January/February 2016 The Newsletter of The Society Hill Civic Association SOCIETYHILL Reporter www.societyhillcivic.org Councilman Squilla Speaks he Society Hill Civic Association (SHCA) members interested in Society Hill issues are T invites all neighbors to the General Member - welcome at our monthly Board Meeting, held at ship Meeting on January 20 to hear Councilman 5:45 p.m. in the Great Court Conference Room. Mark Squilla speak to our community. Take this excellent opportunity to present him with your Resolve to Become Involved questions and concerns. We wish you and your family a healthy, happy Mark Squilla has represented City Council’s First and prosperous 2016! We suggest that you add to District, which includes Society Hill, since 2011. your list of resolutions this year the commitment Councilman Squilla’s experience, as a community to become more involved in our special neighbor- organizer, public servant, husband and father, hood. A great way to do this is through member- has taught him that strong families and engaged ship and committee participation in the Society Councilman Mark Squilla neighborhoods are the key to Philadelphia’s future. Hill Civic Association. SHCA provides countless He believes that bringing together the best of services that enhance your property value, as each community’s traditions and new beginnings, well as your quality of life. Your neighborhood block by block and group by group, is crucial to is cleaner, safer and more beautiful because of Philadelphia’s success as it grows and evolves. our efforts. Hop on board this year by either The councilman has shown his commitment to renewing your membership or joining SHCA this belief by actively taking part in efforts like for the first time. Visit www.societyhill.org to the move toward revitalizing the Reading Viaduct find out more about your civic association. and the planning work of the Central Delaware Advisory Group. SOME THINGS CHANGE… Remember, everyone is welcome to attend our General Membership Meeting. Simply arrive and some things stay the same. at Pennsylvania Hospital’s Zubrow Auditorium, A&P, the bankrupt located on the first floor inside the main entrance parent company at 8th Street near Spruce, before 7 p.m. All SHCA of SuperFresh Markets, recently sold its 5th Street store to Acme. WEDNESDAY MARK YOUR CALENDAR Much has stayed in place, like January manager John Society Hill Civic Association Meetings Kirlin and many Wednesday, January 20, 2016 of the staff. However, accord- Pennsylvania Hospital ing to Mr. Kirlin, 20 8th and Spruce Streets a lot is different. There’s now a 5:45 p.m. Board of Directors Meeting much larger selec- Pennsylvania Great Court Conference Room tion of meats and All SHCA members are welcome. produce, both organic and conventional. Prices, in general, tend to be lower. And there is a significant 7:00 p.m. General Membership Meeting shift in customer service — the manager has been Pennsylvania Hospital Zubrow Auditorium given full leeway to honor customer requests, even All neighborhood residents are invited to attend. if it means running to Whole Foods for a particular item. It’s important that the Society Hill community Speaker: Councilman Mark Squilla supports our 5th Street Acme to show how vital it Topic: Q&A is to our overall well being. PAGE 2 SOCIETYHILL Reporter NUSA SOCIETYHILL 2014 & 2015 Award Reporter Winner Managing Editor Press Release Liaison Sandra Rothman c/o Matt DeJulio Columnists [email protected] Marilyn Appel Advertising Manager Claire Batten Lenore Hardy Jane Biberman [email protected] Matt DeJulio Julie Featherman Submission Deadlines Martha Levine March/April Issue Jim Murphy Advertising: February 1 Keri White Editorial: February 1 Contributors Society Hill Bob Kramer Civic Association Jonathan Rubin P. O. Box 63503 Linda Witt Philadelphia, PA 19147 Graphic Design Tel. 215-629-1288 Judy Lamirand Website Parallel Design, Inc. Find past issues in color [email protected] at www.societyhillcivic.org. ww designgroupllc.com 267.872.8814 Submissions If you have news that would be of interest to Society Hillers, email Sandra Rothman at [email protected]. Materials must be submitted in writing and include the name of a contact person. Edited submissions will be considered for publication if space permits. Letters to the Editor must be signed, with contact information. SHCA Mission Statement parallel The aims and purposes of SHCA are to promote the improve- ment of the Society Hill area of Philadelphia, including its cultural, educational and civic activities, and the preservation design and restoration of its historic buildings; to represent the resi- dents of Society Hill in matters affecting the City of Philadel - Find our p hia generally and Society Hill in particular; and to interpret designs the value and significance of Society Hill to the public. online. SHCA Board Officers and Directors BeyondTheLibertyBell.org President Northeast Quadrant Parallel-Design.com