The Fire Works (Photo from The Fire Works website)

As an independent journalist, sometimes working from home can feel isolating.

Sure, I have my cats and reruns of Dallas, but staying confined to my bedroom’s four walls while furiously typing away can induce pseudo-cabin fever. And setting up shop in a local coffee joint isn’t always better—while there’s activity buzzing around you, you’re still among strangers who may not be up for much conversation.

That’s why coworking spaces like West Philly’s The Fire Works, which recently opened above Dock Street at 701 S. 50^th Street, are a growing trend in the city. Coworking hubs give professionals without a permanent workspace an opportunity to be independently productive while building a like-minded, synergized community. It’s a win-win for most people.

For owner Linford Martin, The Fire Works is meant to achieve just that in West Philly. Opened earlier this month, The Fire Works is an enhanced version of a small coworking group that met in a studio at The Cedar Works—Martin’s 15,000 square-foot community-oriented work and meeting space at 4919 Pentridge Street. Martin approached the group in October about joining forces after Philadelphia Community Acupuncture vacated the third floor of the Dock Street firehouse at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, which is already home to neighborhood mainstays Dock Street Brewery, Firehouse Bicycles and the Satellite Cafe. The Fire Works, he said, would be a larger coworking community in West Philly built on their foundation.

“Over the past year, I got to know the group better and understand more about how coworking communities function and how important it can be for people working independently or remotely for an organization,” Martin told West Philly Local. “As we brainstormed about how what shape that might take, we got jazzed about the possibilities and decided to go for it. We didn’t (and still don’t) have everything figured out but we’re enjoying working in the space and having informal discussions about how to make this coworking community an enjoyable and productive place to work.”

So The Fire Works set up shop in the former PCA space, which was revamped to include a conference room, small meeting room, kitchenette and a shared work table in an open space accessible to members only. So far, members of The Fire Works include cartographers, activists, educators, web developers, musicians, and writers according to its website.

But coworking in the 2,000 square-foot hub isn’t free. The four levels of membership range from $60 a month for five days of access a month to $200 a month, which gives you 24/7 access as well as desk and storage space. If you want to use The Fire Works beyond your membership allotment, it’s $12 for each additional day.

Still, if you can afford to drop down the cash, The Fire Works is worth checking out—particularly for the chance to connect and collaborate with local creatives.

“As we’re beginning to grow and welcome new members, we’re realizing our coworking community is really an extension of our geographical community,” said Martin. “Most of us see each other around Cedar Park or surrounding neighborhoods and have interactions with each other outside our physical space. It’s been fun to see new connections happening already.”

–Annamarya Scaccia

There will be a regular trash collection today, despite the fact that today is a federal holiday, according to the Philadelphia Streets Department. Residents whose regular trash pick-up day is Monday are asked to set trash and recycling at the curb today. Please note that there will be no rear driveway collections this week.

Trash and recycling pick-up was suspended Thursday and Friday due to the snow emergency.

UPDATE (2/15/2014): Many residents around 48th and Warrington are without water this morning, as the broken main has been shut off and water department crews are at the site trying to repair it. The repairs may take several hours and the water service is expected to be restored by this evening, according to PWD.

(2/14/2014, 10:43 p.m.): West Philly Local readers reported a water main break at 48th and Warrington, shortly after 10 p.m. A sinkhole has also formed in the middle of the street (see photos below). The police currently have the road blocked at 48th Street. The water to the neighboring blocks will likely be shut off shortly, according to the officers on site. Photos by Tom Gaeta.

A crew working on the building at 722 S. 49th St. on Friday afternoon.

Part of an abandoned residential building at the corner of 49th and Florence collapsed this morning. No injuries were reported when the rear of 722 S. 49th Street caved in.

City Paper‘s Ryan Briggs reports that neighbors have been warning city officials about the building. The city declared the building “imminently dangerous” in September and ordered its demolition.

The building’s lengthy list of violations is available here.

The long-abandoned building has a lengthy list of code violations and was slated for demolition. It’s unclear why it was still standing. (Photos by Mike Lyons/West Philly Local)

UPDATE (2:05 p.m.): Bus routes 6, 14, 17, 21, 23, 52, 56, 59, 66, and 79 will resume service at 3 p.m. and continue to operate until 10 p.m., SEPTA recently announced. Please follow SEPTA on Twitter (@septa) for further announcements.

SEPTA has announced that all buses will be suspended beginning at 10 a.m. until further notice. All other modes of transportation will continue to operate and TransPasses may be used as payment on any other SEPTA route.

Twenty-five to 30 buses got stuck this morning as snow turned to freezing rain. The city declared snow emergency at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Photo by Annamarya Scaccia.

UPDATED (2/15/2014): The snow emergency was lifted at 2 p.m. on Friday and it is now safe to park your vehicle on all snow emergency routes.

(2/12/2014, 4:11 p.m.): Here we go again. The city has declared a snow emergency beginning at 8 p.m. tonight, so if you’re parked on one of the snow emergency routes in West Philly you will have to move your car (see below). Public and parochial schools have also been closed for tomorrow ahead of the latest storm, which is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow on the city tonight through tomorrow. Early childhood and after-school programs are also cancelled.

Trash and recycling pick-up is also suspended for Thursday and Friday. Those who usually get rid of their trash on those days are asked to hold on until next Thursday or Friday.

Several major streets in West Philly will be affected, including Chestnut Street, Walnut Street and Woodland Avenue. 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 they took it. If you have to move your car, city officials are asking you to move it as far from a corner as possible to allow the plows room to turn.

There is no word yet on when the parking ban might be lifted.

In West Philly, snow emergency routes include:

• 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