Committee Hearing, March 26, 2009

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, March 26, 2009 1:05 a.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN, CHAIR COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN FRANK DiCICCO COUNCILWOMAN MARIA QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO RESOLUTION 090057 - Resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings for applicants seeking nomination to serve on the Commission on Parks and Recreation... - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2

Good afternoon, everyone. Today is the continuation of a hearing around Resolution No. 090057. This is the last of a four-part series where we have had the great opportunity to hear from a wonderful mix of Park and Recreation citizens who love our parks and have, I will say to you, all been worthy of consideration for this new Commission. So I want to thank my colleague, Councilman Clarke, who at some juncture will join us, wherein together we walked down this nine-year -- we were on this nine-year journey to get to this point. I also must say thank you to our Mayor Nutter, whose support of this effort has been strong well before his tenure as Mayor. And, finally, I would be remiss not to say thank you to the Recreation and Park advocates and employees, who each and every day devote their strength 3 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and energy to improving our Park and Recreation facilities. By way of context, we know that this started summer 2000 wherein the Philadelphia Daily News produced a six-week series called "Acres of Neglect," wherein they did a very, I thought, comprehensive, analytical look-see at our Parks, and my Chief of Staff and I gathered in my office and thought as Chair of this Committee, it would behoove us to do something with that information. So we introduced a resolution, called for hearings, and invited any and everyone in who had a perspective and an opinion about what we should do better and differently with our parks. One of the recommendations out of that was to the Mayor that we needed a new strategic plan. The old strategic plan was 20 years and sitting on somebody's shelf, and it was time for us to move the needle. So the City put up 4 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 $300,000 and the William Penn Foundation matched it with a $600,000 pot of money for us to now look to a new strategic plan. The Managing Director's Office did a very exhaustive research for a contractor. They came in. They were out of Ohio. All they do is travel around the country and the world and evaluate park systems. They sent back a strategic plan, and then the commitment of Councilman Clarke and I was that that would not sit on a shelf, and one of the recommendations was for us to look as a city to merging the departments. We all know ultimately it went to the ballot, and overwhelmingly citizens supported the notion bringing those two departments together, and then, of course, the Mayor signed it into law. So we gather here today to listen again, seeking to find the best and brightest candidates that reflect, 5 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 most importantly for us on this side of the table, a diversity of the mix of this city and a diversity of the users of Philadelphia's Recreation and Park facilities. It's been a monumental challenge and one that I will tell you I have completely enjoyed listening to the -- the breadth and depth of the ideas has been awesome. It really has been. I want to thank the team that helped get us to this point and need to acknowledge my Chief of Staff, David Forde, Sharon Ortiz from the President's Office and Hal Thickhandler, who helped compile the enormous amount of paperwork. So now, what are the ground rules? We will be calling you up in groups of three. We will ask you to sit at the witness table. As stated in the e-mail, we're asking that you honor the rules and limit your brief, concise, thoughtful comments to two, no more than three minutes. We do have a time police, 6 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Councilman Curtis Jones, who will be joining us and helping us to stay on track. So you're welcome to bring your testimony. If you do not have your testimony today, please feel free to get it to us. That is helpful to us as we do the review of all of the documents. The good news is this: We've had 195 citizens submit paperwork, 195. We have thus far heard from 95. We've heard from -- where's David? Thank you. 120. 120. And this is our last round today.

So we look forward to your testimony, and we thank you just by your presence for showing the interest that you have in better improving our Parks and Recreation communities here in the City. With us is Councilman Frank DiCicco, a member of this Committee. Joining us is Councilman Frank Rizzo, a member of the legislative body. With that, we'll commence with 7 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 hearing your testimony. I would like to invite up Cathy Santose, Anne Schwieger. Thank you. I tried to say that phonetically. I failed. Philip Scott. And if I call a name and they're not here, I will be circling back on the back end to give every candidate an opportunity to tell their story. John Sheahan, Peter Simone, Adonna Sims. )

If you have testimony now, we'll take it now. Testimony is not required, but if you have it, I would like to have it on the front end, because I do take lots of notes. All right. Good afternoon. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. I'll start on my extreme right.

My name is Philip 8 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Scott. I'm a 22-year resident of the City of Philadelphia. I grew up in the western suburbs. I lived in Center City for about five years until my family outgrew the house we lived in, and now I live in Chestnut Hill. Professionally, I'm an architect. My practice has specialized in historic preservation for the last 11 years. In Philadelphia, I've worked on 12 the Reading Terminal Headhouse, the 13 exterior -- the interior of St. Martin in 14 the fields, and most visibly recently, I 15 was the architect, the day-to-day 16 architect, in charge of the restoration 17 of the Please Touch Museum at Memorial 18 Hall in Fairmount Park. That's a 19 national historic landmark. I think it's 20 widely perceived to be a great success 21 story in terms of reuse of a historic 22 resource within the building for a modern 23 use. 24 Presently, I'm working on a 25 project in Fairmount Park with the 9 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Fairmount Park Historic Trust, which is quite a bit smaller and slightly more commercial. That's the Beatty House, which is in East Falls right off Kelly Drive. Private developers are working to redevelop that very small structure into a cafe and bicycle rental concession. As a citizen, I have been very involved in the Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club as a coach, member of the Board. I worked with the Philadelphia Department of Recreation in their indoor soccer program. One year I was actually voted the Volunteer of the Year, which is a great honor, and I'm still working with that group training referees. So we have referees that work in our community in the fall as soccer refs, kids 15 through 17. So I consider myself a Parks and a Recreation person, and I think that this is a great opportunity for these two pieces of the City to work together to create something more than what was there 10 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 before. I think it's a great possibility for synergy. I am a conservationist, a preservation at heart. However, these two projects that I've worked on, the Museum and the Beatty House, indicate to me that the real hope for Fairmount Park is in its being used, used widely, used by everybody and open to everybody and open for all sorts of things and all kinds of activities. I think that one of the things I would like to see is the Park -- is more partnerships between private, non-profit organizations and the Park. I think that's absolutely critical to the success of the Park. I'm also very interested in ideas about how the Recreation Department provides services throughout the community. I think inclusivity and equitable distribution of resources has to be absolutely at the top of the ladder of things to take on. And other than that, I'm not 11 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 someone who sits on very many Boards. My children have almost left the house, all of them, and so I have a lot more time on my hands, which I'm delighted by, but I would be ready to dive into this work with all the energy that I can bring. Thanks very much.

Thank you for your testimony. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Make it comfortable for you. So please state your name for the record.

Adonna Sims.

And please proceed with your testimony.

I was very honored to be asked to be a part of this process. I have, for most of my life, been involved in organizations that support Fairmount Park as well as the Department of Recreation. It has been a journey of community empowerment for me knowing how 12 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 individuals, raising their voice on behalf of their community, can make a difference, and this is what we have committed our lives to. We had the pleasure of working with the founding Boards of the Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, which is in West Philadelphia, as well as the Laura Sims Skate House in Cobbs Creek Park. One is under Fairmount Park, one is under Department of Recreation. All of the activities that we have done have always been to provide green space, as well as recreation and community empowerment programs within our neighborhood that also reach out across the City. I've had the pleasure of being on the Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and that has been a tremendous joy working with the programs that we have with Philadelphia Green, which is a citywide program that I don't believe is touched 13 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 by any other organization around this nation, and working with the Philadelphia Flower Show. My biggest love, I think, for the Park, primarily my focus is bringing people into environments and bringing people into allowing them to have an opportunity to get involved in their park in their community. We're very involved with environmental issues. We're very involved -- as an environmentalist myself, we're very involved with the watershed program with our Environmental Education Center, and we have seen, with the actions of the volunteers from our community and those that we have partnered with -- and there are many organizations that we have partnered with, from the Franklin Institute to Cabrini College, to so many universities that will come, participating in clean-ups, just so many different things -- that we have seen that area transition from where you could not use 14 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the Park, you did not see live --

Fifteen seconds.

-- animals, and now you see it thriving and starting to come back, and I think that is my focus, really empowering individuals to be a part.

Okay, then. Thank you very, very much. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Thank you very much for your time. My name is Peter Simone and I'm here to tell you why I'm a candidate for the Commission on Parks and Recreation and why you should appoint me to that. For the last 34 years, my professional responsibilities have read virtually the same as those advertised for this position. As a landscape architect, I've participated in the design of over 200 park and recreational facilities, 60 trails and greenways, 15 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 economic development, revitalization, preservation and fundraising efforts. Grants for local governments authored by my small firm total nearly $12 million since 1990. In 2005, I was made a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, one of the highest honors bestowed by my professional organization, and I suggest to you that my qualifications for this position are outstanding. Councilwoman, as you mentioned, Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly approved the plan to combine Parks and Recreation, and I think that was based on the implicit and direct promise that that's going to benefit both the Park and the City. And, unfortunately, we're in an economic recession. I don't think that's an excuse for not moving forward with that promise, because it's a very important promise. And if anything, I think the crisis makes that promise even more important. 16 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 As a Commissioner, I will help reposition Parks and Recreation as essential infrastructure, as important as police, fire protection, social services, healthcare and libraries. I think if imaginatively utilized, our parks and rec centers and programs lessen the burden on all of those very important programs that I mentioned. A few quick ideas: Fairmount Park is a regional facility, attracting visitors from across the area. For these park lovers, I advocate a, if you excuse the phrase, pay-to-play approach; that is, for each of the thousands who participate in races, triathlons, regattas, horse shows, charity walks and all the other events where fees are collected, that at least one dollar come directly to the Park. Very easy to do. In addition to generating some income, it starts to change the perception that the Park is for free and that everybody really has to pitch in and contribute to 17 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the Park's continuing success. In contrast, our playgrounds and recreation centers must be maintained without fee, but I think we need to really re-imagine these places. We should reject the dismal architecture that's prevalent today of cinderblocks and barred windows. Our recreation centers should be beautiful welcoming community spaces that are totally integrated into the lifeblood of the neighborhoods. These facilities should be shared use. District Council offices, State Representative mini offices and even for-profit businesses could operate out of these centers. These will help maintain presence, activity and safety all day long. As a Commissioner, my job will be to consider all the options for revitalizing the parks and rec centers, including shrinking other parts of City government to free up resources. In closing, I'd again like to 18 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 thank you for your time, but also acknowledge the many people who have served as Park Commissioners for the last 142 years. I think they've succeeded in preserving the world's greatest urban park system, and for that, I think they're due our gratitude. Thank you, and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to try to answer any.

We thank you all for your testimony. Our process has been there may be times when we want to ask questions for clarity and just as a matter of record. Councilman DiCicco, anything? COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: No. 19

Well, we thank you for your testimony. And the one thing I didn't say in my opening remarks is that we've had every single demographic you can imagine at these hearings, which is the beauty of the democratic process, and by that I mean, a 19 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 21-year-old entrepreneur to a 70-year-old silver fox and landscape architect, and that's what he called himself. So the beauty of it has been an affirmation that this was a good thing to do. Councilman DiCicco. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Actually, I do have a question. Thank all of you for being here. Mr. Simone, these facilities should be shared use, District Council offices, State Representative offices and even for-profit. Are there any examples of where that may be going on now or is this just an idea?

Well, not specifically, but I'm sure if we do some research, we could find them. I think the best example you have is, for years Valley Green was an old roadhouse. It's owned by the Park. It's a wonderful restaurant, and there are many other facilities like that. COUNCILMAN DiCICCO: Got you. 20 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you all. Alan Singletary, Joseph Slane, Doha Soliman. Please, you're welcome to come to the witness table. Harris Steinberg, Janet Stern, Walter Stewart. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

James Straw, Sarah Stuart. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Good afternoon, gentlemen. (Good afternoon.)

You're welcome to start. We'll start with the gentleman to my extreme right.

