Thank 220 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. you. Can you explain why you zeroed out the Convention Center subsidy payment in year FY09 to '11? Does not the City have a legal obligation to budget this payment per the Use and Lease Agreement?
I think, if I could, if the Budget Director is still here, I would like to defer that to her.
Dianne Reed, Budget Director. There has been dialogue between the Administration and the Governor regarding how some of the gaming funds would be disposed, and the money that could be used to relieve Philadelphia of its obligations for the Convention Center comes from this funding, which is disbursed by DCED. The City remains hopeful that the Governor and the administration in Harrisburg will allow us to use those funds in this way. 221 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC.
Do you have a legal opinion stating that the City obligation to pay the subsidy is no 5 longer valid?
It certainly seems to us that without this opinion, then we have a real issue about how we budget these dollars. So we would like you to submit that to the Chair, if you would.
Thank you very much. Councilwoman Brown, and then I'll come back. We have some questions for Mjenzi Traylor.
But, Councilwoman Brown, I'll yield to you first.
Thank you. 222 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. Good afternoon, everyone.
I want to make sure I heard you correctly with regards to the 150 million for the capital infrastructure to support Philadelphia's anchor cultural institutions. So did I not hear you say that those dollars will be targeted for the institutions owned by the City?
I said that, but in fact, that is only part of how we would use that. It is a much more comprehensive sort of effort than just that. I think that a substantial portion -- let me back up just a second. Of the $150 million -- and, again, we have not presented you the legislation, so you have not had any briefing on this.
The two major components of it are this ReStore Program, which is a commercial corridor 223 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. effort, and the other part of it, sort of just under half of it, we think is for the commercial -- or the cultural corridor effort. The cultural corridor effort I think are sort of -- the sense of it right now is that it would be primarily for capital infrastructure or capital investments. Much of that would be in City-owned facilities. And, again, I would use the example of the Art Museum.
But there are in fact a whole series of smaller cultural organizations that have capital needs, whether those be like roof repairs or ADA accessibility or other sorts of things that we would intend to sort of make a part of that funding available for those sorts of organizations that could demonstrate that had some planning in place for that improvement and some capacity to match some of that funding. 224 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. And we also want to build in some capacity building when we are providing assistance to non-profits, smaller cultural organizations, partly because we believe that although the dollars wouldn't indicate, we think that the technical assistance that can be provided to provide capacity building and board development and other sorts of aspects of capacity building are just as important in the long run as helping them to sort of make some of the physical improvements they need to make to their institutions.
Sure. It's no secret that there are a lot of us anxious to know what those details will be. Are you at liberty to say when the roll-out will happen?
We're hoping to have a full proposal ready for the Mayor's office to review within the next three weeks.
Okay. And I guess the same would apply for the 225 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. ReStore Philadelphia Corridor Program, the neighborhood corridors. We'll get that detail around the same time?
That's right. They'll come together as the same package to you for review.
All right, then. Different topic. Councilman Clarke and I have introduced a bill to consolidate Philadelphia Fairmount Park and the Rec Department based on a strategic plan recommendation and the fact that we're the only city out of the top ten that haven't moved in that direction, and one discovery that he and I have learned is that there is a lot of art in the Philadelphia Fairmount Park historic mansions. So to GPTMC, I'm curious to know with the promoting Philadelphia piece, if you or a member of your team are aware or have had discussions about that potential opportunity as an revenue generator for 226 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. GPTMC.
I know Meryl Levitz is here, I think. So I don't really want to --
Is she? All right. Madam Chair, could we ask Meryl Levitz, the leadership at GPTMC, to come to the witness table.
Absolutely. Would you come forward. Thank you. Please identify yourself to the record and respond to the Councilwoman's question.
