COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING - COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, May 19, 2004, 10:20 a.m. BILL 040311 - An Ordinance naming and designating the Mantua Recreation Center located at 34th Street and Haverford Avenue as the "James Lee Wright Recreation Center." PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN W. WILSON GOODE, JR. COUNCILMAN JACK KELLY COUNCILMAN FRANK DI CICCO COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 P R O C E E D I N G S - - -
Good morning. The City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs is now in a public hearing to hear testimony on Bill No. 8 040311. With us today in attendance are Councilman Jack Kelly, Councilman Frank DiCicco and Councilman W. Wilson Goode. I will now ask the clerk to read the title of Bill 040311.
040311, an Ordinance naming and designating the Mantua Recreation Center located 34th Street and Haverford Avenue as the "James Lee Wright Recreation Center."
Thank you. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell may be joining us. While we wait, I will call on Bill Carapucci from Recreation to testify. Please state your name for the record, if you would.
William 3 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 Carapucci, Deputy Commissioner, Recreation Department.
The only testimony I know is, I know James Wright for about years and he did a tremendous job for 9 the community, volunteered numerous hours for 10 very low wages, and he was really the heart of 11 the Mantua Rec Center. 12 I supervised him back in the mid 13 '80s, and I actually was one of the guys that 14 got him in the system. He did a great job. 15
His actual 18 Civil Service title was Community Outreach 19 Worker, which is a low-paying job, but in 20 reality, he ran the place. So he did an 21 excellent job. 22
James Wright 25 was a Civil Service Community Outreach Worker 4 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 for the Rec Department.
I know him at least 20, years. I met him in '85 or '86, 7 and he was there, he was helping out, he was 8 one of our seasonal workers. And from there, 9 he would spend numerous hours at the place, 10 always there. And then he wound up becoming 11 one of our Community Outreach Workers. 12 We only have about seven of those in 13 the City and they're really good, because you 14 don't really need the same academic 15 background, but if you're a neighborhood 16 person, you could get in the system and it 17 makes a big difference. 18 We've had some really good success 19 with that title. That came in in the early 20 '90s. We haven't used it much lately, but 21 maybe down the road that could come back. 22
Let me 23 please say thank you to Councilman Frank 24 Rizzo, who has joined us this morning as well. 25 Does there remain a community 5 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 outreach at that Center?
I see. Any other questions from Members of the Committee? (No response.)
Testimony, comments, observations, statements from Members of the Committee? (No response.)
That concludes testimony then on Bill No. 040311. We thank you.
This concludes our public hearing and we will now move into a public meeting. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell is not here, so I would ask the Vice Chair of the Committee if we could please have a motion on Bill 040311.
I move that 6 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 Bill 040311 be reported out of the Committee with a favorable recommendation and a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading at our next Council session. (Seconded.)
Bill 15 040311 has been moved and properly seconded. No opposition. Therefore, Bill 040311 will be reported out of this Committee with a favorable recommendation and a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended to allow first reading at our next scheduled session of City Council. This concludes the Committee hearing on Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs. I do thank my colleagues, and please forgive my tardiness. Thank you very much. 7 Parks - 5/19/04 - Bill 040311 (Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee adjourned at 10:25 a.m.) - - - 8 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 May 19, 2004, 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.)