Thank you, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. My name is Harris Steinberg. I'm the Executive Director of Penn Praxis. It's 21 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 great to see Councilman DiCicco, as well as Councilman Rizzo here. What I have to say really has been reflected in my application. I, for the past seven years, have been the Director of Penn Praxis, which is the clinical arm of the School of Design at Penn. My job there is to facilitate faculty and student collaboration across the five disciplines of the school, which include architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation and fine arts. I had the honor of being asked to lead the Central Delaware visioning process, which was implemented or instigated, I should say, by Councilman DiCicco, and he serves as the Patron Saint of the process as we're now moving it kind of through the implementation phases. So for the past three years, I've been intimately involved with seven miles of the Central Delaware, which includes a plan for 300 acres of new 22 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 parkland of what is now eight acres of park. Inherent in that plan is a sort of sustainability infrastructure component, so that all new parkland really becomes part of a working green infrastructure, which is clearly where we're headed in the Obama Administration as well as the Nutter Administration. As our original Park system, at least the Fairmount Park system, was created to protect our water supply, I imagine that as we envision a park for the next 50 to 100 years, what it does for our competitive advantage as a city and how it helps us manage storm water and create kind of an atmosphere for growth will be the challenge of this new body, and I'd be happy to kind of help with that work in some fashion. My strengths, my core strengths, are in civic engagement and public outreach, as well as civic visioning, and I think there's an 23 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 opportunity now as we are combining our Parks and Recreation Departments and agencies to really ask the question, what does a 21st century park system look like, to whom is it responsible? Everyone has a different sense of their rec center versus their park, and being part of that conversation is something that I'd be happy to and it would be an honor for me to participate in.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon. My name is Jim Straw, and I've given you a package that includes my statement, as well as some letters of support and my resume. So I will not dwell on what I have done, but what I would like to focus on is what I would do as a Commissioner. The Commission, first and foremost, needs to be committed to communications and civic engagement. There are numerous constituencies. We 24 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 have the general public as individuals, as families, as organizations, we have friends groups. There are 130 collectively in both systems that have been merged. We have advocacy groups such as the Philadelphia Parks Alliance. We have neighborhood groups. We have historic site stewardship of organizations like Bartram's Garden. We have corporate, foundation and individual stakeholders and volunteers of all kinds, many thousands of volunteers, public agencies, elected officials. Basically the Commission needs to be the eye of the needle in terms of communication and civic engagement for information that comes to us, through us and is disseminated to the Department and other agencies, and information that comes from us and becomes part of the community engagement process. And there were many vehicles for that, and we can go into that, if you wish. We also need to be accountable 25 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 for our own actions. Too often you find organizations that sort of wiggle in the chairs a little bit in terms of accountability, and this needs to be a fully transparent and supremely accountable organization, period. You mentioned the creation of a strategic action plan. My firm did the first one years ago, and, yes, it has 11 sat on the shelf, and that's too bad. 12 But here's what I'm particularly 13 interested in within the context of a 14 strategic action plan: We need to have a 15 combined asset inventory. This is assets 16 of programs, of places, of spaces, all 17 kinds of assets, including active and 18 passive recreation. We need to identify 19 quality of life issues. We need to 20 identify asset supply and asset demand. There are some neighborhoods where the demand is probably very high and the asset base is very low. There are probably other neighborhoods where there are facilities that are going unused, and 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 we need to sort through all of that, because resources are scarce and we cannot afford not to focus our resources where we can. We need to identify system pressure points and fix them, and this is areas where our actions or other actions are holding up the realization of our goals and aspirations. Those need to be fixed. We need to capitalize on economic value and positive economic impacts. In here I refer to the Trust for Public Land report, which is pretty specific about that.

Fifteen seconds.

Okay. And I think really we need to help develop new and innovative ways to attract money. We need to be entrepreneurial. We need to be creative. And basically, I'm a preservation architect and planner, and that's the hat 27 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 I would wear. I am not doing this to increase the attractiveness of my obituary. I am doing this because I am deeply dedicated to this city that I've lived in since 1971. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon.

Hi. My name is Joseph Slane. I'm a local entrepreneur. I have a business called Avant Gardens where I've concentrated on doing residential gardens in the City and have developed a commercial interest and have worked with the City of Philadelphia Fairmount Park Commission and the Philadelphia Housing Authority, and I have a lot of experience with actually working with the Parks and Recreation Department in that aspect. But I'm a trained landscape architect. I went to Penn State and have 28 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 had several experiences with different types of architectural firms, as well as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where I worked for a number of years, and I was involved with the renovation of the Azalea Garden, and I would suggest that the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society be involved, particularly because I think that they have the capacity now where a lot of their funding, I guess you could say, has dried up, and their track record speaks for itself. They've worked, besides currently at the Art Museum and the renovation of the lands there, they have also managed the Penn's Landing properties very successfully, as well as the landscaped areas along the I-95 corridor for ILMAC, the Interstate Land Management Corporation, which I was also involved with initially. I also think that this is a great opportunity to get a few ideas out. I think everybody has. But, you know, one of the things that I think that this 29 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 is a great opportunity for is to also develop more educational facilities and nature centers, and I think a good one as an example is the Pennypack Environmental Center. I think there could be environmental centers throughout the City in all different parks and different areas to help with education and an appreciation of our parks, which I think is kind of falling in some respects to the wayside. I think there needs to be more emphasis on getting children involved. I think that there should be also more emphasis in bringing gardening into the Park and more volunteers and even at the recreation centers. I know there's a lot of volunteerism at the parks level, but I think there needs to be more of that in the Recreation Department.

Fifteen seconds.

That's all. 30 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Okay. One fascination for me as I've listened to all of you who care about the parks is what part of the City you come from or region, because we recognize that if you care about parks and recreation and you live in the region, you are also welcome to apply. So simply tell us, if you would, what part of the City or neighborhood.

Mount Airy.

Center City.

I lived in Center City up until recently, when I sold my house on Shackamaxon Street and I moved back in with my 98-year-old father and I'm living near Pennypack Park.

Let me seize the moment to welcome my comrade, colleague, partner on this nine-year journey, Councilman Clarke, and I'm going to ask him, if he would, to provide remarks and to underscore the amazement we felt with the rich talent that's come 31 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 before us and what ideas he has about how we capture you. No matter the outcome, we want to capture what you bring. Councilman Clarke.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, again, let me apologize. I find myself again today doing multi-tasking.

Multi-task.

I actually have a group of people, some from the Board of Revision of Taxes in my office, discussing a very important issue with respect to real estate tax. So I'm back and forth on that. I know you want me to make sure that I get a handle on that. First, I'd just like to welcome everybody and thank everybody for your commitment that you've shown in what I understand -- and we actually have a TV in the room, so we can kind of monitor what's going on. Again, we see some 32 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 stellar candidates, and I'm sure that the Chair has talked about the fact that over the last three sessions, that it has caused us to, in retrospect, wonder why we only limited the number to 15, because there are clearly some -- and I have no 8 idea how we're going to figure out how to get down to 25 nominees from this body, because it's just been great. It's been remarkable. Unfortunately, some of you will not be selected, right? But it's our charge as Councilmembers to try to figure out a way to keep you engaged in a meaningful way, and we're actually tinkering with some ideas on how to expand the roles of individuals who have shown an interest in the Park, either legislatively or through executive order, but we are going to create some sort of process that we can continue to keep you engaged in a meaningful way. For those of you that will be successful, we just want to say that 33 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 there had been some concerns raised early on in the process that this group was going to be simply an advisory group that, frankly speaking, Councilmembers really weren't going to pay a whole lot of attention to and the Mayor wasn't going to pay a lot of attention to. That is clearly not going to be the case. We're going to be asking you and leaning on you to provide considerable support and input into how we deal with our new strategies as it relates to parks and rec centers, because this is a significant challenge, particularly given our current financial situation, but I view it as an opportunity. Sometimes in dire time people get creative because they're forced to get creative. So I look forward to you all providing significant support. And one last thing -- because I know Councilwoman is getting ready to turn that bell on me, because I only get to speak for three minutes also -- is 34 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 that by virtue of establishing what we believe is probably the most transparent process as it relates to engaging people in government and being a part of this process is that we found that being proactive is the best approach, and we're going to be encouraging that this body, once it's selected, take its show on the road. One of the concerns that I have as a former member of both the Commission and past President of the Fairmount Park Commission Advisory Council, that we really didn't get out of that, albeit wonderful building, out of Memorial Hall. We didn't get out of it enough. So I'd like to see that this Commission actually get out in neighborhoods and in parks and recs and really talk to people and solicit really significant ideas about how we can do things a lot better. So with that, I just want to thank you for your commitment. Thank you for your interest and your compassion, 35 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and at some point, we will figure out how to come down to people. 4 So, again, Madam Chair, I just 5 want to thank you for your wonderful 6 work, and Councilman DiCicco, my 7 counterpart on the southern end of the 8 City. We actually share boundaries along 9 a substantial part of our district, so we 10 have some sense of the eastern part of 11 Philadelphia. But I just want to thank 12 you for your great work and your 13 commitment. 14 Thank you. 15

Mission 16 continues. 17 Thank you, gentlemen. 18 (Thank you.) 19

You're 20 welcome. 21 Sarah Stuart, Brian Sullivan, 22 Laurel Sweeney, Joseph Syrnick. 23 (Witnesses approached witness 24 table.) 25

Good 36 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 afternoon, everyone. Welcome. And please, if we could start on my immediate right, state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. My name is Sarah Clark Stuart and I am honored to be here today to speak before you as to why I've applied to serve of the Commission of Parks and Recreation. I'll just briefly recap my qualifications and experience. It's in a lot more detail in the application. And then share with you my thoughts as to why I would like to serve on this Commission. Briefly, my career has always been rooted in environmental protection. I have over years of experience 20 working as an advocate at the national, state and local levels and in the non-profit foundation community on environmental policy issues. My college and post-graduate educational training is in botany and environmental science. And 37 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 since moving to Philadelphia in 1995, I have worked at the neighborhood and citywide level on improving Philadelphia's trails and parks as an activist and organizer from the perspective of as a park user. I'm a bicyclist. I'm a walker. I walk my children to school using the trail system. My children have used the recreational facilities in the City, participated in the art camp and most recently in the soccer program within PDR. I'd just like to mention, my daughter's team won the championship last night. I'm very proud. At Shissler Rec Center. Particularly, I really believe in the power of bringing people together who share a common vision to combine their voices to have a greater impact on decision and policymaking, and I have two examples of my work to illustrate this. In 2004, I teamed up with 38 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 fellow neighbors and citizen activists to form a campaign to preserve street-level access into the brand new, long-awaited, mile-long Schuylkill River Park Trail. Councilman Clarke is very familiar with this campaign and he played a very important role in helping us. We brought the interests together of over 2,500 people who signed up online through petitions and e-mail letters because they felt strongly that such access into the Park should be preserved. And we knew that the success of the Park hinged upon this preserving this access. And thankfully our effort, in combination with those of City Council, the City's Law Department, Fairmount Park, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, all helped set the stage for a successful legal settlement, and it's a wonderful story of people uniting together to voice their interests in an important process. Most recently, I joined forces with 12 other friends groups, non-profit 39 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 organizations and development corporations, Bartram's Garden, cultural institutions, public agencies, all of us who share an interest in building various segments of the Schuylkill River Park Trail between Delaware and Montgomery County through Philadelphia. We combined our efforts to articulate a vision for completing the trail and connecting it by adding five more miles of segments to greatly enhance its potential as a connector between numerous neighborhoods and suburbs. It's potential to become the region's first green transportation corridor for multiple communities, a strong catalyst for economic development and a critical access point to open space and commuting paths for underserved neighborhoods. And when we shared this vision with the public, over 320 people came out to a public forum last February, a month ago actually today, and we've already garnered 1,200 signatures on an online petition. And City Council 40 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 unanimously agreed that the trail should be completed when it passed Resolution 4 090134 introduced by Councilman Curtis Jones. I think that the Commission can help the Department of Parks and Recreation use similar organizing tools to bring together the people who use and love the City's parks, trails and recreational facilities to give them more opportunities to share their views with decision-makers.