We've discovered in our doing the homework around Philadelphia Fairmount Park and the Rec Department that in the Fairmount 227 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. Park mansions, there's a lot of artwork that's decades and decades years old, and there's a concern that that may be an opportunity for one of our City's marketing entities to seize the moment and capture that artwork as a potential to market it in such a way so that it generates revenue for the Park. And in my discussions with a number of individuals, the Philadelphia Visitors and Convention Bureau and/or GPTMC, they need to be aware of it, because you may not be, but then, B, look to see if there is an opportunity there. And so to the question, this $2.5 million line item for promoting Philadelphia, had anyone approached you about that reality that exists right now in the Fairmount Park mansions?
No, but it's intriguing, and in the past when we've looked at the Fairmount Park houses, we realized that there's a tourism opportunity there, but we're not aware of 228 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. who owns what and how things are catalogued and what permission might be needed. But we would be interested in looking at and adding on to the neighborhood tourism network program and the building of the Park itself.
Okay. So I want to put that on the record, and I'd be remiss not to acknowledge Councilman Frank Rizzo's staff person, who actually brought it to my attention in my visit with Councilmembers. Councilman Frank Rizzo, point of information, was that not Stewart -- help me out. Stewart Graham?
Yes, it was Stewart Graham, and Stewart brought out the point to Councilman Blondell Reynolds Brown that we have the real deal here, Williamsburg. If this thing was packaged properly, we could probably really 229 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. attract a lot of people to the mansions.
It has always seemed just out of our reach. And, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, we have talked about it. We've talked about it with Councilman Clarke, and it's something that just needs to be studied in a comprehensive way before we could make it visitor ready.
Especially before we turn more and more over to the non-profit sector. We'll be out of mansions soon. So it's unfortunate, but we had an opportunity. And not that that's bad what we did to preserve some of those, but it's something that we should really study. Thank you.
Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Meryl Levitz. My final question, Madam Chair, 230 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. goes to testimony on , which speaks to MBE/WBE participation in the local economy. Under New Initiatives, it says, and I quote, "Make Philadelphia a national model for MBE/WBE participation in the local economy." What steps are you putting in place, plan to put in place that move you towards this goal?
We've been working closely with the MBEC office on this. What I skipped over in my testimony, and maybe I should sort of point to it, on , which is these ten sort of components of our Blueprint. We are just finalizing a progress report for City Council that will be out next month for you and, in fact, will detail very specifically the progress we've made on that and all the other sort of components.
Okay, then. Thank you for your testimony. Thank you, Madam Chair. 231 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC.
Thank you very much. We have questions for Mjenzi Traylor and Curtis Jones. Would you come forward. Councilwoman Miller has asked that we ask you about the international trade mission. And certainly I want to commend you on the work you're doing, the Job Fair Plan for the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs. You're doing a wonderful job there and are doing a lot to bring our community together with people from all over the world. She specifically asks that you give a report on international trade and the activities you're involved with, associated therein. And also, the second 232 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. part of her question is how much is the budget for your activities.
Thank you, Madam Chairman. I'm Mjenzi Traylor, First Deputy Director of the Commerce Department. And the International Division of the Commerce Department has been quite busy in a number of initiatives, one of our primary ones being the establishment of the Greater Philadelphia Global Partnership, or GP-2. And under GP-2, there are a number of things that are going on, including a work that we're doing in connection with the airport around direct flights between Philadelphia and foreign locations. The first one of these projects to be focused on is establishing charter flights to China from Philadelphia that would go to Fujian province and to our sister city, Tianjin. And this is important because it's through these charter flights that we will be able to establish whether or 233 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. not there is sufficient demand for regular direct flights to that location. Since we've begun this work, we have also a strong interest from people who want to look at this problem or this issue in connection with India as well as with Australia. Another subcommittee in GP-2 is working on the dredging issue. They will be holding a press conference early next month to weigh in on the question of what can be done to move the dredging of the Delaware River, and this is being carried out by some of the strongest users of our port. That would be Australia, Chile and Canada. And, also, the Councilwoman will remember that we did a trade mission to Korea in '01, at which time we visited a train production company. And it has taken five years, but, finally, that company has won the bid to build the SEPTA trains, and that work will be done at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the 234 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. company already has space there for the assembly operations, as well as office space now at the Navy Yard. We feel very, very encouraged that there will be a lot of this kind of activity. I did a ribbon-cutting recently for a Swedish company that is located in our new Cira Building here, and we think that we would like to be able to work in bringing more companies into Philadelphia, and we think that there's a great potential for doing that. These are just some of the efforts that we have been underway with the -- in mentioning the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, the work that we're doing right now is to take on the problem that a lot of these businesses are faced with, being new to doing business in the City. We are getting ready to conduct a big workshop, as you know, that will help them with L&I and Health Department issues, get them more familiar with the 235 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. incentives that are involved in a number of the City's programs, as well as helping them with financing and tax issues. So the workshop that's being planned in connection with that will be held on April the 24th, and we think that this will go a long way to help solve some of the problems that that community is faced with.
