COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, March 12, 1998 2:10 p.m. - - - BILL 960886 - An Ordinance amending Section 15-201 of the Philadelphia Code, relating to areas under the care and jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER, Chair COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO, Vice Chair COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN ANGEL ORTIZ - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center Plaza, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 I N D E X BILL 960886 Edward Crimmel, Citizen------------------------- Wasyl Jewtushenko, Citizen---------------------- - - - Public Meeting---------------------------------- - - - 3 BILL 960886 CHAIRWOMAN MILLER: Good afternoon. This is a Public Hearing of the City Council Special Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to consider Bill No. 960886. Will the clerk please read the bill.
An Ordinance amending Section 15-201 of the Philadelphia Code relating to areas under the care and jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission, by adding the parcel of land generally bounded by Stevens Road, Welton Street, Barlow Street, and Kelvin Avenue, to those lands under the care and jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission.
Thank you. In attendance for this committee hearing, the members here today, are Councilman Angel Ortiz, Councilman Thacher Longstreth, Councilman Richard Mariano, Council Frank Rizzo, and myself, Councilwoman Donna Miller. A quorum has been established. Is there anyone here to testify for or against this bill? If so, please come up to the table, identify yourself for the record, state your name, organization, and any other identifying information that you want to give us. 4 BILL 960886
Yes. Good afternoon. My name is Edward Crimmel, and I live on Stevens Road, 11733, which is right across the street from the parcel of land that we are talking about. My concerns are, right now, that the property is not being taken care of. And that's one of the reasons why I would like it to go under Fairmount Park's jurisdiction. The other reason is, I really would like the land not to be sold or houses be built there. I have spoke to several residents bordering the land, and basically they told me they could not make it down here today. I have put together a list of items that I would like to present, to have improvements done to this area. I understand that there is some money that was put aside in a budget for this property, for these or some improvements, so I would like to discuss them.
Okay. Councilman Brian O'Neill is also here, for the 5 BILL 960886 record, and he wants to address your question.
Thank you, Mr. Crimmel. I would, first of all, like the record to reflect this is the second time we are actually passing this. But the last time it was lumped together with another parcel nearby. There were two pieces that were going over to Fairmount Park, and we found there was a legal problem with the other piece. Rather than muddy the waters, we kept it on the calendar but didn't pass it, so that we could have a clean bill just dealing with the parcel in question here today. And last year, in the Capital Budget, I placed $100,000 in the budget for this parcel under Fairmount Park. So once this bill is reported out of committee today -- and I don't expect it to be controversial -- but we can schedule a meeting, beginning today, out at the site with the people at Fairmount Park who work on the Capital Budget and determine the parameters of what it is we want this parcel to look like. Basically, you know, cleaning it up, 6 BILL 960886 thinning it out, making sure that it is what the neighbors want, and maybe some kind of a sidewalk or border around so you can actually walk on it. And if the $100,000 is not enough, the reason I want to set the meeting up quickly is because we are getting ready to put our Capital Budgets to bed for next year in the next few weeks. So if I need to add to the $100,000, I would rather do it now, than be a year behind the schedule. So with your list, just hold on to that, we can make a copy of it upstairs so we can get it to Fairmount Park before the meeting. But I want to thank you for your continued interest and passion on this one.
Okay. There was one more thing, Councilman O'Neill. Last year, April 12, I organized the community to come out and straighten up and clean up, sweep up. I got together with Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee and Philadelphia Pride, and made arrangements and everything to have this all cleaned up and organized. Well, that was one year ago. And now 7 BILL 960886 here we are very close to April 12 again. And I really want to, you know, straighten this area up. Now, I have been doing this over the year myself. Some kids have been drinking and whatnot. And I have taken 15, cases of beer out, 7 took all the recyclables and lined them all up in 8 front of my house, put them up there, trying to keep 9 this area clean. 10 Because the way I see it is, if you 11 allow this stuff to build up, then it becomes like a 12 magnet. 13 So the thing is, we are very close to 14 that one year date. And I know you have your 15 appropriations and you are going to schedule a 16 meeting for Fairmount Park to come out again, but I 17 am just afraid that it won't be cleaned or it won't 18 happen in the time frame I think that's necessary. 19 It's been a whole year now since this 20 area --
We may have to do it again. But this is a parcel that's been in question for different things for the last 25 years. So I think we are at the point now where we 8 BILL 960886 are ready to roll. And if it means having other clean up before Fairmount Park actually gets in there and starts doing some heavier things, we will do it.
