Next week in Frankford

• Saturday December 1st - Noon - North Catholic IT Academy Open House
• Saturday December 1st - 7PM - at Mozaic - the Butch Ballard Trio
• Sunday December 2nd - 11:30AM - at St. Joachim - Christmas Wonderland
• Sunday December 2nd - Noon - Grand Army of the Republic Open House
  
• Sunday December 2nd - 1:ooPM - Historical Society of Frankford Open House
• Monday December 3rd - 6:00PM - Rain Barrel Workshop at Frankford Group Ministry
• Wednesday December 5th - 6-10PM - Gallery night at Mozaic
  
• Thursday December 6th - 7:00PM - East Frankford Civic Association meeting
  
• Friday December 7th - 9:00AM - Frankford Friends School Open House
  

See the community calendar more details about these events.

Civic group officials explain leader’s ouster

The Northeast Times this week carried two letters from East Frankford Civic's board members which can be read here. These were responses to the Times article covering this month's meeting and the election of a new president.

Northwood Civic Association

From the Northeast Times we learn the results of last weeks elections at the Northwood Civic. Congratulations to the new officers and board.

Effective in January:

President - Barry Howell
Vice President - Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Secretary - ?
Treasurer - (Bill Rodebaugh)
Board members - Lou Kubik, Renee Hudson, Gina Panchella and Joanne Ryles

Philly Neighborhoods Online

Please check out the Philly Neighborhoods online web page. It tries to pack more information into one place about getting things done in Philadelphia that you can imagine. This is a great resource. We've added a link over to the right at the bottom of the page.

Northeast Philadelphia Town Hall Meeting

Northeast Philadelphia Town Hall Meeting

Northeast residents: Come discuss the absence of maternity services in our community!

Join childbearing families, nurses, doctors, and legislators to explore the city's childbirth crisis at a Northeast Philadelphia Town Hall Meeting moderated by Zack Stalberg of the Committee of Seventy. The meeting is sponsored by the Community Board of Public Health Center # 10; Maternity Care Coalition; Counseling or Referral Assistance (CORA); Friends of Tacony Creek Park; Lawncrest Town Watch; Somerton Civic Association; Rhawnhurst Town Watch; and Upper Northwood Community Council.

Thursday, November 29, 7 pm
St. John's Lutheran Church

3101 Tyson Avenue, 19149

(corner of Tyson and Sackett)




Families in Northeast and all of Philadelphia
must have access to safe and affordable

prenatal care and birthing options.

The time to act is now!

Ed Schwartz, Institute for the Study of Civic Values, 1218 Chestnut St.,
Rm. 702, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 215-238-1434 edcivic@libertynet. org

Alvira Perry burned out

There was an interesting page 1 story in the Daily News today about Alvira Perry and the problems she had with a house next to her own. She had bought her house at 1643 Margaret Street in 1998 for $3,500. No, it was not the best of locations but the price was right and she could afford it. She lived there as the block deteriorated and eventually hers was the only occupied house. Squatters took over the house next to hers. She complained to her councilman and to anybody else she could find. The squatters continued on and eventually set a fire that caused significant damage to Elvira's home and she had to move in with her daughter.

She filed a claim with the City. Why, because the City owned the house where the squatters set the fire. Case closed. Pay the lady for the damage.

When the City takes over these properties, it has the obligation to do the right thing, just like you or I would. The City was negligent.

Home of the week

You may have seen this home in passing Frankford hospital on your way up Harrison Street. I have not been able to get a picture of it that does justice to the nice garden in the side yard. It is a gem.

Murder in Frankford Sunday morning

From philly.com today:

David Howarth, 32, of Penn Street near Dyre, was found shot once in the chest on Brill Street near Frankford Avenue in the Northeast shortly after 4:30 a.m. yesterday.

He was pronounced dead at Frankford-Torresdale Hospital at 5:30 a.m.

Detectives were interviewing a possible suspect, but no charges had been filed, said Homicide Sgt. Ron McClane.