It absolutely will. Having many of the immigrants in my district, in Southwest Philadelphia, and having our citizens feel that they're inundated by people who complain to L&I and always call because they're strangers and they feel that they're being harassed is a big concern and has been for several years, and we believe that the conference you're planning on the 24th will go a long way to give them the confidence they need and equip them with information they need from the inside out so that they don't 236 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. have to feel -- that they'll be able to respond to people who complain, as well as us responding, contacting agencies to say that these people are being unfairly targeted. But we thank you for all of that. Her final question is how much is the international trade budget?
We have a budget of $160,000 for Fiscal Year '07, except that we are not certain at this time whether or not that funding will be made available.
And I suppose that's why she asked the question. And we who asked the Mayor to establish the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs hope that the Mayor will consider that we need some funding as well. Everything costs money, and we certainly need it for this important work that links us around the globe, and certainly we hope that the City will be able to -- the 237 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. Administration will consider giving us a little funds. We try to do what we can to raise it, but we need the City to contribute as well. Thank you, Mr. Traylor. Mr. Jones, SEPTA, my favorite subject, the subject I love to hate. We are really concerned. As you know, SEPTA is saying they will complete the Market Street Elevated Project in December '08. Because they know it won't be December '08, that will take them into '09 and then they can say they can't finish it. But we mention every year our concern for programs, not only to try to fund businesses -- and we thank Congressman Fattah for his work in trying to help us, as well as the Administration for the little bit of money we try to find, which we still need. We have businesses who write us every day for a stipend, a thousand dollar stipend. But what I want to bring to attention again and ask if there are 238 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. plans afoot yet with regard to facade. I mention this every year because we really, really -- and we try to involve the university, the University of Pennsylvania in this effort, their design class, but we really want to work to create not only a facade program, we're going to deal with vending, we'll finally do vending carts and all of that and regulation, size and space. We'll have to deal with all of that once this project is completed, because, as you know, we can't do anything now because they keep going over the same area, and people are moved in and out and businesses open and close. That's the issue. But we wanted to know if you've been involved at this point in any plans with regard to the whole Market Street project in terms of facade, in terms of streets, in terms of any of that that is in fact affected by the SEPTA project.
