Publications

On Tuesday, February 22, CCRA held a public community meeting via zoom regarding the building of 2300 Market Street.  The developers are Lupert-Adler Properties. This location is where the Culinary School used to be.  It sits next to the new Aramark Building on Market St.  To see the plans of this project, visit here.  To view the meeting, visit our YouTube channel.

Returning MLK Drive to “normal” — a high-injury-prone speedway that cut the people of Philadelphia off from the Schuylkill Waterfront — just isn’t an option.

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/martin-luther-king-drive-mlk-closed-pandemic-bikes-20210222.html

Philadelphia on Monday opens a new set of mass vaccine sites for eligible residents. The city Health Department will operate the invitation-only clinics, with plans to vaccinate about 500 people at each one.

https://whyy.org/articles/philly-opens-three-new-mass-vaccine-sites-monday-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

Philadelphia radio legend Cody Anderson has died.

Anderson passed away on Saturday, officials said.

Anderson was part of the WURD family for years, first as General Manager and most recently as a beloved host, mentor and friend, according to a Facebook post from the station.

The site will be filled with doses supplied from the federal government and could administer shots to as many as 6,000 people a day.

Coronavirus Vaccine: FEMA Will Run COVID-19 Vaccination Center at Pennsylvania Convention Center – NBC10 Philadelphia (nbcphiladelphia.com)

According to Haley Jordan, project lead at the city's Office of Sustainability, "As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we've seen 25-50 percent increases in trash and recycling tonnage curbside due to more waste being generated at home." 

There are many ways you can help. First, recycling "right" - making sure to rinse containers and checking the list of recyclable materials . According to the City of Philadelphia, "' 'wrong' recycling is actually worse than not recycling at all. It contaminates the recycling stream which not only ruins good materials and damages equipment—it endangers our recycling workers. And it only takes one bad bin to ruin a truckload of good recycling."

Many of our household essentials and products we buy most often come in single use packaging and / or with additional packaging waste when bought online. Refilling into reusable containers solves this problem...think hand soap into a glass container. Both refilling and reusing are even better options than recycling, as they put less strain on our systems. Here are some great tips on reducing and reusing from the EPA

Composting may seem intimidating, but it can also make a major impact in decreasing climate impacts of waste. There are several local companies that will provide you with the materials, pick it up for you, and in some cases, even sell soil that's been fertilized by the compost. 

With a few steps, you can help decrease Philadelphia's waste particularly during this time of increased trash. For a broader view, check out the City’s

Zero Waste (by 2035) goal and associated programs.

Jacqui Hehn, Mlkmn

As mayors of Pennsylvania cities, we witness the human toll the pandemic takes each day it stretches on. We see families losing loved ones, jobless workers struggling to make ends meet, kids stuck at home and isolated, and businesses closing their doors for good. Across our Commonwealth, residents continue to suffer.

https://www.phila.gov/2021-02-17-pennsylvania-cities-need-the-american-rescue-plan-and-we-cannot-wait/

UPDATE FROM 9TH POLICE DISTRICT 

NEW INITIATIVE: BICYCLE TASK FORCE: Captain Hooven working with Inspector Evers  has initiated a bicycle taskforce to patrol an area including Center City West -  the community between  Broad Street and  Rittenhouse Square  from Arch to Locust. The patrols have been dispatched between 5:30 pm and 6:30 and the officers have been directed to focus on various buildings including the WAWA on 16t^h and the Rite Aid at 17^th as well as 18^th  Street between Chestnut and Walnut. Suggestions for other areas of focus for these patrols should be emailed to centercitycoalition@gmail.com

THE HOMELESS SERVICE DETAIL: A service detail of ten officers from the 9^th (west of Broad) and the 6^th (East of Broad) is  assigned to 3 shifts over a 24 hour period to deal with street people. Last week the detail counted 250 homeless sleeping in the area from Aviation Park at the Franklin Institute east to the Basilica, then south to Rittenhouse Sq. and east to 13^th . The goal is to shepherd these individuals  to City Services. The Detail officers know a substantial percentage of these people, perhaps 2/3, as to whether they are veterans, involved in retail theft etc.

COORDINATION WITH SOCIAL SERVICES: Communications between police and social services are on the upswing. Capt. Hooven of the 9^th District and Liz Hersh of Office of Homeless Services are in touch almost daily.

DRUG ACTIVITY is down a bit due in part to the cold weather which  diminishes street transactions but also  to the bike patrols  and  an initiative launched as a result of intelligence gathered through the investigation of the November murder at the  15^th and Market Close Pin. The District is looking into the phone booth at 15^th and Locust which is involved in the drug marketing and is looking.

SPRINGTIME GOALS: The 9^th District is aware that the May riots and the loss of street traffic incident to the pandemic has affected the public’s perception of Center City. Consequently, the goal is to ramp up initiatives to deal with street issues by the time that Spring arrives. 

Encouraging conversations have emerged from the January 20 letter presented by a startup community group, the Center City Coalition (CCC)  seeking City Hall’s  attention to quality of life/street issues. The CCC arose from  the initiatives mounted by  President Maggie Mund in the summer of 2019. Currently, the group’s efforts are facilitated   by two former CCRA presidents, Matt Fontana and Steve Huntington  working with Jane Green who resides in Two Liberty Place.

The first respondents to the January 20, CCC letter were At Large Councilpersons  Alan Domb  and Derek Green and District Councilperson Mark Squilla (who represents the Center City neighborhoods east of Broad) which led to  three productive Zooms   in the first three days of February. Within the next few days, CCC representatives Zoomed with staffers from the offices of the two CCCRAland Councilpeople, Kenyatta Johnson, and Council President Darrell Clarke and, as a result, arrangements are being made for CCC representatives to meet with the Council President. Further meetings with other Councilpeople are in the works.

On February 9, the Mayor’s office assembled a wide array of City representatives to Zoom with CCC delegates.  Attending were emissaries from the Mayor’s Office, Managing Director’s Office,  The Police, Homeless Services, Health, Transportation & Infrastructure (OTIS), Commerce, Community Life Improvement (CLIP)  and the Center City District. The City representatives discussed ongoing initiatives. The CCC delegates reported concerns of CCC members as to a perceived  atmosphere of fear, lack of safety and worries as to about the City “coming back” post-pandemic. The CCC delegates acknowledged that the City has put in place long term programs that promise, over time, to produce improvements while requesting more attention devoted to  here and now concerns so as to foster a sense of positive movement. The CCC presentation focused  on three general categories of concerns(1) Violence and lack of safety on our streets;(2) panhandling, especially aggressive activity, and sidewalk obstruction by street populations; and (3) quality of life issues including cleanliness and trash. The meeting was collegial with the major takeaway a resolution to meet further in the hopes of formulating action plans.