Friends of 40Th Street Meeting
Friends of 40th Street Meeting
Meeting Memo No. 22
Friends of 40th Street
1 December 2006
Friends of 40th Street
Meeting Memo No. 22
Date/Place/Time: 1 December 2006/ The Community Room – 3901 Market Street /8:00 a.m.
Attendance:Marge Arndt4025 Chestnut St, American Law Institute
Jessi AverillThe Partnership CDC
Amanda BennerUniversity City Green
James Braxton3901 Market Street (3901)
Ethel Briscoe 3901 Market Street (3901)
Joyce Caulley 3901 Market Street (3901)
Ila Clark3901 Market Street (3901)
Catherine Dekle3901 Market Street (3901)
Marc DesirResident Services, 3901 Market Street (3901)
Joe FischerUniversity of Pennsylvania Police Depart. (UPPD)
Curtis FisherLittle Folks’ ChildCareCenter
Lee Goode3901 Market Street (3901)
Andrew GoodmanPennPraxis
Amos Green, Jr.Amos Green Optics
Winnie HarrisUniversity City Green
Carolyn HewsonUniversity City District
Ronald Hood 3901 Market Street (3901)
Ethel Jeter3901 Market Street (3901)
Eleanor Johnson3901 Market Street (3901)
Veeda Johnson3901 Market Street (3901)
Lucy KermanGreater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition
Portia King3901 Market Street (3901)
John LatchAmerican Law Institute
Kathy Laws3901 Market Street (3901)
Connie LeeA Green Thing Gifts
William McCollum3901 Market Street (3901)
Cynthia Moore Management, 3901 Market Street
Ida Morris3901 Market Street (3901)
Nancy Mosely3901 Market Street (3901)
Winnie NaftiManagement, 3901 Market Street
Mary Ann Postell3901 Market Street (3901)
Connie Powell-LeeA Green Thing
Sia Rah3901 Market Street (3901)
Kate ReeseThe Enterprise Center CDC
Wanda Richardson3901 Market Street (3901)
Richard Rogers3901 Market Street (3901)
Al SimpkinsBushfire Theater
Alisa Orduna-SneedThe Partnership CDC
Harris SteinbergPenn Praxis, U of PA (PP)
George Stevens3856 Lancaster Avenue
Frances Talley3901 Market Street (3901)
Ramona TaylorThe Partnership CDC
Imanni WilkesThe Enterprise Center CDC
Geraldine Williams3901 Market Street (3901)
LorraineWilson3901 Market Street (3901)
Matthew WolfeUniversity City Republican Committee
Andrew ZitcerFacilities and Real Estate, U of PA
Purpose:Monthly meeting of the Friends of 40th Street
Items Discussed:
1)Harris Steinberg (HSt) opened the meeting by welcoming everyone. After introductions, the minutes from last month’s meeting were approved as read.
2)HSt introduced Amanda Benner (AB), director of University City Green. HSt thanked AB for coming to present to the Friends on the importance of improving neighborhood quality of life through greening. HSt emphasized that UC Green has played a prominent role in making University City vibrant, which proves that greening can make streets much more comfortable places to live by improving safety, increasing property values, and spurring commercial development.
a)Before beginning her presentation, AB announced that UC Green plans to plant at least forty trees on Market Street west of 40th Street this year.
b)AB then discussed UC Green and its role as a community-building organization. She emphasized that the group’s success is due largely to its strong volunteer activism and local partners, who build relationships with the technical planting experts. UC Green leverages significant value from these volunteers, saving thousands of dollars each year.
i)In 2005, AB said that UC Green planted 230 street trees and dedicated over 3,000 hours in community service, leading to total increases in local property values of $1.5 million.
(1)AB noted that UC Green spent 1,382 hours pruning trees that had been planted along side KingsessingRecreationCenter.
ii)AB also discussed the UC Green Corps, a tree maintenance employment program, and the Pruning Club, a weekly gathering of neighbors who hand-prune trees over the summer.
c)AB listed the many benefits of “greening” city streets, including air purification, crime reduction, traffic calming, stress relief, and reduction of energy costs. She noted that greening “is about the future of our community and our planet.”
3)Lucy Kerman asked if AB could give more detail on the scheduled tree plantings along Market Street. AB said that UC Green is still finalizing details, but Market Street west of 40th St (41st, 42nd) is planned as one of UC Green’s spring 2007 community planting event.