Absolutely. And I 239 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. want to thank you for your past and present commitment to some of those small merchants, family-owned businesses, that have suffered out in West Philadelphia. As you are well aware, we have lost upwards of 30 businesses since the construction has started. There have been numerous efforts that have involved a number of elected officials and appointed officials from this Administration. You indeed were responsible for closing in on a million dollars with relief, small bites, to those companies and facilitated it through the Commerce Department and PCDC. Congressman Fattah, along with Senator Hughes, have also stepped up to the plate and put up $1.2 million in funding. Now, that's the good news. The bad news is that we're waiting for the federal government to actually write us a check. We're waiting for the state to actually release funds. So what we've done thus far is rely on certain lines of 240 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. credit that we have to put some funds out to the most needy. We have received a number of requests, and we are categorizing them. We are processing them. And the second batch of checks should go out before the new fiscal year. So we're talking about within the next couple of weeks, actually, so we can issue some more relief. In reference to capital improvements along that corridor, Market Street, 46th Street, 52nd Street, 56th Street and 63rd Street, I had a conversation with Eva Gladstein of NTI, and she's well aware of all of the corridor situations but, in particular, those. Eventually, believe it or not, and I know it's hard for some people to believe, that construction will indeed end, and at that point, it will be a joyous occasion, but what we have to do is be prepared, for those businesses that have managed to struggle through it, to 241 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. create a nice, neat corridor for people to work and shop. So we're looking hard at 52nd Street in particular, the second and third floors, who have not received a painting and a fix-up since the last time we did it, which was over closing in on a dozen years ago. So we're looking at that. We've been working with Ms. Snead, who has now left City government and gone out into the non-profit world and is working with them, to design some things for 60th Street. In a prior Council hearing, and it was in reference to Councilman Clarke's camera component, we've tried to implement a number of things on the corridor. We're talking about the possibility of a demonstration project, particularly on 60th Street to do security cameras, those kind of cameras that are crime prevention and we like to 242 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. call it safe corridor components. In addition to that, we're talking about a grant that we received for customized bus shelters, similar to the ones that were constructed for the Republican Convention some years ago, stained glass, nice use of metal, aesthetically pleasing but also germane to the communities that they live in. So that means if we're talking about Mill Creek or Cobbs Creek, we're talking about areas that have a historical relevance and that may have a symbol that kind of represents their community group and incorporating that into the design of those shelters. So what we're talking about is facade treatments, we're talking about security cameras, and we're talking about bus shelters, two of which we have procured some money for. And we're working on working out the details of what the proceeds of some of the corridor assistance that you've heard about from 243 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. Mr. Bumb and how that will be applied to what corridors. So we are engaged in conversations about that.
Yes. I knew we were. I wanted to make sure that, as always, we maintain our linkage, because we're always dealing with the universities and others to assist us in what we try to do for -- we believe it's time. Lucien Blackwell was involved in the corridor as it looks now on 52nd Street, but it's time, since everything will be new, for a new look, and I envision sidewalks that have cut-ins or cut-outs, however they're described, for buses and that we do everything since it will finally end that we have the opportunity to have a whole new corridor and hopefully attract businesses. And as you say -- I have people coming to me now who still want to open businesses and who are looking for areas in West Philadelphia, because they're excited about the development they see, 244 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. but whenever it comes to SEPTA, we're really afraid to encourage anybody to go there, because this project continues to be pushed out years and years and years. So we're really afraid when we deal with SEPTA to ask people to invest in businesses. But it's been a real, real nightmare and a real hardship. But we're hoping that in short order -- we're already in '06. We'll be in '07 shortly. And certainly I assume that in '09, we will be able to begin working on new businesses, new facades, new streets, new curbs and everything that will finally bring this area back. And we are just praying that we don't lose more businesses. It's devastating when somebody 75 comes to you and says, I have to go find a job and work for someone else because I can't sustain myself in my business. So it's very, very frustrating and painful to watch people suffer and be victims of work that they didn't ask for. 245 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. And I've said many times, and I'll say it again, if I had it to do again, I'd never support a whole new elevated system as it was organized. It's been the worst project of my 30-year career. Having said that, we'll move forward. We look forward to continuing the partnership that we share with you, all the elected officials. As you know, we've had all the members of Congress, the State House, we've had everybody involved in this when we've had issues to try to move forward. So we will continue to hang in there. We thank you. We thank you, Mr. Traylor. And at this time, I will ask if there are more questions. (No response.)
Seeing none, this Committee will be recessed until tomorrow at 2:30 where we will hear public testimony on the operating budget. Thank you very much. (Committee of the Whole 246 3/28/06 - WHOLE - BILL 060001, ETC. adjourned at 3:45 p.m.) - - - 247 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 28, 2006, 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.)