I would like to help the Commission find creative ways to foster more civic engagement around the park and the recreational system. My last thought is that while I recognize we're living in an economic crisis, it's important for the City and its residents to have a long-term vision of what the park and recreational system should look like going forward. In order for Philadelphia to be competitive as a livable urban city, it needs a vibrant and connected park and recreational 41 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 system that serves all of its neighborhoods and residents. Connecting open spaces, parks and recreational centers with each other through trails, multi-use paths, bicycle lanes, and fixing and enhancing the existing infrastructure and bringing more of the system within easy reach of the neighborhoods, these are critical steps that need to be taken to achieve that goal, and I would be honored to participate on the Commission that helps the new Department take those steps. Thank you.

Thank you. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon to everyone here and to Philadelphia City Council's Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. My name is Laurel Sweeney and I'm here to express my interest in becoming a Commissioner for Philadelphia's Parks and Recreation Department. 42 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Since 1997, I've served as the primary liaison between my neighborhood park and the Fairmount Park Commission and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation for our programs and, further, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society for greening and gardening projects. Through those ties, Fisher Park's 23.3 acres in Northwest Philadelphia have enjoyed several physical upgrades and landscaping and excellent educational opportunities for environmental education and an art camp. Currently, I serve as Co-President of the Fisher Park Community Alliance, the duties for which include managing our volunteers and coordinating improvement projects with outside groups. Fisher is in partnership with Greater Philadelphia Cares, the Family Court system and local churches and public and private schools and universities for extra volunteers at monthly clean-ups. While in service to my community, I have developed a thorough 43 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 understanding of the import of the social and economic impact of greening projects as they pertain to the health and beauty of natural and watershed lands of Philadelphia and to land values. It is also clear how effective stewardship programs for all ages can promote this, get the work done and feed the human spirit for caring about others and about the environment. Time and time again I've witnessed the intense desire of people to connect with one another. There is a lift of spirit when people are engaged in activity that benefits others as well as themselves. The same process promotes a feeling of safety and of belonging. There are many types of resources that are available in Philadelphia that enable citizen involvement. Presently, they are not linked together efficiently, and they need to be. The combination of the Parks with Recreation was a grand step in the 44 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 right direction for economizing on effort, funds and talent toward a highly evolved system. The next measure needs to be the formation of a more organized and trustworthy relationship between the citizens and their government. My mission for the City is to identify the need for modernization as it pertains to Philadelphia's wealth of volunteers, to enlist the counsel of experts for the best ways to accomplish this, and then to make recommendations to City Council for their consideration and action. For the record, I am adamant about the retention of parkland in Philadelphia. I would not agree to parlay land into any other use if it's been formed or bequeathed as a park in a legal document or will. Such a step would be backward. And under any circumstances there would be very limited reasons to subtract open space for which only the solution I consider reasonable 45 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 would be to replace that land --

Fifteen seconds.

--- square foot by square foot and in close proximity. A note I'd like to make is, as the Parks and Recreation Departments merge into one entity, having Michael DiBerardinis take the helm made a huge difference in the way the Commissioner position was perceived by interested parties. A handful of applications swelled to over 200 as his appointment was being announced. I had already applied, so I think you've got to know that I'd like to take an occasional leap of faith. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon, sir.

Good afternoon, Madam Chairwoman, members of the Committee. My name is Joseph Syrnick, 46 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and I appreciate the opportunity to come before you today to speak about the Commission on Parks and Recreation and to present my credentials for service on it. I have provided you copies of my testimony, and with it are three letters of recommendations from people whom I respect and for whose recommendation I appreciate. Some of you may remember me. I was a City employee for almost 35 years and came before this Council to testify many times. For the last years of 15 that career service, I was the City's 16 Chief Engineer and Surveyor. As such, I 17 was an ex-officio member of the Fairmount 18 Park Commission. It was one of my favorite duties and the one that I miss the most since I retired. I grew up in Manayunk, the oldest of four brothers. I now live up the hill in Roxborough. When we were growing up, the park was our play land. I remember many opening days of trout 47 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 season, skipping stones across the creek, feeding the ducks at Valley Green and finding crawfish under rocks, crawdads my father always called them. I took my three children there when they were growing up and now I take the grandkids. I played high school baseball at the Dairy Field in East Park, and later as an adult played softball and touch football in both East and West Park. Growing up I spent a lot of time at Hillside Recreation Center and Kendrick Recreation Center. I swam up the "bathy" at Kendrick and down the "bathy" at a pool near Main and Cotton Street in Manayunk. It's long gone, but the memories remain. As an adult, I played softball at Houston, Kendrick and Hillside playgrounds. So I know firsthand what parks and recreation mean to kids growing up in Philadelphia and adults, too. I've worked in City government. 48 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 I'm an engineer by training and a professional land surveyor. I now work for a non-profit that does many of the same things as Fairmount Park and the Recreation Department. We build trails, run programs, work to protect the environment, maintain facilities and do all the peripheral stuff, like marketing, fundraising and community outreach. There is much more detailed information in my application than I could ever hope to present in two or three minutes and I hope that you will have the chance to read it. I'm never comfortable promoting myself, but I believe I have the background, training and experience necessary to be an effective Park and Recreation Commissioner. Having been a Fairmount Park Commissioner for 18 years, I guess I have some kind of a track record which could be evaluated. I welcome that scrutiny. I have a pretty good idea of what this position involves 49 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and I have the willingness to put in the time to make my participation meaningful and valuable. You folks have a tough decision to make here, but it's a very important one. I'm confident you'll recommend the right Commission. You certainly have a great list of people to choose from, and I look forward to it doing great work. Thank you.

Thank you all very, very much for your testimony, and the only thing I might add is a number of citizens indicated how it was the appointment of Mr. DiBerardinis that ignited their interest to want to submit their application. So you're in a crowd of many who felt inspired by his appointment. Councilman Clarke.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to reference the fact that I think Ms. Sweeney talked 50 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 about her concerns about land retention. During the course of this process, there were significant concerns raised by the advocates about the possibility of the City selling off parkland. Mr. Syrnick, as a former Commissioner, you can probably tell people that that's not what we did during the course of the old Park Commission. But to put people at a comfort level, City Council in its rules created, I think, a two-thirds majority vote for any Park disposition, and it was a temporary move because we wanted to put people at a comfort level as we moved through the process of passing the bill. But what we would ultimately like is for this Commission to give us some real serious guidelines and recommendations on Park disposition. One of the concerns that I had in the former process, that there was really no set guidelines in terms of what you look at when you talk about disposing 51 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 of land, should there be swaps one for one for other land, do we talk about nominal values for Park disposition, should it be market rate, the impact on the ultimate use of the parkland that is acquired by a third party. All of those things should be a part of guidelines and not simply at the will of a Councilperson or a Commissioner at the time or a constituent group. We really need to work off of some set of guidelines. So that will be probably one of the most significant charges we will impose upon this newly formed organization. Thank you.

Thank you all. Frank Thomas, Kevin Thomas, Ronald Thomas, Andrew Thomson. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

If there is anyone here who missed the first, second or third and you're here now 52 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 because your schedule permits, you may not be on our list, you're welcome to testify, but please make sure that David Forde has your name so that we do the add-on in this process. Good afternoon.

Frank Thomas.

There you go. Thank you. Please, first of all, let's just make sure we have all copies. We'll make sure you get a mike, sir, when we have a seat available. Okay. Mr. Thomas, proceed with your testimony.

Thank you and good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Obviously there are 200 well-qualified people who are appearing before you, and the question is why would you want to select 53 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 me as opposed to any one of the others. I would suggest to you that I can bring to this position a breadth of experience and a breadth of background that is, I think, unique. I have a Master's Degree in city planning. I started life doing conservation planning for the Department of the Interior, including Loudoun Scenic River studies throughout the Northeast. I then fell off the wagon, went to law school. That led me shortly after law school to become a Deputy City Solicitor in the early '80s when I was a constituent of then-Councilwoman Verna's. During those years that I served as a Deputy City Solicitor, I handled environmental work for the City and I was counsel to the Philadelphia Historical Commission. I am the author of the current version of the Philadelphia Historic ordinance, which was passed back in the early '80s. After I left City service and went back to private practice, I was asked to work for 54 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the City to get overturned the Supreme Court's decision that had originally declared the City's ordinance 5 unconstitutional. On a pro bono basis, I did weigh in for a variety of conservation and preservation organizations, and we got that decision overturned, which is not something that's usually done. In the past six years, I have served as a Director of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, which, as you know, is the primary fundraising organization on a non-governmental basis for the Fairmount Park system, and I believe you're well aware of the various projects that we've been able to work on over the last six or seven years which have resulted in substantial Park improvements. So I guess what I'm saying is that both by background and experience, I understand conservation. I understand this particular Park. I understand historic preservation, which is a major 55 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 component of the resources that this Park holds. Where do we go from here? What do I perceive is what is needed? First, money. No matter how we organize ourselves to run this Park system, it doesn't work unless we have the funds, and we need to begin to explore ways to keep money that is generated in the Park to be used for Park purposes. I know from sitting on the Conservancy that there are a lot of ideas available out there for how to raise money, but they don't come forward or they're not advocated aggressively because there's no assurance it will stay in.

Fifteen seconds.

Second, land. We're talking about land in the wrong way. We're talking about land in terms of how do we keep the Park from losing land, when the discussion should 56 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 be how do we expand the land in the Park, how do we make decisions, how do we partner with various organizations to make this Park larger over the course of time. And we really haven't had that discussion yet, and we need that discussion. Third, looking forward, the City is going to face the consequences that every city is going to face with respect to global warming over the next five, ten, years. We have to prepare 14 ourselves and our Park for that as well. 15 It will make large changes in the ecosystems of our Park and it will require that we have large changes in the manner by which we do things, like forestation or reforestation of our parkland. Again, there's not enough time to talk about those issues, but I think those are three of the most important going forward.

Thank you 57 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 for your testimony, Mr. Thomas. Good afternoon.

How you doing, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, Councilman Clarke, Councilman DiCicco. In answer to a question you asked a little earlier, I've lived in and worked in North Philadelphia, the Smith Playground, a private park. I played at what we called then the Semont Pond, which is our reservoir that has been fenced off in the early '60s.

Provide your name for the record, though, so that we know who you are.

Ronn Thomas. And I've worked at Shepard Recreation Center in West Philadelphia. I've been a 30-year member of the Horticultural Society of Philadelphia. I participated as a volunteer with non-profit organizations since I was five years old and served as President of the Sunbeam Choir of Union 58 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Then I was placed as President and spokesperson and given rules to follow. Since then, I've written or followed various constitutions and bylaws to meet agreed-upon organizational outcomes. Upon my return to Philadelphia after college and training in public information, I have participated in every aspect of life in the total community. My employment resume reflects the exploration of my professional interests, but it's a small slice of who Ronn Thomas is. I am proudest of my non-profit community activities. They are too numerous to discuss in their entirety, but included in my submission. While in college and for the past 30 years, I've assisted with or developed recreational activities for youth and adults. My family, as led by my great grandmother, a product of reconstruction era Virginia, believed the old adage 59 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 "service to mankind is the price we pay for living." Being property owners, she and her husband shared crops, livestock and their family farm with neighbors less fortunate of all races. Because of them, I have a few relatives that I related to through love, not blood. Great grandma's quilts and jelly cakes are still a part of Middlesex County, Virginia lore. My experience is full of committee activities, membership development and working within the confines of an established budget. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Brewerytown/Sharswood Civic Association, I've worked with our neighbors to support our neighborhood recreation center through funds, program development and advocacy. We used organizational initiatives to work with our community to get the Athletic Recreation Center pool open. As the Chairman of the North Central Philadelphia Block Captains 60 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Association, I partnered with Sports Service concessionaires to raise funds at Philadelphia Eagles games for our neighborhood programs that included school supplies. We ran two stands for three years. Over the past four years, I've served as a middle school football coach for the School District of Philadelphia. We've worked with over 220 young men in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. In 1997, I developed a successful proposal in Mayor Rendell's Neighborhood Festival Contest during that year's Welcome America celebration. It required the combining of advisory councils and staff at Mander, Martin Luther King and Athletic Recreation Center with the North Central Block Captains Association. Our event was one of the most successful volunteer activities ever in the North Philadelphia neighborhood.

