February 3, 2015
Photo from Philadelphia LISC blog.
A great neighborhood beautification project is underway in Mantua. Initiated by local residents and supported by community leaders and organizations, the Mantua Greenway project is an effort to transform an overgrown and littered strip of land on Mantua Avenue, adjacent to the Amtrak railway, into a green space, reports the Philadelphia LISC blog.
Lifetime Mantua resident Bessie Washington, who lives across the street from the lot, started a small garden there in 2011 in memory of her mother. The planting of the first few flowers and plants has blossomed into a grassroots cooperation, resulting in a large neighborhood revitalization campaign to create a green space and build a walking and biking trail. Thanks to support from the Philadelphia LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), the project also received funding.
“In 2013, the William Penn Foundation provided $200,000 for concept design and early stage planning, and this past October the neighborhood was awarded $150,000 by the state for design, engineering, and partial construction of the greenway. The path will eventually connect to the city’s Schuylkill Trail system, and will boast trees, murals and art installations,” according to the LISC blog post on the project.
Read more about this and other Mantua revitalization efforts here.
February 2, 2015
25-year-old Ashjakia Washington and 69-year-old Otero Guillermo, who were reported missing last week from their homes in West Philadelphia, have been found and are in good condition, according to police. Washington, from the 5500 block of Chancellor Street, went missing on Jan. 22 and Guillermo went missing from his residence on the 4800 block of Pine Street.
Washington had been reported missing before – in April 2014, according to police.
January 30, 2015
We’re happy to pass along some recent news from the West Philly food and restaurant world.
Renovations Underway at Rx The Farmacy
(Left to right): Danielle Coulter, Ross Scofield, and Tim Blair.
Some Spruce Hill residents and Rx The Farmacy (Facebook page) fans may have noticed that the restaurant has been closed for several days, so we got in touch with one of the owners, Ross Scofield, to see what’s going on. Turns out they are doing renovations to the kitchen. “A lot of things/equipment in the kitchen were left over from Rx,” Ross explains. ” Now that the Farm is on a steady track, we are taking the opportunity to update our little cooking space.”
Ross and his partners, Danielle Coulter and Tim Blair, who now also manage the recently opened The Barn on Baltimore, are taking the opportunity to renovate the kitchen during the slower winter season. Ross also shared some of his plans for the busy spring season.
“Spring time is a busy time for The Farmacy with UPenn having graduation and the neighborhood coming out for the nice weather. I want to have a new outside seating arrangement in place. The Farm needs a nice, big sign out front. New plates, flatware, and glasses are all needed. The kitchen also needs to be “repositioned” to handle the volume of brunch service,” Ross wrote us in an email. Continue Reading
January 27, 2015
Police are asking for the community’s help to find two people who went missing in West Philly this week.
Ashjakia Washington, 25, of the 5500 block of Chancellor Street was last seen at 5 p.m. on Jan. 22 on the 5300 block of Rising Sun Avenue.
According to police, Ashjakia is 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 80 pounds, with a very thin build, brown eyes, a medium brown complexion and short auburn/brown braids. She was last seen wearing light blue jeans with pink strings on sides, a black head scarf, and puffy turquoise hooded jacket.
Otero Guillermo, 69, is missing from his residence on the 4800 block of Pine Street. Otero is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 203 pounds, with brown eyes, and gray hair. He was last seen wearing a red coat with black shoulders, blue pants, and brown sandals. He is also missing a part of his finger on his right hand.
Police say Otero suffers from chronic mental illness, paranoid Schizophrenia, and diabetes.
– Mike Lyons
January 26, 2015
All public and Archdiocesan schools in Philadelphia will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 27 due to the snow storm, and all after-school activities are canceled, according to the city government and School District of Philadelphia announcements released Monday night. City offices and courts will also be closed.
UPDATE: The latest estimate for snowfall during the overnight storm is 2 to 4 inches.
Stay tuned for more weather-related announcements.
January 26, 2015
UPDATE (8:35 p.m.): Mayor Nutter’s announcement on whether schools and city offices will be closed tomorrow is coming up at around 10:00 p.m. Stay tuned. The winter storm is expected to intensify overnight, according to Accuweather.
A snow emergency has been declared in the city beginning at 6 p.m. on Monday. If you parked your car on any of the snow emergency routes, please move it before 6 p.m.. Here are snow emergency routes in West Philadelphia:
• Chestnut Street from Cobbs Creek Parkway to 20th Street
• Walnut Street from Broad Street to Cobbs Creek Parkway
• Woodland Avenue from Cobbs Creek Parkway to University Avenue
• 34th Street from University Avenue to Grays Ferry Avenue
• 38th Street from Walnut to University Avenue
• 63rd Street from City Avenue to Walnut Street
• University Avenue from 38th Street to 34th Street
• Island Avenue from Woodland Avenue to Enterprise Avenue
• Cobbs Creek Parkway from Walnut Street to Woodland Avenue
• Schuylkill Avenue from Market Street to Walnut Street
If your vehicle remains on one of these streets it will be ticketed and towed. If your car is towed, call 215-686-SNOW to find out where it was taken.
The city has also cancelled trash and recycling pick-up on Tuesday. If your trash collection day is Tuesday please keep your trash and recyclables until next Tuesday.
UPDATE (2:50 p.m.): SEPTA has announced that Market-Frankford and Broad Street Line train service will operate all night:
Here are some more snow and cold weather-related reminders:
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