4)Richard Rogers (RR) asked how large UC Green’s coverage area is. AB said the project area is between the SchuylkillRiver on the east and south, to Haverford Avenue to the north and out to 52nd Street to the west. However, they recently approved a project at 5300 Catherine Street, so they are flexible where there is need.
5)HSt thanked AB for presenting, and echoed her sentiments about trees as tools of community regeneration. Greening is one way to keep the community healthy, in terms of mental as well as physical health.
6)HSt also gave an update on progress made from the work done on Creating a Civic Vision for 40th and Market Streets. He said the fundamental lesson from the design workshop was improvements to quality of life benefits existing residents as well as attracts new people to the area. In this vein, the design team helped revise the 40th Street Planning Principles as they relate to the intersection in new ways.
7)Alisa Sneed (AS) and Carolyn Hewson (CH) have taken the results one step further and researched how to put some of the community suggestions into action.
i)They have been breaking down different elements of the suggested design phases in the civic vision and determining the timeline and budget for such improvements to 40th and Market Streets.
ii)AS emphasized that many of the ideas from the workshop can be done immediately, such as façade treatments and lighting.
iii)CH said that both University City District and Partnership CDC have expertise in different areas of neighborhood revitalization, so combining this wealth of knowledge will prove incredibly valuable to the process in the long term.
(1)For example, UCD already has a lighting study underway to look into different options that can make the street brighter for pedestrians.
iv)HSt noted that it is important and powerful to have large community stakeholders like UCD and the Partnership CDC listen and respond to the Friends’ calls for changes. Thanks to AS and CH, the organizational framework is now in place to make it happen.
v)RR asked AS what other organizations she is working with, and AS explained that they are now taking the project to public agencies for technical details. Now that there is a concrete plan, she and CH are working to attach cost figures and time estimates to each design phase to take to public officials.
8)Next, Captain Joe Fischer (JFi) gave two updates on local crime in the area.
a)JFi reported that a plain-clothes police team made a narcotics arrest recently at 40th and Market Streets. He thinks that the recent increase in robberies north of Market Street is a result of the arrests of these drug traffickers, so he expanded the police detail further north. Since them, crime levels have stabilized.
b)He also informed the Friends of two distinct robbery patterns, occurring from 21st Street all the way out to 48th Street. The frequency of these reported robberies are draining UPPD’s resources, but they are working hard to find these criminals.
c)One resident of 3901 Market Street told JFi about a new string of prescription drug robberies. JFi said that he will pass that information on to other UPPD officers. He also suggested that the police bring an officer in the University Square to teach some self-defense techniques for seniors.
9)In other issues, Connie Powell (CP) announced the dedication of the KenneLyonsNeighborhoodNetworkCenter at 3901Market St.
a)The goal of the center is to bridge the gap between seniors and youth in the community through basic computer lessons.
b)The dedication ceremony is December 21, so please let CP know if you can attend.
10)Ramona Taylor (RT) of Partnership CDC announced that applications for those who need help with paying heating bills this winter are available at the Partnership office at 4020 Market Street. People can come pick them up between 9am-12pm Monday through Thursday.
a)She also announced that Partnership intends to have their new ERNCenter up and running by February. The side facing Market Street will have a retail use, while the back of the ground floor and second floor will house a welfare-to-work program.
11)HSt invited the Friends to attend upcoming public forums for another PennPraxis project, the Central Delaware Waterfront Planning Process.
i)He noted that the civic engagement work done at 40th Street is now being applied on a citywide scale, so he thanked the Friends for their help and guidance.
ii)For anyone who is interested in learning more, the website for the project is
12)Kathy Laws (KL) announced that the Chess Club at the Walnut West Library has finally been re-opened, thanks to the arrival of three new volunteers to help with the children. About twenty children have committed to participate already!
13)The next meeting will occur on Friday, January 26, 2006, at 8:00 a.m. at 3901 Market St.
14)Standing meetings will be held the last Friday of each month with the exception of August and December. Meetings are open to the community and members are urged to invite neighbors and friends to participate.
Submitted by:
Andrew Goodman
Friends of 40th Street Coordinator
Cc:Those in Attendance
Friends of 40th Street
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