Fifteen 61 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 seconds.

As a member, regional officer and past national President of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Incorporated, I've learned to forge coalitions among members with differing opinions, backgrounds and experiences. As a national barbecue judge and track and field official, I've had to practice patience and learn to develop openness to new and non-traditional ideas. In serving on this Commission, I bring the experience of a community service worker that has spent a lifetime building coalitions. One of my major interests, in addition to fiscal responsibility, would be the training of a vast array of employees. They are our eyes and ears and the first point of contact for our guests. Thank you.

Thank you for your testimony. 62 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Your name?

My name is Kevin Thomas, Kevin L. Thomas. Good afternoon, Councilmembers. I'm one of the individuals who was born in Philadelphia, traveled extensively for a little bit, 28 years in the military. I had the pleasure and honor of being one of the individuals who used to fish along the Wissahickon Creek with the family, and I'm bringing to the Board a lot of things that will be beneficial to our community and Philadelphia. In the notes of paperwork I gave you is an outline of myself, my organization, Karing - Living Together. I'm also a certified fish instructor, Fish and Boat Commission. We're adopters of Fairmount Park stewardship program. We take kids out in the Park. We travel. 63 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 We do environmental projects. We hosted 1,700 kids last summer. We do quite a bit. I am looking for an opportunity to bring the vast majority of programs and organizations we had the pleasure of working with to Philadelphia. As a member of Bass Master Fishing Organization and Fishing Society, we have individuals who are willing to come and work within Philadelphia and bring an array of opportunities for our kids and our families to enjoy the Park and the environment. I had the pleasure of speaking to many politicians in the past and organizations and meetings for -- recently for the meeting we had for the casinos, going to their meetings, bringing ideas, trying to bring in environmental programs which will save us money, help take care of our parks and also allow an opportunity for funds be raised at no cost but bringing in costs, also allowing opportunities for visitors 64 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 who may come to Philadelphia to enjoy themselves, tying in universities and schools to work within the City, thus bringing families from out of town to work within the City also. There is quite a few things that myself and the organization which I'm CEO of, Karing - Living Together, can bring to the Commission to help. We've been established since 1994, and as a resident of Philadelphia, knowing some of the problems that have occurred through residents trying to contact the Recreation Department and Parks Department in the past trying to get things done, I know firsthand how frustrating it can be. Given the opportunity to work with the Commission, given the opportunity to bring some of the resources that we have attained and contacted over the years would allow me, allow us to improve Philadelphia and make it more enjoyable. Once you're a fishing man, 65 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 you're a fishing friend, and woman. So it's an enjoyment process that can take place. We have contacted individuals out of Philadelphia on many occasions that are willing to bring peers into Philadelphia. Some of the ideas that I have that I think would benefit Philadelphia working on the Schuylkill and Delaware River and proposed in the information provided, there is some outlines, and also if you check our website, there's some more details and a little history. I don't want to -- okay. My time is up. There's a lot more we can discuss. I'm looking for an opportunity to bring it to the Board. Thank you.

I thank you all for your testimony. The joy I've gotten out of these hearings is that it's been a great learning process for me, and every type of sport that one can imagine has been mentioned during these hearings. 66 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 We can now add the sport of fishing.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Thank you.

Let me hear your name, sir.

Andrew Thomson. I thank you for letting me have the whole table here.

I'm actually going to have folks join you.

I guess the luck of the draw. I thank you, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown -- Councilman Clarke and DiCicco I know very well -- for dealing with neighborhood issues over the last few years. Again, I'm Andrew Thomson. I live in the Fishtown section. I've lived there my whole life. I've had the opportunity to grow up in recreation. My father was a Police Athletic League officer, a very highly decorated one, and 67 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 I had a chance to basically live at a playground for most of my young life, as well as work for the Recreation Department while I was in law school here and in the summers while I was in college. In that time, I was able to see what I consider an unfortunate tragedy over the last decade or so in the growing -- I guess not growing, but the ever-increasing erosion of the Philadelphia youth sports and cultural organization infrastructure that existed when I was a kid. And I want to use my time to highlight the fact that this Commission and City Council at large really take time to study. It wouldn't take much. It would take the opportunity to look at a schedule from the Philadelphia Recreation Department from a decade ago and two decades ago for sports, for cultural activities such as cheerleading and baton twirling and those type of activities. Look at a schedule from 20 years ago. Look at a schedule 68 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 from ten years ago. Look at the schedule now, and you'll see an unfortunate opportunity missed by the City to provide quality youth activities. I had a chance to grow up in PAL, and my dad was in commercials. They would always end the commercial by saying, It costs ten cents a day to keep a kid in PAL and a dollar ten a day -- when this is in the '80s -- a dollar ten or so to keep them in jail. Can you imagine what the figure is now? The City youth detention budget is larger than the Recreation Department's budget. And I think what I will be able to bring to the Commission -- and my qualifications are outlined in my packet there and in my application, but this is an opportunity that I think that I will be able to bring to the Commission, the energy that I've been able to give to things that I care about over my lifetime, and in there, I've listed seven immediate priorities for the City's Rec Department. One is 69 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 obviously this organizational infrastructure, but I also recommend that the City coordinate with the Police Department for every rec center and visits, especially in the summertime. I go throughout the City. I was a member of the Police Advisory Commission for four years. We do a number of out-of-neighborhood, out-of-downtown meetings throughout the City, and I go to a lot of neighbors association meetings, and I know that you guys go to them as well, and I think other than -- there's a lot of crime in the City. The number one complaint or wish of everybody who goes to these meetings is quality and improvement in their rec centers. It is the number one thing that people who care about their community want to see. They want to see investment made there, because, like I said, for every ten cents we spend at these playgrounds, it multiplies itself in money we won't spend on youth 70 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 detention, youth crime-fighting things. These are the essential investment that we need to make in our city, and I would like the opportunity to bring my energy and my experience within the Rec Department and in my community and beyond in my community to the Commission, realizing I'm one of the younger people probably applying for this, but I think I've demonstrated a life of service and a life of ideas that I think would be an asset to the Commission. So I thank you for your time.

We thank you for your testimony, and your passion is authentic and clear. Thank you very, very much.

Thank you.

David Thornburgh, David Tukey, Adrienne Turner. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

71 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Christopher van de Velde. (Witness approached witness table.)

Good afternoon, everyone. (Good afternoon.)

Please.

Good afternoon. Sorry for my laryngitis today.

That's quite all right.

My name is David Tukey. I'm from West Mount Airy in Philadelphia. My application materials outline my background in administrative affairs, policy creation and implementation, and also my neighborhood, the planting of over 200 street trees in West Mount Airy since the spring of 2005. Let me put those things aside. You can review those on paper. What I want to focus on in my testimony is the urban forest of Philadelphia. By Commonwealth statute, 72 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 cities, boroughs and townships have the authority to create Shade Tree Commissions to administer the planting, maintenance and removal of trees in public parks and along public streets. That authority has been under the Fairmount Park Commission. That authority will now be under the new Commission. But what is our vision for the urban forest? What do we want it to be? What benefits do we seek and what are the goals for the different diverse neighborhoods within Philadelphia? For inspiration, I reviewed the 2004 strategic plan for the Park system. That report mentioned trees only briefly. It said we should follow the example of the City of Milwaukee, but only mentioned the maintenance of trees and administrative issues, not to a vision for the urban forest that Milwaukee has. I then reviewed the report on the value of the Park system authored in 2008. It mentioned significant values of 73 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 water runoff, air quality, property values, recreation, public health and tourism, but didn't mention a vision for the trees, how big, what kind and where. So where do we go for guidance? Recently, just recently, the American Planning Association selected 9 cities as having best practices in 10 planning for urban and community 11 forestry. Let me mention two of those 12 briefly. 13 Minneapolis has a comprehensive urban forestry policy to guide and coordinate the affairs of all city departments, public institutions, developers and contractors that have an impact on trees. They have a particular ecological focus to plant native trees and plants that help migratory birds. We have a significant migratory bird population in Philadelphia. There's also one in Chicago, and they're making efforts to preserve them. They also mention the City of 74 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Baltimore. They're highlighted for having the regional emphasis, not looking at Baltimore alone, but in concert with other municipalities nearby in the preservation vision of its urban canopy of trees. But where does Philadelphia go? Well, the nice thing is that we don't have a plan, a clear vision of where we want to go, but we have abundant resources. We have the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, the Morris Arboretum, the TreeVitalize program under DCNR, Friends of the Wissahickon, the non-profit University Green program in West Philly. On two occasions I've heard Secretary DiBerardinis speak, both before the Growing Greener II bond issue was passed many years ago and most recently at a conference of regional arborists. His vision is very clear, but we need to have a citywide vision. Because of the vested authority in this Commission over trees, I urge 75 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 this group to nominate at least three persons with expertise in trees, in the hopes that at least one of those persons will be selected by the Mayor to really formulate a strategic plan for our urban forest. My materials submitted, along with the testimony, indicates contracts for trees just in West Mount Airy alone, let alone for the City, and an example of policy where things we plant in our neighborhoods can help support items in our parks. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Good to see you, and I want to congratulate you. The process that you've been going through is testimony to the wisdom of the decision to change this city and the Fairmount Park Commission structure. And incorporating it, of 76 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 course, with Parks and Recreation is an amazing opportunity for the City as a whole.

State your name for us, please.

I'm sorry. Chris van de Velde. A very long resident of Mount Airy and now of Andorra, and I represent the dog walkers. I've been 40 years of walking dogs in the upper Wissahickon part of the Park system. But, more importantly -- and I'm not going to dwell on it. You have my resume. You know something about my professional background and expertise. Basically, I'm a government manager. I have the expertise and I have been in the oversight position of both parks and recreational systems in two of the communities around the Philadelphia area in the last ten years. So that I bring, I think, to the equation the business management side of it, and clearly in this city for the moment, we 77 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 have a very serious fiscal problem. So somebody with the expertise to figure out or help to figure out how we're going to take limited resources and maximize what we do with them is extremely important. And so I think that's the primary thing that I would offer, is that I have watched -- we started a recreation program where there was none in Yeadon when I started there as Borough Manager. When I got to Whitemarsh as the Township Manager, we had about 150 programs in the Recreation Department. We now offer about 500 programs in the Recreation Department. Recreation is not just for the young. It is for the full range of people in the population. And, of course, I have a tremendous experience in the Park system as a firsthand user of it here, but also as a manager of parks in several locations. So thank you very much for the opportunity. 78 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

You have at least a minute left. Do you want to seize the moment and share with colleagues some information on your background, professional background.

As I suggested, Township Manager for Whitemarsh. I have been the Borough Manager in Yeadon. I did economic development for a number of years. I ran real estate operations for the University of Pennsylvania for a number of years. I actually put in a year as the interim head of PGW. There were difficulties between the Mayor and City Council over who should lead the -- I was on the Board and had an opportunity to try and help that. I have a variety of years of, as I said, economic and urban renewal development, community service, been active in neighborhood organizations, helped form the Friends of the Free Library. So if you want some more 79 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 troublemakers, I know how to go find them. We don't make budget issues easy for people, you know. It is a very serious set of problems that you have in front of as Councilmembers, and the advocates and the passionate people that you've been listening to for the last few days just represent the diversity of this city and the enthusiasm of this city and the readiness of people. I know many of the people on the list, either by reputation or firsthand working relationships with them. I don't envy, as Councilman Clarke suggested, the difficulty of trying to find good people to represent or 18 suggest to recommend to the Mayor, but I 19 have to tell you that you'll be well 20 served. You got a list. You could pick 21 almost any of them and you'd be well 22 served by the results, I think, that you 23 would get. 24 Thank you. 25

Thank you 80 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 very much. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Adrienne Turner. I am a healthcare worker and a community activist in the Tacony section of Philadelphia.