There was another gentleman who lives in the vicinity, who was looking for the men's room, and he walked out two minutes before you came in. I know he has a couple of things to say, if you might be able to hold off. I mean, I know everybody is busy. He might be out in the corridor. He has white hair.
I will tell you what, I want to make sure this thing passes. I don't want to lose any votes. With budget season, people have schedules. I will talk with the gentleman personally and make sure that his name is on the record. And we can do that now.
Does anyone have any questions of this witness, any members of the committee? Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. 9 BILL 960886
Sir, please state your name and any other identifying information for the record and speak into the mike.
My first name is Wasyl, W-A-S-Y-L, and the last name is Jewtushenko, J-E-W-T-U-S-H-E-N-K-O, and I am residing at 11632 Barlow Street, 19116.
And you are here to testify on this bill for or against?
I am for. I would like to have this be as a Fairmount -- belong to the Fairmount Park, the City of Philadelphia Fairmount Park. What I would like to say to you, ladies and gentlemen, is that since I am retired, and there is not a single day come through that I did not clean up that piece of property that belongs to the city right now. If I didn't clean up one week, then I have a hard time to clean up after that next week. The people -- I guess people is the problem. They keep throwing the stuff in, all kinds of stuff that does not belong there. 10 BILL 960886 And I, for one, would like to see there is around the property, have a little bit cleanup, maybe 12, feet from the curb have a 5 little sidewalk, make a sidewalk there, and leave 6 the rest just the way it is. And that will 7 discourage the people to throw the stuff in. 8 Maybe it would be a good idea to have 9 some little grass, instead of weeds high, very 10 high. So this is my hope. 11 And, believe me, ladies and 12 gentlemen, any time you sitting in the livingroom, 13 you looking through the window, nothing you see, 14 just trash, just like a dump. 15 I, for one, is paying a very high taxes up there, and yet any day you look in the window, all you can see is a dump. And this would be, in my opinion, if you will get this done, and assigned this to Fairmount Park, then I would believe that that would help a lot to discourage the people to throw the stuff in. That's all I can say.
Thank you for coming down. Hopefully, with the passage of this 11 BILL 960886 bill, we will be able to move in the direction that you and your neighbors, Mr. Crimmel, would like us to.
Does anybody have any questions for this witness? Thank you for coming, both gentlemen. We have to commend you for your volunteerism and interest in the physical appearance of your neighborhoods. Is there anyone else that wants to testify on this bill for or against? Okay, there aren't any. Well, this concludes the Public Hearing on Bill No. 960886. (Public Hearing adjourned.) - - - 12 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC MEETING of the COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Thursday, March 12, 1998 - - - Public Meeting conducted by the Committee on Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, held in Room 400, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the above date, to consider action on the following: BILL 960886 - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER, Chair COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO, Vice Chair COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN ANGEL ORTIZ - - - 13 PUBLIC MEETING CHAIRWOMAN MILLER: We will now convene the public meeting. The Chair will recognize Councilman Brian O'Neill for a motion.
Madam Chairlady, I move that Bill No. 960886 be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation. (Duly seconded.)
Okay. The motion has been properly moved and seconded. All in favor. Opposed. Motion carried. This concludes the Public Meeting, and we will report this bill with a favorable recommendation out of this committee. Thank you. (Public Meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.) - - - 14 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Thursday, March 12, 1998, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS _____________________________________ DEBRA A. WHITEHEAD, RPR