Read this version from the Northeast Times

Next week in Frankford

• Saturday the 24th and Sunday the 25th - Greenwood Cemetery Cleanup - Greenwood Cemetery Cleanup LOCATION; 931 Adams Ave., Philadelphia,Pa 19124 WHEN; Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25 TIME; 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM or whenever you can attend between those times. LUNCH AND SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED: by FOG Please wear sturdy shoes and work gloves. This is a rain or shine event, dress for the weather. If you have a weed wackier, rake,shovel,bush clippers, etc., please bring them. We have a woodchipper coming so that we can grind up the tree branches and twigs and spread them along the pathways and fill in groundhog holes. We will also have some office work to do and some painting of the the graffiti on the outside walls. Any one who has any other equipment they can bring to help out would be appreciated. We will give receipts for tax deductible contributions of time/work performed, as we are a 501c3 tax free organization. We the Friends of Greenwood are deeply involved in trying to preserve this old cemetery and the Benj. Rush Farm House which stands on the property. Benj.Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a physician. The house was also a stop on the Underground RR and once was the home of Lenape Indians. It is the final resting place of many veterans of America's wars, including a MOH from the Philippine War of 1898. It is also the final resting place of the parents of WC Fields. Anyone interested in coming out to help, please e mail me by November 21st at the latest, as we need to be able to provide enough food and snacks for all attendees. Thanks in advance for any help you can give. Kathleen(Kathy) Smith SilverOwl275@aol.com
• Saturday the 24th - at Mozaic 7-11PM - The Kenny Kellem Trio
  

Another dream come true

"Operation Field Rescue" will air on Thanksgiving at 4 and 9PM on Comcast channel 9. The story is about the Frankford Chargers and Vince Papale and the transformation of the Billy Gambrel recreation center field

Mozaic

The Frankford Gazette is not one to be the first in line for any occasion, so it was about time that we sampled the fare at Mozaic. Tuesday afternoon was a cause for celebration so it was fitting that we decided that no more appropriate place than Mozaic would due.

The verdict: not since the demise of the Griscom House has Frankford seen anything comparable.

We came for luncheon and were not disappointed. We had the Chicken Parmesan and French dip. Ample leftovers for seconds today.

The atmosphere even during a rather dreary, rainy day was fine. The passing scene outside, visible from a window table, was always entertaining.

Try it.

Frankford home of the week

A sunny day on Tackawanna Street.

Next week in Frankford

• On Tuesday November 20th - 7PM - Northwood Civic Association meeting for election of officers
• Thursday November 22nd - Happy thanksgiving
  

Crime in Frankford

The latest tale of losers who can't make a living any other way than with a gun was detailed on NBC10 yesterday. Do him a favor and send him to a nice vocational school along the river. Take a look at the still pictures they are fairly clear. He seems to prefer that little strip mall along Castor Avenue with the Family Dollar and Radio Shack.

From the Northeast Tiems:
A Lower Frankford man identified by police last month as the culprit in a string of armed robberies at local businesses remains on the loose.
Detectives are still seeking the public’s help in locating him.
Earl McIntosh, 19, of the 4600 block of Naples St., is wanted for six hold-ups as well as a burglary.
All seven crimes occurred at stores within blocks of his last known address.
McIntosh has robbed the Radio Shack, at 4501 Castor Ave., three times since Oct. 28; the Family Dollar, at 4334 Frankford Ave., twice; and the Yandel Food Market, at 1362 Unity St., once, police say.
Also, he allegedly broke into the Family Dollar in the same shopping center as the Radio Shack.
Five of the crimes have occurred in broad daylight, between the hours of 12:20 and 2:50 p.m.
Sometimes, McIntosh has used a handgun and other times a shotgun, according to Lt. Mark Burgmann of Northeast Detectives.
In all, the robber has taken over $3,000 in the heists.
No injuries have been reported, but McIntosh is considered armed and dangerous.
He is black, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and numerous tattoos on his arms, legs, hands and neck. His nickname is Tyrone.
Call 215-686-3153 to report information about the suspect. ••

Crime in Frankford

The details of the shooting last night at Orthodox and Torresdale have been well publicized. The only positive is that the undercover cops were not killed. No thanks to the shooter, he did his best. I posted a new poll over to the right. Take a look and voice your opinion.

New Link

We have a new link posted over under Frankford Links. Pennsylvania Environmental Council provides some information on the TOD (Transit Oriented Development) concept.

Frankford home of the week

It's true that sometimes I do some cropping to frame the image of a house to cut out those on either side. Sometimes I find a gem in the middle of a group that are just ordinary. The homes this week are actually 4 in an entire row that overall is outstanding. There are others in Frankford, to be sure, but these homes on Church Street are the homes of the week.


You always see a theme here. On this cool Fall day it's Halloween but Christmas will be going up probably in a few weeks now. It's interesting to see how these four identical row houses have evolved over their lifetimes.

Councilman Dan Savage

This week's Northeast Times brings us an article on Dan Savage's accomplishment's during his time in office. It does a better job than I could in listing them and I have to admit I did not know about all of the things noted in the story.