In what section?

Tacony in Northeast Philadelphia. First I'd like to thank you for having this open session for all of us to come and to offer our expertise. I would like to serve on the Commission on Parks and Recreation for a number of reasons. The most important one for me is to give a chance to serve my city, to help sustain our green space and to bring attention to the communities we serve. I have spent the most part of my life in Northeast Philadelphia in Tacony. Three years I lived in 81 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. I enjoyed the use of Russo Park, which as growing up we called the Tacony Park at Cottman and Torresdale Avenue, Keystone Park, Pennypack and the Burholme Park where we had our family reunions. The experiences have been great memories for me and my family, spending Saturdays learning to ride horses in Pennypack, playing tennis in Russo Park, family reunions in Burholme, playing basketball with my son in Keystone Park. Growing up around these parks has helped me to give back to my community, be it taking walks, helping the elderly, helping the disabled. Most of them are mentally challenged from the PATH organization use our trails in our parks, and so as a worker for them, I was able to go bring them to the Carousel House in Fairmount Park to different events and also to have them on the trails, walk on the trails and enjoy the trails. These lifelong memories for me 82 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and my family have helped us with great experiences to remain in the City for over -- I'm the fourth generation of my family to live in Tacony. Use of the parks and recreation can help our youth find more positive things to do with their free time. As a single parent, my son played for the Frankford Boys Club in Frankford and also he played sports at Vogt Recreation Park, and the coaches and all the facilities there that we enjoyed have deteriorated. A lot of us have come out as parents that use the Park and have come out and tried to clean up the parks on our Saturdays and to encourage the coaches and the teams. I would feel honored to serve the citizens of this city. As a community activist, I really -- I worked with my Councilwoman. I worked with the quality of life in Tacony with the Tacony Civic Association and with the Disston Rec Center, which just finished some 83 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 renovations, and our church, Star of Hope Baptist Church in Tacony, has been able to mentor a basketball league there. In 1920's my grandfather, Hester Scott, came to Tacony to work for Mr. Disston at the Disston Saw Mill. He was proud and he was committed to his community, his family and his church. He instilled in his grandchildren the love of nature by working in the vast gardens. We started a lot of gardens on the block of the 7100 block of State Road. A lot of us have put little gardens out in front of our house even though we are under construction now with PennDOT.

Fifteen seconds.

And I would like to carry on that dream and legacy of my family to be able to serve with the Parks Commission and Recreation. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony. Would you be willing 84 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 to share with us copies of your testimony?

Yes.

Okay, then. We'll see that that happens. We thank you all for your testimony. I would like to acknowledge the presence of Committee member Councilwoman Marie Quinones-Sanchez. Robert Vance, Jr., Aharon Varady -- forgive me -- Maria Walker, David Walsh, Heidi Warren. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Please join us on this side of the rail, and as soon as a seat becomes available, we'd be happy to hear from you. I want to start with the gentleman on my right. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Robert Vance. I'd like to say good afternoon to Councilwoman Reynolds 85 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Brown, Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez and Councilman DiCicco. Most of my qualifications and my ideas for the Commission are contained in my application, but I would like to highlight some aspects of them. I am a resident of the Mount Airy section of the City, and to give Councilwoman Reynolds Brown another sports nugget here, I'm an avid runner and I run in the Wissahickon Valley and other parks, Schuylkill River Park, constantly. I have served as the Chairman of the City Planning Commission from 1992 through 1998. I am an attorney in private practice. I also served as Ward Leader in the 22nd Ward in Mount Airy, and I've served on the Board of numerous civic and charitable organizations. Currently, I'm a member of the Friends of the Wissahickon, probably most relevant to this proceeding, and I've been a member of the Friends of the 86 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Wissahickon Board since 1997 and served in various committees there. I think my background as a Board member, as a parent, as a park user would be invaluable to the Commission. As a park user, I like to make sure that the Park is available for use by anyone who wants to use it and it's in the most pristine condition possible for whatever particular use you might have in mind. As a parent, not just the Park, but also our recreational facilities, I want to ensure that they are available for our children. My kids played soccer and baseball and I've been -- I've coached various teams. And as a former government employee, so to speak, as a member of the Planning Commission, as Chairman of the Planning Commission, I know firsthand the difficulties in trying to maintain our facilities, our Park and Recreation facilities, specifically from the capital standpoint, the deterioration of our 87 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 recreation centers and the struggles that we engaged in during my tenure to make sure that there were sufficient funds to keep the level of those facilities to an acceptable level. I also have served as a member of the Pleasant Playground Advisory Committee, so I'm familiar with the struggles of the recreational advisory committees to try to make sure that not only they have the resources to support the programs that they want to see in their particular playground or park, but also to make sure that the facilities are amenable to those particular activities. So from the standpoint of this Commission, I think my experience would be invaluable, and I believe that in this current economic situation, we really need to focus on ways to enhance revenue that can be directed towards the Park. It's an often overused phrase that the Park is the jewel of the City, but I think that it needs to be marketed both 88 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 inside Philadelphia to all the residents and also outside.

Fifteen seconds.

Yes. We can do this in a way that's both reasonable and responsible, just as we can make sure that the facilities that we do have currently in place are utilized to their best and highest use. So I would welcome the opportunity to serve on the Commission and commend my credentials to you.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Hi. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for this opportunity. My name is Maria Walker and I'm a lifelong Philadelphian from South Philadelphia, graduate of Girls High and Temple University, and I 89 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 have more than years professional, civic and community experience.

Excuse me. 5 Just hold your testimony for a moment. 6 (Short recess for medical 7 emergency.) 8

We do want 9 to thank all of you for your patience. 10 It's clear that we had a medical 11 emergency, but our well-trained EMTs were 12 able to come of aid, and he did leave 13 here alert and awake. So we're hopeful 14 he will indeed be okay. And he was so 15 conscientious, he made sure that we got 16 copies of his testimony. So that's 17 somebody who truly cares about the parks. 18 All right, then. So please 19 state your name for the record and we'll 20 proceed.

Sure. Thank you, Councilwoman. I just want to say, I know Skip and I know a couple of us in here know him, and we wish him all well. He is a wonderful, hard-working guy, so I 90 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 hope everything is okay. My name is Maria Walker and I'm a lifelong Philadelphian from South Philadelphia, graduate of Girls High and Temple University. I have more than 7 years professional, civic and community 8 experience. 9 Currently, I'm Executive 10 Director of After School Activities 11 Partnerships, a non-profit organization 12 whose mission is to keep kids safe and 13 active after school. In this capacity, I 14 oversee several citywide youth 15 initiatives, including the Philadelphia 16 Youth Chess Challenge, Philly Plays 17 Scrabble, the Philadelphia Scholastic 18 Debate League, Philly Dance and Yoga 19 Youth, which Councilwoman visited one of 20 our yoga clubs and kicked her shoes off and started doing poses with the kids.

It's all good.

It was a wonderful experience for everybody. We serve about 91 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 6,000 kids annually. Through ASAP, I work very closely with the Department of Recreation. This year alone ASAP staff has trained 55 Department of Rec employees and provided materials to start chess clubs in Center City wide. My professional experience also includes working as Director of Congressman Tom Foglietta's South Philadelphia district office, where I worked with incoming Parks and Rec Commissioner Mike DiBerardinis. While with the Congressman's office, I was part of the team that had the difficult task of handling the closure of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. My past experience also includes working as a journalist. I've also done welfare-to-work training and job placement. All of these positions required regular interaction with the public, including organizing, hosting and coordinating community meetings. 92 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 My community and volunteer work includes past President and founding member of Friends of Dickinson Square, a small park in South Philadelphia, which in the '80s and '90s was drug-ridden. We've since turned the Park around. Councilman DiCicco was a wonderful friend of the Park, and we thank him so much for all of his efforts. I started a parent-toddler play group there. I also was instrumental in getting a police mini station established there. So I'm also a block captain for my block, 200 block of Morris Street. My strengths include working with and creating partnerships between community, corporate, non-profit and government agencies. However, the best experience I think I have to contribute comes from being the mother of three adolescent boys, which I think also nominates me for Sainthood. Adolescent boys, don't forget I said. Anyway, thank you so much for 93 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 all of your time and efforts in making this process so open and accessible to the public.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, members of Council. My name is David Walsh, and thank you for the opportunity to present my credentials to serve on the Commission. Serving demands experience, commitment and creativity. I bring all of those and a wide range of expertise in strategic and business planning, marketing and financial management. I offer the City a unique blend of experience, perspective and strategic thinking. Through a 25-year career in the non-profit, corporate and entrepreneurial worlds, I am well versed in business management, finance and 94 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 organizational dynamics and can quickly assess opportunities and create clear and concise roadmaps for future success. As a consultant over the last seven years, I have worked with over 60 different non-profit organizations, both locally and nationally, including parks, museums, zoos, conservation groups and many City and County government entities, including Millennium Park, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Valley Forge National Park. I've also done work with some existing Park organizations, including the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Glen Foerd Mansion. My work with the youth and recreation organizations includes the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia and the Children's Crisis Treatment Center. Each of these projects really reinforce my strong belief that a vibrant Park system, quality youth programs and easy access to Recreation facilities raise the quality of life for all and are 95 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 essential to the economic health of the region. Having consulted with so many different types of organizations, I can leverage the best practices from each, taking what worked, what didn't, what can be improved and bring them to the City. This cross-pollination of ideas will energize the Commission and help provide creative solutions to the challenges the City faces as it looks to establish the Parks and Recreation system as a real jewel of the region. I have developed successful public-private partnerships, funding models and partnered with design teams to link financial and business goals and create new fundraising campaigns, knowledge which will prove especially beneficial as the City looks to new resources to help provide funding to support its goals. In my business, I have a saying: "No margin, no mission," and 96 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 money is going to be a very important part of making the Commission and the Park and Recreation system work. My experience is only one part of what I bring to the Commission. What really sets me apart from the many other talented applicants is really a unique outsider's perspective. I have not been involved in local politics. I come with no preordained agenda and no links to special interests. I approach my role just like I approach all my clients, offering unbiased and objective recommendations. Residing in Delaware County, I understand the importance of reaching beyond the City's borders to build a broader coalition of support. I will use my experience and background to put together partnerships and promote the importance of the Parks and Recreation system, not just in the City but throughout the region. Finally, as a runner, hiker and 97 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 parent, I am a regular user of the Park and believe it's a really underutilized resource. My fervent desire for the Parks and Recreation system is to grow and thrive. I believe the best way to do that is get involved and serve as a member of the Commission. We have a treasure here in our own backyard and I'd like to make everyone, not just in Philadelphia but the entire region, recognize its value. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you very much. And just let me say by way of snapshot, when I say that the diversity has been rich, this panel reflects that. We have suburban, urban and all sections of the City reflected. So thank you for your testimony. (Thank you.)

Heidi Warren, John Weatherbe, Eileen Wilder. (Witnesses approached witness table.) 98 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Good afternoon, everyone. (Good afternoon.)

We'll start on my extreme right.