Robert Curley 2016 Lisa Unger First Vice President 2017 George Kelley Kim Williams 2018 Robert Kramer 215-476-4040 Second Vice President Northwest Quadrant Martha Levine 2016 Amy DeMarco Recording Secretary 2017 Norman Lieberman 2018 Mary Tracy Logos Diane Stein Treasurer Southeast Quadrant Websites Marc Feldman 2016 Jeff Berry Banners Newsletters Directors-at-Large 2017 Barbara Gelman Georgine Atacan, George 2018 Gail Hauptfuhrer Books The Award-Winning Dowdall, Diane Harrison, Southwest Quadrant Sissie Lipton, Fred Manfred, Brochures Society Hill 2016 Daniel Horowitz Mary Purcell, Heather 2017 Carolyn Ambler Walter Invitations ! Steiner, Vijay Verma Reporter 2018 Martha Moore JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 PAGE 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By BoB Curley, SHCA PreSident Let’s Hope 2016 is a Good One appy New Year! As John Lennon and Yoko Front Street Parking Lot HOno said in 1971, “Let’s hope it’s a good At its October meeting, the Board of Directors one without any fear.” approved the execution of a long-term lease between SHCA and the Interstate Land Manage - We thank South Street Headhouse District ment Corporation for a parking lot on Front director Mike Harris for the update about Street between Pine and South Streets. SHCA the Headhouse Plaza Project at our November executed a five-year lease, renewable for an General Membership Meeting, as well as Ronn additional 10 years. The parking lot opened on Shaffer and Fishtown Artist Roger Wing for their November 1 and there are still parking leases fascinating discussion about early Society Hill available on a monthly basis. If you are interested Bob Curley, SHCA president resident Reverend George Duffield and the in obtaining one, please contact Matt DeJulio, new sculpture of him now standing in the who can put you in touch with the managers Bob Curley has Old Pine Street graveyard. been a board member of the lot at Park America. for six years, during It was great talking with the folks who came to which he co-coordinated Electric Car Parking Permits SHCA’s Holiday Social on December 2. Thanks Clean-Up Day and to Mary Purcell for organizing the event and Councilman Squilla arranged for a meeting participated with Tree Tenders. He is Bridget Foy’s for providing its facilities. between SHCA and the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) to discuss its electric vehicle a partner in the law Thanks also to all the block coordinators and firm of O’Donoghue permitting process. PPA is revising its regula- & O’Donoghue LLP. neighbors who participated in Fall Clean-Up Day. tions as a result, and they should be approved The event was a great success, and my thanks by the time you read this. There will be a one-to- to Jeff Berry, Dan Horowitz and Wally Wing three-car limit for dedicated parking spaces on for helping out. each block, depending on the size of the block. Since the last Reporter, SHCA has been involved This will include dedicated parking spaces for in several important community matters, including: electric cars and people with disabilities. Streets with only one side of parking are expected to have 5th Street Developments a lower permit limit when the new regulations In mid-November, Leo Addimando, Managing are finalized. As with the reserved residential Partner of Alterra, contacted me and requested parking spaces for people with disabilities, the a meeting. SHCA supports having a supermarket electric car permit will terminate when the permit stay at the location and insists that the developer holder moves or no longer drives an electric car. present a great design plan that is aesthetically and architecturally appropriate for the site. For In closing, I want to thank all the board members more information, please see the larger article for their help in 2015 and ask every neighbor — on page 5 discussing 5th Street developments. from Front to 8th Streets and between Lombard and Walnut — to give some thought to how you Comcast/Verizon Agreement can contribute to making this community a Councilman Mark Squilla helped SHCA with better place. Then, get out and do it! Electric car charging its request that Comcast and Verizon negotiate station a joint right-of-way sharing agreement. Such an Correction We regret the error on page 5 of the agreement would allow Verizon to piggyback on November/December issue, where State Representative Comcast’s current right-of-way network already Michael O’Brien was inadvertently referred to as in place in the Society Hill neighborhood. A joint “Michael Brian.” We appreciate the funding the shredding service on Clean-Up Day by Representative O’Brien’s agreement would avoid the need to build out a office, and we appreciate his and his staff’s presence duplicate cable right-of-way when Verizon finally at the event for two-and-a-half hours. We are grateful for offers its FiOS service to neighborhood resi- all that Representative O’Brien does for Society Hill and dents.