The most important thing he has given Frankford is some long needed attention. He clearly sees Frankford as important to the health of the Northeast and has worked hard to get some things done.

From the very visible things like the Deni Playground and derelict building demolition to the less exciting but very important Transit-Oriented Development zoning changes. So far he has introduced or co-sponsored 38 bills in City Council and he has not left office yet. I'm sure we will be hearing from Dan in the future.

Now let's hope Maria Quinones-Sanchez hits the deck running and keep the momentum going.

Frankford Special Services District

Thanks again to the folks at www.hallwatch.org we have notice of a bill to change the number of persons on the board of directors of the Special Services District. Given the difficulty in finding good people to hold these positions, that makes sense.

Also included are the names of the people who will be on the board:

BOARD MEMBERS

Nancy Cherone
James McCarthy
Dr. Harry Kaplan
Ralph Lewis
Elizabeth McCollum Nazario
Anthony Stephens
Paul Mundy                           
James T. Nulty                       
Terry Tobin 

You can read the full text of the bill here.                         

Images of Frankford

The web site www.flickr.com is a great place to browse when you have an hour or so. Earlier this year I found one photographer who had a few pictures of Frankford and they were very good. I checked back today and he has added quite a few to his portfolio so I am encouraging everyone to take a look at chrisinphilly on flickr and watch the slide show of his Frankford collection. He has a great eye.

While you're over there, have a look at the rest of his collection.

Next week in Frankford

• On Saturday the 10th at Mater Dolorosa - 6PM - Monte Carlo night - night at the races
• On Tuesday the 13th - at the Historical Society of Frankford - 7:30 PM - Program - Norman Satchell presents a slide slow of "Colonial Philadelphia" Independence Hall
  

Frankford Real Estate Trend

Our friends at the Cartographic Modeling Lab at the U of Penn have updated the neighborhoodBase with sales data from 2006. We all know that 2006 was not a terrific year but Frankford did not do all that bad.

The median sales price of properties sold in 2006 was up $7,000 over 2005 ($72,000 versus $65,000). At the same time the median price for the city overall dropped from $86,000 to $81,000. This is using data for Frankford defined by the U of Penn which can be found on the neighborhoodBase web site.

If you focus on zip code 19124 the result was even more impressive. The 2005 median price was $72,500 which increased in 2006 to $79,000.

Not everyone will see this as good news. With the change in real estate valuation on the horizon this may not be the best time to have your home value increase. But the increase we are seeing is at best the market catching up to the fact we all know, that this is a good place to live and has tremendous potential for the future.

The instability of oil prices will likely give pause to those thinking of moving far out of the city to be locked into a long commute to work. Where better to situate yourself than at a major transportation hub within the city.

Where better then Frankford.

"Illegal" meeting votes out president of East Frankford Civic Assoc.

This article from the Northeast Times summarizes the proceedings.

Walkability

I found this link on the Philadelphia Bicycle News site today. Enter your address and then get a rating for how walkable your location is. We are blessed in Frankford with a high walkability index. Now enter the addresses of your family and friends and compare. One of the many benefits of living in Frankford.

Frankford Home of the Week

I found this one a few weeks ago on Duffield Street. There is a nice little garden in front and the sidewalk is spotless.

Next week in Frankford

• Sunday the 4th -Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House - Noon - Presentation at 1:00 PM: Women of the North &; South in the Civil War"; Carol Neumann, R.N., M.S. Union League FREE and open to the public G.A.R. Civil War Museum &; Library 4278 Griscom St. Philadelphia, PA 19124 215-204-5452
• Sunday the 4th - Historical Society of Frankford - 1 to 4PM - Open Houses are held the first Sunday of each month from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and offers members and interested guests the opportunity to learn about the area’s rich history. Closed January, February, July, August and September.
• Tuesday the 6th - Election day - Please vote
• Thursday the 8th - 7PM - Northwood Neighbors Association Meeting - Simpson Playground

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

The article in the Northeast Times this week made reference to a bill submitted by council people Savage, Krajewski and DiCicco. Our friends at Hallwatch.org have provided a link to the entire text of the bill.

The bill first defines Transit-Oriented Development as "encourages mixed-use, higher-density development near transit stations." It then goes on to enumerate very detailed changes to the zoning code to implement this type of development.

The second part of the bill designates Frankford Avenue from Cheltenham Avenue to the Frankford Creek as the Frankford Transit-Oriented Development District.

It is not extremely long and with some patience you can make some sense of it, so take a look.

You might also take a look at this wikipedia entry and this site to for some additional information.