Good afternoon, members of City Council. My name is Heidi Warren. I live in South Philadelphia. Thank you for this opportunity to speak in front of you and for the open process that you've created. These are exciting and challenging times for Philadelphia. The current economic challenges force us to be innovative with our resources and to seek new ways to serve the common good. Given this reality, the merging of the Fairmount Park Commission with the Department of Recreation is both smart and timely. This unified system will eliminate overlaps and inefficiencies and, more importantly, I believe that it will be better equipped to connect all Philadelphians to the City's rich array 99 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 of environmental, educational and recreational resources. Creating this unified Parks and Recreation system is going to be challenging. In particular, integrating the two organizations' goals and internal cultures must be handled with care and transparency and guided by strong leadership. The Commission is going to play a vital role in this through effective policy-setting and in supporting Commissioner DiBerardinis and his staff in this process. I believe I can be an asset to the Commission for the work ahead. I've worked in the non-profit sector in Philadelphia for nearly 18 years. During this time, I've acquired a broad set of skills and experience that I feel are well suited to the needs of the Commission on Parks and Recreation. For nearly ten years, I held a leadership position at the Village of Arts and Humanities. This is a community-based 100 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 organization in North Philadelphia. Our work spanned arts, education, greening projects, health initiatives and much more, all of this with a deep commitment to engaging local residents in all aspects of the work. We collaborated closely with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society through Philadelphia Green, and just as one detail, we were able to convert over 200 vacant lots into new green spaces in our neighborhoods. I'm currently the Executive Director of the Starfinder Foundation. This is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children's healthy development through soccer programs and character education curriculum. Starfinder partners with the School District and with the Department of Recreation to deliver after-school and summer programs to hundreds of children throughout Philadelphia, particularly in the most underserved neighborhoods. I 101 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 anticipate that these partnerships will continue to grow. Through my work with these and with other organizations, I've gained significant experience in bringing vital services to neighborhood residents, in managing organizational finances and operations, developing strategic plans and partnerships, and in securing resources and investment from a broad range of public and private resources. Perhaps most importantly, I've seen how important green spaces and recreational resources are to the health and success of communities, and I know I'm not alone in this view. The message from the Mayor's recent budget forums was loud and clear: Don't cut funding to parks and recreation. They know that well-supported parks and recreation systems strengthen their communities, enhance public safety and support the healthy development of their children. I 102 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 believe that the Department of Parks and Recreation, with support from the Commission, can tap this enthusiasm to foster new strategic partnerships and access new sources of public and private funding. I've spent my career working to improve the lives of youth, build communities and strengthen Philadelphia as a place to live, grow and thrive. As a member of the Commission, I'll bring this passion to strengthening and promoting a unified Parks and Recreation system that enriches the lives of all Philadelphians. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your testimony. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Hi. First, thank you for the opportunity to testify and provide supporting recommendations for the Parks and Recreation Commission. My name is John 103 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Weatherbe. Currently, I have the -- I guess the -- I'm currently working for Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller's office as a staff member. My duties in her office, besides constituent service, is research, as well as public -- assisting with public relations and media. Prior to that, I was brought along to the Crisis Management Team during the aftermath of Councilman Richard Mariano's indictment, along with Jay McCullough and Anthony Ingargiola, to handle public relations. And prior to that, I was a volunteer intern at the Southwest Community Development Center, where I served as an assistant to the economics coordinators. I would assist them on various projects. I'm MBA -- I'm actually attending Villanova for my MBA. I think I bring more of an analytical perspective to this Commission. In my initial application, I briefly spoke of six areas 104 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the Commission on Parks and Recreation should focus to support, promote and invest in the City's Park and Recreation system. During these economic times, by all means, we want to avoid potential pitfalls of our past that can traditionally affect our future. Therefore, what I presented coincides with the overall mission of this Committee, because they helped to streamline the services of the former Park and Recreation Commission, while maximizing efficiencies and maintenance planning and other functions. My suggestions were to inspire community pride and ownership, invest in environmentally sensitive programs, deliver innovative and responsive programs, maintain public safety and quality park maintenance, provide high-quality service and focus on employee development. Briefly, I would just like to pinpoint a few of those. 105 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 In terms of inspiring community pride and ownership, I feel that the Commission should focus to encourage the volunteerism of children, youth and adults, promote public awareness of programs and activities, increase and diversify community involvement, and provide welcoming facilities and faces for the community. Secondly I bulleted investing in environmentally sensitive programs. We would develop and/or increase management and maintenance procedures, protect public lands and utilize practices for preservation. My third bullet was to deliver innovative responses and programs, whereas we would develop a needs assessment based on community demographics, create programs that benefit the needs of the community, and improve relationships with the community organizations and the church. And that's just a few. Most of 106 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 it is already in my packet that I presented with you. And my final thought, although some of the ideas presented may be difficult to execute, the ultimate solution can only be determined due to collaborative efforts and opinions of those who serve on this Board. As a member of this Commission, to ensure these goals are achieved, I will commit myself to collaborative teamwork that promotes open-minded, out-of-the-box thinking, choosing from generated alternatives that only creates efficiency methods and financial solutions. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony. Please.

Good afternoon. My name is Ilene Wilder and I appreciate this opportunity to speak before you today. I am very passionate about the 107 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 environment. I personally live my life as sustainably as I can to be a good role model. I've taken every opportunity, both personally and professionally, to promote sustainability. As a professional marketing and communication executive, I've had the opportunity to help educate and promote sustainable living practices, as well as work through our government system to help educate our legislators to enact sustainable policies. As an environmental lobbyist for a large consulting engineering firm whose focus was the design of power plants, I had the unique privilege of testifying before congressional committees urging them to support clean air legislation. Today, I have that same unique privilege in Philadelphia to work at the University of Pennsylvania, a leader in sustainable practices, and to be actively involved in the University's sustainability program. I serve on the 108 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Communication Team for the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council of the University. As the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Business Services at Penn, I feel I'm really part of a system that can make a difference in Philadelphia. In addition, I have over years of experience in fundraising for 10 non-profits and experience working with 11 government entities on the local, state 12 and federal level. I can work very 13 effectively with a diverse group of 14 people and can lead and manage programs 15 successfully. 16 But, most importantly, I have 17 become very active in my neighborhood. 18 Last year I was elected Vice-President of 19 the Columbus Square Advisory Council. 20 Columbus Square Park is located in South Philadelphia between 12th and 13th and Reed and Wharton Streets. I live on 13th Street, right across from the park, which is one of the reasons I bought the house. Using my marketing and 109 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 communication expertise, I've established a website for our Park Council with a database. I send out e-mail blasts regularly to our neighbors informing them of meetings, park clean-ups, sending out calls to actions for tree plantings and informing them of opportunities to get involved. I've had a wonderful response, and today our community involvement is stronger than ever. I've learned a lot in the past year working on the Advisory Council of our park. The people in my neighborhood are active and willing to work in making our park a green space and a place of community. The residents of our neighborhood put the time and effort into the maintenance and upkeep of the park and, in some cases, their own funds. Yet they seem to have no say in what activities actually go on in the park. I think the newly formed Commission should create a strategic plan to help guide the Department so both the actual grounds are 110 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 maintained regularly and the programming of the centers meet the needs of the community in which they are located. I feel I have both the professional experience as well as the personal passion to serve on this Commission. I would like to see the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department become the stewards of the City's greening. With the current state of the economy and the many challenges facing all of us today, I truly believe people want to be involved, and I feel I have both the experience and communication background to bring that call to action forward and help forge a great partnership between the citizens and the City's newly formed Department of Parks and Recreation. As a member of the Commission, I could help design programs to educate and motivate residents to get involved.

Fifteen 111 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 seconds.

The Commission should be an agent in forming partnerships with local community groups and park councils. There's a great deal of frustration around getting anything done and, as such, people who were once dedicated and energetic have lapsed into apathy out of frustration. This is the time to rekindle the fire in these people. The City needs community involvement if we are to reach Mayor Nutter's goal of being the greenest city in the country. I am involved in my community. I would really like to be a voice on this Commission and to help make the decisions necessary to keep our parks viable and our city sustainable for future generations. Thank you.

I thank you all for your testimony. I do have one question. 112 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 In the first paragraph of your testimony, you mention how -- and I quote -- "to help educate and promote sustainable living practices." Just provide an example, if you will, of what you've done there.

I did some community -- when I was lobbying, we did a lot of community outreach, because we were lobbying, we were doing some -- we were building a new power plant, so we were talking to people about conservation of energy; for example, how to keep -- not to use their lights, how to keep their lights off during different times like this and we were talking about the use of energy, energy conservation in their own living. A lot of people leave their lights on, they leave their commuters on. They don't think about that it's drawing energy. When they leave it plugged in, it's still running. So that's the kind of education programs we're doing. 113 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

All right, then. I thank you all. Kenneth Wong, L. Trena Woodson, Gabriel Y-I-M-E-S-G-H-E-N, Anita Zalewski, Joanne Zarro. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Good afternoon. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of City Council. My name is L. Trena Woodson. I come before you with joy in being able to assist in not only merging the Recreation center and the Park, also to sort of save the children and have the children to be involved in a jewel that we have in the City. Listening to the enthusiasm and qualities of all the people who are here, it's no doubt that our city is taken seriously. Individually and collectively 114 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the opportunity presents itself to strengthen the ties between our Park and Recreation system. This will be beneficial to our prized possessions, the children of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is rich in natural resources, having Fairmount Park running through our city. Using this as a vehicle, we can enhance the lives of our residents and also attract guests to our city. This project can save our children and show the world how the natural resources here, partnered with the Department of Recreation, will add to the lives and future of our children. And I'd like to say to Madam Chairman that I bring you another sport: Swimming. My children were involved with the PDR program back when Jim Ellis was the coach. And he's no longer there, but he had a successful program which encouraged families to, I guess, support each other, and a lot of children 115 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 received scholarships through swimming. At age -- I mean, 16 they were able to 4 participate and be employed by the City 5 as lifeguards, and on to college, 6 swimming for their school, maybe not 7 necessarily in a scholarship area, but to 8 add to the school. And I have two sons 9 that are now -- I won't tell the age. 10 They both went to University of 11 Pittsburgh and they swam during the 12 school years, and they used it as a life 13 skill. And I participated in running the 14 seven miles in the Park. When I served 15 as Vice-President of PDR, we were 16 instrumental in, I guess, bugging the 17 Commissioners at the Park to, I guess, 18 upgrade the facilities for the Kelly Pool, and I was one of the first officials, I guess, from 20 years back to officiate a swim meet there. So I think when people have an interest, that they can really bring out lots of opportunities in the Park. I think that we can witness the 116 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 impact of the programs that these -- the programs could have on our children. And also a little background on myself. I'm years serving as 6 President and founder of my own company. 7 We do promotional marketing. I've done 8 golf tournaments and swim meets and also 9 foot races. So these are some of the 10 things we could bring to the Park, and 11 reach out to some of the neighbors to see 12 exactly how they can participate using 13 the facilities in the Park. 14 Thank you for the opportunity. 15

You're 16 welcome. Thank you for your testimony. 17 Good afternoon. 18

Good afternoon. 19 My name is Gabriel Yimesghen. I thank you very much for inviting me today. I'm an industrial engineer and licensed engineer in Pennsylvania. I'm a professor right now at Temple University. I teach subjects like project management, project management and statistics. So 117 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 I'm here today to give you some of my capabilities. I'm mostly interested in helping the Commission on the technical side. You see, my resume does not have any other -- I did not include any social things that I have done. But I have been involved in many social affairs in my country. I'm from Eritrea, Ethiopia. In fact, here I have been instrumental in developing a center for our country, for our citizens from my country, from Eritrea, and have been involved very heavily. When I was also in college at the University of Michigan, I was playing soccer for the University and also I was assistant coach for the team. So I'm here to help you in the areas of project management, data analysis, systems analysis of that sort. And, of course, I love parks. I have been in many different parts of the world, in Europe and Africa. I've seen a lot of them. And I would like to be an instrumental help to the City to make 118 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 better parks for everybody. So we will try to make sure that people can go to park. Parks are very, very, very important parts of entertainment and also very healthy. So that's the kind of thing I'm hoping to achieve here. As a personality, I'm very focused. I'm also goal-oriented. So like in a projects management, you can start something and you have to finish it. I'm also a finisher. So I will be helpful in that area. I have done a lot of social stuff, but my main thing is to be part of the service something. If there's a service that we have to do, I can help on that. If there's a project that has to be done, I could lead on that. So for that purpose, I think I will be very helpful to you.

