bad news from the Walnut Street West branch of the Free Library (40th and Walnut). Thanks to some issues with the branch’s heating and cooling system, the library will be closed “until further notice,” according to the Facebook page for the branch.

“We do not have any information at this time regarding when the branch will reopen,” the page reads. “Without the necessary repairs, our building will stay closed until such a time as the interior temperature falls into the 70-degree range.”

Details are still being worked out for picking up holds placed at the branch, and any fines caused by the closure will be waived, the post continued.

Former Transition To Independent Living Center building at 4534-36 Spruce St (archived photo).

The new owners of the former Transition To Independent Living Center building at the corner of 46th and Spruce streets will be at the Spruce Hill Community Association’s zoning meeting on Thursday, Aug. 6, to hear what neighborhood residents want to see developed at the site.

The building went up for sale again in June after its owner, Mission First, didn’t receive enough funding for the development of an affordable housing project at the site. The new owners have not been identified yet.

The meeting will take place at SHCA’s office at 257 S. 45th St., beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the 4534-36 site will be discussed first (for approximately 30 minutes).

Other development projects to be discussed at the meeting include:

– Ronald McDonald House expansion plans. (7 p.m.)

– Jubilee School (4211 Chester Avenue) – Erection of a mobile trailer at the rear of the lot for expanded educational activities. (7:15 p.m.)

– 4249 Walnut–Construction of a two-story addition in the rear of an existing three-story structure. (7:30 p.m.)

The annual Center City Trolley Tunnel maintenance and construction project (SEPTA Trolley Tunnel Blitz) is scheduled for July 31 – Aug. 17, 2015, which means there will be no trolley service in the tunnel during this period. Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the tunnel from 10 p.m. on Friday, July 31 through 4 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17 while SEPTA crews complete a variety of power, track and station improvement projects.

During the 16-day tunnel closure, passengers can use the Market-Frankford Line from 40th Street station to travel to and from Center City. All trolleys will be diverted to 40th and Market Streets where passengers can switch to subway service at no additional cost.

During the Blitz, SEPTA crews will replace almost 7,500 feet (more than one mile) of track on the westbound side of the tunnel between 22nd Street Station and the 40th Street Portal.

Shanika Mason in police custody on Wednesday. Screen shot from CBS3 video.

Police say a woman surrendered this morning in connection with the hit-and-run collision in April that killed a 4-year-old boy.

The black Ford Edge that police believe struck Abdul Wilson near the corner of 57th and Florence was recovered the following day, April 15, in a parking lot under Love Park in Center City, according to reports. Since then, the owner of the vehicle has apparently been negotiating with police through an attorney to turn herself in, which she did this morning.

CBS Philly is reporting that the woman is 27-year-old Shanika Mason of Sharon Hill. According to police, Mason works as a dietary aide in Haverford. Police could not confirm if charges have been filed. We will keep you posted.