COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, April 9, 2008 9:25 a.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR., VICE-CHAIR COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN WILLIAM GREENLEE COUNCILWOMAN MARIA QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILMAN DARRELL CLARKE BILL 080166 - An ordinance naming and designating the Department of Recreation owned field located at Fourth and York Streets as the "Eric N. Casiano Field." BILL 080245 - An ordinance naming and designating the "Robin Hood Dell East" located at Ridge Avenue and Huntingdon Drive as the "Georgie Woods Entertainment Center." - - - 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 morning. This is the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. I am Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr., Vice-Chair of the Committee. Please note also in attendance are Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez and a drafted member of the Committee, Councilman Greenlee, who has been kind enough to come down so that we can have a quorum. So we may begin. We're dealing with Bill 080245, which is being held at the request of the sponsor. Will the Clerk read the title of the next bill.
Bill No. 080166, an ordinance naming and designating the Department of Recreation-owned field located at 4th and York Streets as the "Eric N. Casiano Field."
Thank you. I would like to call William Carapucci, Commissioner of Recreation. (Witness approached witness 3 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 table.)
Good morning. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. COMMISSIONER CARAPUCCI: William Carapucci, Acting Commissioner of the Recreation Department. Good morning, Chairman Curtis Jones and members of the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. My name is William Carapucci. I am the Commissioner of the Department of Recreation. I am here today to testify in support of Bill 080166, an ordinance 16 designating the field at 4th and York Streets as the Eric Casiano Recreation Field. The Department of Recreation supports this measure and, accordingly, I respectfully ask the City Council to approve Bill No. 080166. I respectfully request that this Committee vote Bill No. 080166 out of Committee with a favorable 4 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 recommendation and that the rules be suspended to permit first reading at the next Council session. Thank you. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Are there any questions for the witness? And also joining us is Councilman Darrell Clarke. Thank you, Councilman.
Do we have any questions for the witness? (No response.)
Hearing none, I'd like to call Lieutenant George Perez from the Philadelphia Fire Department to testify on behalf of this bill. LIEUTENANT PEREZ: Good morning.
Good morning. 5 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 LIEUTENANT PEREZ: Good morning, Chairman Jones and Chairpersons on the Board. My name is George Perez. I'm a Lieutenant with the Philadelphia Fire Department and I am the President of the Spanish-American Professional Firefighters Association. On May 3, 1999, Firefighter Eric Casiano made the supreme sacrifice and succumbed to injuries sustained while battling a fire. Firefighter Casiano became the first Latino firefighter to die in the line of duty. Firefighter Casiano joined the Department in 1992 and was assigned to Engine 2, B Platoon at 2426 North 2nd Street. Eric was proud of the fact that he could serve the neighborhood in which he grew up in. On May 3, 1999, at 4:31 hours, Engine 2 and Ladder 3, B Platoon responded to an alarm of fire on Box 726. The address of fire was 2240 Orianna Street. 6 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 While battling the fire, Firefighter Casiano fell through the floor and, unbeknownst to him, suffered internal injuries. After the fire companies returned to the station and Firefighter Casiano restored his gear, he decided to get some rest. At approximately 6:29 that morning, the lights and bells at the station alerted the firefighters of another alarm, but at this time, Eric did not respond, and after members of the station, along with the responding medical unit and doctors at Episcopal Hospital, exhausted all life-saving efforts, Eric succumbed to his injury. For this reason, the Spanish-American Professional Firefighters Association, along with the members of Engine 2, Ladder 3 and the Philadelphia Fire Department, feel that it would not only be appropriate, but an honor to name the park at 4th and Dauphin after the first Latino to die in the line 7 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 of duty. And as such, we would appreciate and would thank the Chair if he could help in having Bill 080166 passed for this measure that I have just read into the record.
Thank you. Are there any questions for the witness? (No response.)
Hearing none, is there anyone else who wishes to testify on this bill? (No response.)
Hearing none, then -- would you like to make a comment, Councilwoman?
Yes, I do. Just for the record for my colleagues, the Spanish-American Firefighters have been working for the last few years and they've established a scholarship on behalf of the fallen Hispanic firefighters. The Engine 2, 8 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 which is located a block away from this park, approached our Council office because they wanted, in memory of Mr. Casiano, to adopt the park. Recent publications, both the Daily News cover story yesterday and last week, has talked about some of the work that we're doing on this ball field on 4th and York. I want to publicly thank Commissioner Carapucci, who has worked with us in that. As a result of some of the attention that's gotten, in addition to the resources that the Recreation Department has brought forward and the work of the many volunteers at the park, we've gotten many items donated, and the field will be up and running. And at this point, I think it's appropriate to then honor Firefighter Casiano with this recognition of renaming the park. This is the community where he grew up in and, when he had an opportunity to work, requested to be assigned to. So I think this is 9 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 appropriate and fitting, and I would ask my colleagues to support this. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Are there any other comments on Bill 080166? (No response.)
Then this will conclude our public hearing, and we will now move into our public meeting. We are now in our public meeting, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez for a motion on Bill 080166.
I move that Bill 080166 be moved out of Committee with acceptable recommendations and that the rules of Council be suspended to allow first reading at our next public meeting. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and seconded that Bill 080166 be 10 4/9/08 - PARKS - BILL 080166 reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and further moved that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading of this bill at the next Council session. All in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. This concludes our public meeting, and I would like to thank everyone for their attendance and testimony. Thank you very much.
Thank you. (Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs adjourned at 9:35 a.m.) - - - 11 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 April 9, 2008, 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.)