We thank you for your testimony. Good afternoon. 119 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Councilman Clarke and Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez. My name is Anita Zalewski. I hail from Mount Airy in Philadelphia and I run a business in North Philadelphia. I was approached for this Commission by Jack Galloway. He is a legend on the river and a Chairman of the Dad Vail Regatta. He's a former Chairman and President of the organizing committee for the World Championship Dragon Boat Races that were held here in Philadelphia. And I must say, I was very flattered and intrigued when he asked me. Upon further reflection, it became clear that I'm in a position to make a real positive difference in Philadelphia's Parks and Recreation system. My experience with the public and private sector has helped me to develop skills that would fit with the social mission of the Commission on Parks 120 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and Recreation. I have business management, marketing and public relation skills. I operate a business, and I meet a payroll. I can offer the Commission a solid education, professional training and volunteer experience in organization and strategy. Also, I have real-life experience operating in and improving operations in a very fragile and finite budget environment. Community leadership and athletic programming are critical skills to include on the Commission, since it is imperative to understand how to drive resident participation. I have over a decade of community activism and cultural and athletic programming. I've run actually a few races that I've organized and put those on, as well as cultural programming. In difficult economic times, you have to have creative solutions. It must be understood that the parks and 121 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 recreation are a public opportunity. It is imperative that the City's Park and Recreation system maintain services and access to the citizens of Philadelphia even during this stage of the economic cycle. I believe that a level of service and access must be maintained for social welfare. The capabilities I bring to the Commission include the type of business acumen that will be needed for the Parks and Recreation system to flourish even in lean economic times. I have an advanced degree in public health. It's one of those practices which generally operate in restricted budget environments. Solutions on promoting public health are often punctuated with creative fundraising, lean operating budgets and maximization of resources to deliver the highest public investment. My mission is to maximize the use of the Park for all people, while at the same time preserving it for future 122 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 generations.

Fifteen seconds.

I also have familiarity with the City's political structure so that I can work with other community leaders to build consensus about what will maximize the parks and recreation for the citizenry. Most importantly, unlike many others, I conduct no business with the City. My interests are purely directed to the best interest of the Park, the citizens and the Recreation system. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your testimony. Could you or would you leave copies of your testimony? Did you send copies up this way?

Can I mail it in?

Absolutely, yes.

I only have one. 123 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Not a problem at all. Okay, then. We thank you all for your testimony. Joanne Zarro, Naomi Williams, Vince Fenerty, Charles Craig, Shawn Lawson, Claudia Phillips. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Good afternoon, everyone. (Good afternoon.)

If you would all please state your name for the record and then we'll start with your testimony. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Thank you for allowing me a chance to speak with you guys today. My name is Charles Bradford Craig. I'm from the East Park/Girard area, and I would like your consideration for this position. Forgive my pace in advance. 124 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 I'm going to try to get a lot covered here. As a city and as a country, we face numerous challenges in the times ahead. We must quickly identify and adopt aggressive sustainable methodologies in our parks, buildings and immediate environment. It is important to lead rather than to follow. You will need a visionary with a set of modern, sustainable experiences and skills to facilitate progress in these areas. I believe I am this person. Currently, I'm the elected Finance Director on the Board of Directors for the Friends of Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Park. During my tenure in this position, I've been instrumental in helping to take Sedgley Woods to new heights. I've seen our membership double in two years up to over 500 people. This year I wrote and obtained a grant from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philly Green 125 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 re-grant program, and I'm currently writing another one for the Philadelphia Activities Fund. In addition to being a positive presence for nearly 30 years, Sedgley Woods has expanded its mission to include service to the community beyond the scope of just sports. Last year alone, I managed the food drive for the club and we raised 1,200 pounds of canned goods for the Strawberry Mansion Neighborhood Action Center and held two tournaments that raised $2,000 to fight prostate cancer and to anonymously provide a meaningful Christmas holiday for a needy family. This year's food drive, which I also managed, went to benefit residents of East Park, distributed by our Friends at the East Park Revitalization Alliance, and we also initiated a women's league to encourage gender diversity and founded a youth outreach program, which taught over a hundred neighborhood kids to play disc golf. We are also involved in forming a 126 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 steering committee to advance the interest of East Park and adjacent neighborhoods. I consult in the renewable energy market and I'm the Director of Business Development for Infinite Energy Company, where I work for Cassandra Kling. Mrs. Kling wrote the New Jersey State Renewable Energy Program, which to date is the most successful state program on record. " It would be well received and it will attract eco-tourism to the City as well as hundreds of green jobs. I'm a member of the Green Economy Task Force Subcommittee, which is part of the Sustainable Procurement group for Philadelphia. I see what Philadelphia is trying to do, but that it is following suit with other cities rather than 127 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 leading. We are using San Francisco's model to develop our own. I want other cities to adopt our citywide sustainable model, where we see visible renewable solutions on our open spaces and making all of our Park and Recreation buildings, structures and venues more sustainable and energy efficient. S. Green Building designation, and a leader in the renewable energy market, I can represent the Commission on these endeavors moving forward. There is a tremendous opportunity for the City to lead the way for the nation on greening the City. Eco-tourism accounts for a large segment of tourism dollars and is rapidly rising. The green jobs created from these projects are enough to stimulate our local economy, and I'm working on several projects currently to that effect. President Obama has stated his goal of doubling the current amount of 128 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 renewable energy in three years time. That's pretty aggressive. Pennsylvania has a renewable portfolio standard of eight percent, which mandates by the year 2020 eight percent of total energy produced must come from renewable sources.

Of that, 850 megawatts of solar must be installed by the year 2021, as an example. We've only go megawatts as 11 it is today, so we've got a pretty 12 challenging and daunting task ahead. 13 Governor Rendell signed his 14 Sunshine bill into law last July. That 15 program will start in the next couple of 16 months. 17

Fifteen 18 seconds. 19

There are countless 20 grants available for energy upgrades for buildings that I can assist with, and I'd like to offer my services for this endeavor. The City of Asheville, North Carolina realizes that they need to lead 129 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 rather than follow. I'm working directly with the Mayor of Asheville to help green tech companies come into their corridor, which in turn will create hundreds of green jobs to their surrounding areas. The City of Asheville doesn't want to wait for legislation to change policy. Rather, she, along with me, my boss and a team of congressmen and women, are busy trying to make changes from the bottom up rather than from the top down; that is, we're collectively trying to shape local policy by creating incentives to create renewable energy market where there currently isn't one. Waiting for the state in this case would take too long. The Mayor of Asheville, just like Mayor Nutter, does not want to wait for this. I want to help this Commission and the City of Philadelphia attain some of these superlatives. I realize the Parks and Recreation Commission faces more challenges other than sustainability and 130 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 renewable energy, but that's why you're assembling a team rather than one individual. I do bring community involvement, together with Fairmount Park leadership experience, but, more importantly, I bring well over years 8 of very successful professional 9 experience to this Commission. The 10 Commission will be forced to deal with 11 these issues in the short term, and you 12 need a leader in this area to represent 13 you moving forward. 14 Thank you again for your 15 consideration. Lastly, I'd like for everyone to look above. We're not leading. This is a prime example of how Philadelphia can set themselves apart. This is a public space, and we're bleeding money with incandescent light bulbs. It's not a good example to set, and I'd like to be a part of the changes for our green buildings moving forward. Thank you. 131 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Do you have copies of your testimony?

I handed up 20.

It is up here? Okay.

I left it in a book format.

So your testimony -- okay. Thank you. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Councilwoman. Thank you for allowing me to testify. I did not prepare any written testimony. My name is Vince Fenerty. I am the Executive Director of the Parking Authority. I'm known to all members of this Committee. I've applied for this Commission for a few reasons. I've attained a lot in my goals at the Parking Authority. I've been a community leader for 28 years. And my particular interest is keeping the recreation centers open and the pools open. And I became 132 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 interested in this when I read about it online and on the Internet. My goal would be to find unique ways to raise money through corporate sponsors, through private individuals to help sustain the recreation centers and the pools in Philadelphia. And I know you're aware that I have begun that through Parking Wars with the Parking Authority last year by raising $73,000 through our television show and $110,000 this year for the Mayor's pool program. And that was by just going to Hybrid Films and to the A&E network and explaining to them the needs for the City. There was no contract that said that either of these corporations had to pay the Parking Authority for its reality show. We went to the producers of the show last year, explaining the needs of the City for the Kixx program with the recreation centers, which was going to be cancelled, and, again, this year with the play for the pools. And we were 133 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 successful in getting some donations from those two individuals that sponsored our show. And I'd like to continue to work with the Commission, if selected, and hopefully find unique ways to keep the recreation centers modern, to keep the pools open and assist City Council and the Mayor and the new Commission Director, Mr. DiBerardinis, in ways to keep the children with places to go during the summer and winter. That's my goal. Nothing fancy. I'd like to be part of Philadelphia's future and volunteer my services for free in my spare time.

Thank you for your testimony.

Thank you. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. I'm very happy to be here and be a part of this process. I have a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture -- 134 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

Your name.

Oh, I'm sorry. Claudia Goetz Phillips. I have a Master's in Landscape Architecture and a Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning. For the last 8 years, I have taught and/or directed 9 landscape architecture programs at Morgan 10 State University in Baltimore and now at 11 Philadelphia University, which is in East 12 Falls, and both of those programs, through my leadership, had missions of sustainable urban design. Throughout my career, I have been very active in serving my community in various ways and at all scales, locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. I have served on several Boards at the local and international levels and I have served on numerous committees for a variety of governmental and community organizations at all levels. For example, I'm a Council 135 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 member for the newly developed National Academy of Environmental Design, which is very similar in scope to the National Science Academy. I am currently President of an international organization, the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. And locally I am on the Friends of the Wissahickon Board and serve on the -- and chair the Outreach Committee. Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, I was in Baltimore and I served on the State of Maryland's Governor's Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, which was a government appointment. I have the qualifications to serve on the Departments of Parks and Recreation Commission because I have the experience to do so based on my long record of such service at all levels. I was extremely pleased that Michael Nutter was elected Mayor, largely because of his understanding of the 136 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 importance of planning, whether a long-term master planning process, neighborhood enhancement or park development/restoration. I likewise totally support the Administration's development of an Office of Sustainability. I think that it is evident from my application that I totally embrace the concept of sustainable urban design where parklands are considered vitally important for human health and well-being. Our parklands purify the air and water, store and infiltrate storm water, provide wildlife habitat and they equitably provide necessary active and passive recreation amenities for all our citizens and visitors. And I truly look forward to assisting and advising the Park and Recreation Commissioner in promoting and supporting and enhancing the image of the Fairmount Park Commission and other City parks and recreational facilities. 137 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 One of the things that we do at Philadelphia University and I did at Morgan State is, all our projects that we do are for real community groups and particularly schools. One school --

Fifteen seconds.

One school example, we worked with Philadelphia Military Academy, which I don't know whether you're aware of that. It's 100 percent asphalt. I asked them when we met with them how much of the land that we could redevelop or take up the asphalt. They said all of it. We did a totally sustainable master plan for that school, which they're now using to raise money. Another thought I had was to use the universities as design advisors to the Commission, take up the asphalt at all our elementary and high schools that are in the area and use them as stepping stones to the larger -- and linkages to 138 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 the larger park system. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Mr. Fenerty, the Parking Wars effort, is that a sustainable -- is it a one-shot opportunity or is that going to last for a while?

The Parking Authority has one more year after this season, which is being filmed now, on its contract with A&E to allow them to do filming. So there would be one more year of opportunity for them to renew their commitment to Philadelphia through the pool program or whatever program that the Mayor's Office would be in need of for next season. And we would hope this series keeps going. It does show a good side and sometimes a bad side of the City. Sometimes my officers get a little too rough. The first season was a little rough. The second season was a lot better. But it's a good show. Our 139 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 officers like being on it. It shows how rough their job is sometimes. But there is opportunity for another season if how it goes, as long as A&E renews Hybrid Films if the season is successful this year.

Well, thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you all for your testimony. (Thank you.)

Michelle Robinson, June O'Neill, John Sheahan. And I'm delighted to take any other name I don't have on this list that may have arrived after we started. Please have a seat at the witness table. If you have testimony, we'd take that as well. (Witnesses approached witness table.)

Good afternoon, everyone. Please state your 140 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 name for the record and you're welcome to proceed, sir.

Thank you very much. My name is Shawn Lawson. What I am is the General Manager and Vice-President of Bustleton Services, Incorporated. What we are is a tree, fence and landscaping contractor in the City of Philadelphia. I was born in Germantown Hospital, raised in Oxford Circle and currently reside in Northeast Philadelphia. What I have is years of 15 contracting experience, and I've worked 16 for numerous agencies with the City, 17 Fairmount Park, Capital Programs, the 18 Pennsylvania and New Jersey Department of 19 Transportation, School District of 20 Philadelphia. These are just to name a few. And what I've done with these agencies is, I bid on work and then jobs that we were low bidder on, we were awarded, and we installed everything that needed to be done on that process of the 141 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 job. Excuse me. I'm very nervous. One of the things I did for Fairmount Park for the past years and 6 with the Rec Department is installed 7 backstops, ball fields, perimeter fences, 8 the sodding, the E&S control, anything 9 and everything that was ever built with 10 the Rec Department with the play 11 equipment, with the safety surfaces, I 12 have hands-on experience. 13 With PHA what I've done is, I'm 14 currently working on the Sparkle program. 15 I'm familiar with working with the 16 management and hiring local residents and 17 instilling them in with my crews and 18 teaching them and at the same time 19 compensating them for the work that we're 20 doing. I feel that's good. I've worked with the University of Penn installing green roofs. I have an extensive knowledge in that field, and I am an ISA certified arborist, and I know everything about trees, the planting 142 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 trees, installing fences, as I was saying, in the ball fields. I think what I bring differently to the Commission is somebody that has hands-on experience, somebody that they can turn to and say, Has anybody did this before, and I can say, I have. I can bring ideas. I can keep costs down. I can get the environment involved. And I've listened to everybody today and I probably know that I am on a list of people -- I am the dark horse, but I think I bring something that is very necessary to the Commission. Thank you very much.

So let me underscore that. You indicated your interest by completing the application. You showed up. You offered testimony. You have ideas. You bring skill sets. So you are not a dark horse.

Thank you very much. 143 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057

We thank you for your testimony.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is Michelle Robinson and I'm an architect, and my strength is developing visions and implementation methods. With respect to this Commission, I would envision a three-prong approach that focuses on people, money and natural resources. With respect to people, I believe it's important that the Commission, in order to properly serve the citizens, must work to understand the details. It's important that we understand who is using which resources and how they are using them and involve the stakeholders in developing a strategic plan. That strategic plan then, without delay, should be broken 144 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 down into strategic objectives with measurable and obtainable goals. The second part of this prong is money. In terms of financial strategy, I would push for the same strategy that I've used in projects, local, state and national level. And for the Commission, my guidance would be to develop a financial strategy that increases our independence from the City's budget and revenues. I think it's imperative that the Commission promptly establish a finance subcommittee and develop a financial strategy that establishes the Commission as an able-bodied and indispensable assistant to the Parks and Recreation system. Policies should be established regarding revenue production, general fundraising, partnership agreements, asset acquisition, financing of historic facilities and conservation measures. The simple act of developing these policies will engage the Commission in 145 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 discussing and researching the very ideas that I believe will be presented by stakeholders. While I am not advocating a slow-moving train to the finish line, I am emphasizing the irreplaceable character of Philadelphia's physical natural infrastructure and developing policies that support our assets, which brings me to the third prong of what I believe the Commission's platform should be, and, that is, the natural resources. As a public body that is entrusted with guiding the City's Parks and Rec Department, we can never, ever lose sight of the unique and irreplaceable value of our Park and Rec systems' natural resources. And we must remember and never dismiss the idea that the City's residents are also a natural resource of the system. The Commission should develop plans for Parks and Rec to leverage the volunteerism, the non-profit activities 146 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 and the community engagement found throughout this city. The Commission should further explore the development of partnership organizations such as the friends groups and the advisory councils in order to capture the energies of these people and their interest. These partnerships will also serve as a conduit for educating the public about the Park and Rec system and resources and as a marketing and development tool for the City. In conclusion, I would like to leave you with the knowledge that I have the experience with all these tasks. I have led state and national corporations in the development of statewide, regional and local programs, and I have successfully led the process of stakeholder identification, organization of public stakeholder meetings and subsequent policy development and implementation. Over the years through my 147 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 public service as a volunteer, I've brought nearly a million dollars in grant monies to organizations for parks, playgrounds, historic preservation, urban reforestation. By way of reference, I've left you some examples of my projects, a charrette to redevelop an entire downtown known as Coatesville, a statewide bicycle plan and some examples of before and after re-greening projects that I've spearheaded here in the City.

We thank you for this. Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. My name is John Sheahan and currently I'm Divisional Vice-President of Plymouth Nursery and Landscape. It's a family-owned operation. My grandfather started it roughly 60 years ago. So the division that I'm in 148 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 charge of is pretty much commercial landscape development as well as landscape maintenance, and I feel that background gives me the knowledge to at least provide a little insight as far as costs, the bid process and maybe even reduce the costs in regards to maintenance or tree purchases, things of that nature. As far as why I applied for this position, first and foremost, I felt the need to give back to the City. I was anxious and incredibly excited to volunteer in any capacity. And the idea that I had was community gardening, specifically vegetable gardens. In these hard economic times, I think creating those with the available space would enable communities to kind of get together, bond and really help themselves in this time of need, and I think it's a great building block, and there's many variables that you could add to that, incorporating high schools to sponsor 149 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 them, have kind of after-school programs for informative measures, but all kind of on a voluntary basis. And what I like most about this particular idea is that a garden really doesn't cost that much to get going. A pack of seeds and some soil and a little bit of hard work and you can get that going and reap the benefits. So in closing, I'd like to thank you once again for this opportunity. Thank you.

We thank you all very, very, very much. Thank you. If there is anyone else here whose name we called and you were not here and you'd like to join us and offer testimony, you're welcome now to do so. Please come forward. You may have missed the earlier ground rules, which are we will ask that you limit your testimony to three minutes, and then we may or may not have questions from members of the Committee. 150 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 (Witness approached witness table.)

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. Good afternoon, Councilman Clarke, Councilwoman Quinones. My name is Naomi Williams and it is a privilege to address you today and offer comments in support of my application for nomination to serve on the Philadelphia Commission on Parks and Recreation. While my resume highlights my experiences in a number of the areas mentioned within the Member's Qualifications section of the Charter amendment, I would like to take this time to elaborate more on why my work history makes me an ideal candidate for the Commission. First, there's my experience in real estate, which encompasses a working knowledge and understanding of natural 151 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 lands management, watershed management, environmental protection laws, the Public Trust Doctrine, eminent domain and conveyance theories. Second, I possess skills in business, finance, neighborhood revitalization, community leadership and fundraising gained through progressively responsible work and volunteer experiences that would be beneficial in the undertakings of the Commission on Parks and Recreation. Third, I have extensive experience in qualitative and quantitative marketing techniques, advertising and public relations. Additionally, I have a personal dedication to physical fitness which I have shared with my involvement with an advocacy for community sports, recreation and other athletic programming. But overall, I feel that it is my honesty, vision, compassion, strong work ethic and can-do attitude that are the main 152 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 qualifications that I would bring to the Commission. I have a strong desire to serve the Commission because in these difficult economic times, the Commission will be called on to do more with less. As a new entity that stands in neither -- it stands in either the unique position of having no legacy to live up to nor no bad decisions or choices of its predecessors to either cure or live down. The Commission must first examine the current state of affairs, including its budget, existing uses and recommendations that may also have been shelved but have the potential to become viable. Also, I feel strongly that those programs that integrate recreational activities and Park preservation should be promoted. Many youth, our biggest resource, are not actively involved with environmental concerns because we neglect to make them shareholders. In closing, I believe that I 153 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 should be nominated to be a member of the Philadelphia Commission on Parks and Recreation because I am passionate about the capacity of this city and this being a vehicle for change. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your testimony.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Anyone else to offer testimony on Resolution No. 14 090057? Please, sir, you'd like to offer testimony?

Yes.

Please come forward. (Witness approached witness table.)

Good afternoon, sir. You'd like to state your name for the record.

Aaron Sudler, 154 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 S-U-D-L-E-R.

Okay. You're certainly welcome to proceed with your testimony.

I'm a resident, born and raised in Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Mantua section. And I know my testimony is valid because I'm an artist for over years. Right now I'm 11 enrolled in the Hussian School of Art 12 down by the Bourse, inside the Bourse, 13 third floor, across the street from the 14 Liberty Bell. 15 I'm an advocate throughout the 16 City of Philadelphia in regards to 17 equality and civil union. Reverend Al 18 Sharpton sent me an invite just recently 19 to attend the National Action Network, 20 which will be April 1st through the 4th 21 out in New York at the Sheraton Hotel. 22 It's a conference that involves many 23 leaders across the country. Now, I'm 24 going out there. I don't know how 25 everything will play out, but I'm going 155 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 out there on my testimony in regards to conceptual thinking and how the people of Philadelphia are affected through trial and error. Now, I'm deeply concerned in particular with the bridges. There's two bridges of Girard Avenue, 41st and 40th of Girard Avenue, that's been closed for over -- one of them been closed for over years. It is not clear to the people 12 that I represent in regards to why 13 they've been closed for so long. No one 14 seems to want to speak out. I'm here to 15 speak out because I'm in a position to do so. Like I said, I'm a great artist, and I'm conceptually bringing an insight in regards to what's troubling each and every person throughout Philadelphia. I hear everything, from this to that, because I'm involved, from North Philly to South Philly, to Southwest to Northeast. I'm a resident of Broad and 156 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 Erie right now. That's where I stay at. But at the same time, I'm always at the barber shops and beauty salons throughout the whole entire city, and what affects them behind their -- they feel like the need to smoke and to do all these different things, to drink, it's basically because of -- they feel like they've been left out of the equation when it comes down to infrastructure, what Barack Obama always speaks about. So I'm just here briefly, just walked in on this, as to bring a light on cause and effect. And if we really have desire to bring Philadelphia to a certain level, we must consider the people who is affected -- who are affected. Now, a lot of meetings are held behind closed doors. They're not publicized, but they're publicized after the fact. I noticed that through the media. I'm always involved in trying to figure out where the meetings are located, where they're being held, where 157 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 they're being conducted, but I hear it after the fact through the media. So I just want to bring that to your attention.

Fifteen seconds, sir.

Okay. In closing, I would like to let everyone know that if the people are involved, not after but before, we can grow, we could get opinions and we can move forward into this infrastructure that this new Administration definitely has in mind. Thank you very much.

Do you have copies of your testimony you'd like to send in? Do you have it now? And if you do not have it now --

I can send it. No 21 problem.

You're welcome to do that.

Thank you.

You're 158 3/26/09 - PARKS - RES. 090057 very welcome. Anyone else to hear testimony on Resolution No. 090057? (No response.)

With that said, the City Council Committee on Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs will be recessed until the call of the Chair. I want to thank the Council colleagues and all of those that offered valuable testimony on this resolution. (Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs recessed at 3:45 p.m.) - - - 159 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter on March 26, 2009, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. ______________________________ MICHELE L. MURPHY RPR-Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)