Committee Hearing, October 31, 2007

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PUBLIC WORKS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, October 31, 2007 1:30 p.m. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE, CHAIR COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILMAN WILLIAM GREENLEE COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN JAMES KENNEY BILL 060689 - An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property on behalf of the City of Philadelphia to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, for nominal consideration, a deed conveying fee simple title to a certain tract of City-owned land with the buildings and improvements thereon located at 2501-2515 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for further conveyance at fair market value. - - - 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. This is the Committee on Public Property and Property Works. We have a quorum established. To my left is Councilwoman Marian Tasco, Councilman Bill Greenlee, and now to my extreme left, not necessarily politically, is Councilman Frannie Rizzo, and today we have Council President, who is a member of all standing committees. Therefore, we have a quorum today. Will the Clerk please read the title of the bill.

Bill No. 060689, an ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, for nominal consideration, a deed conveying fee simple title to a certain tract of City-owned land with the buildings and improvements thereon located at 2501 through 2515 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for 3 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 further conveyance at fair market value.

Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Chairman Clarke, Madam President, members of the Committee on Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joan Schlotterbeck. I am the Commissioner of the Department of Public Property. I am here today to testify in support of Bill No. 060689, authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to PAID, or Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, a deed conveying, for nominal consideration, fee simple title to a certain tract of City-owned land located at 2501 to 15 South Street, with the buildings and improvements thereon, for further conveyance at fair market value. The property was acquired in 1972 and is currently occupied by the 4 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 City of Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections' Clean and Seal Unit. This unit will be relocated to another City facility. The purchase of this property by the Philadelphia School will provide them the opportunity to plan, design and build an appropriately scaled campus across three blocks in Center City. The three-parcel area, including the current building at 25th and Lombard, the parking lot between Lombard and Naudain Streets and the 25th and South Street lot, will serve students from pre-school through eighth grade. The proceeds from the sale of this property will be $3.4 million, which will be deposited into the City's General Fund. The Department of Public Property supports this measure and, accordingly, I respectfully ask that City Council approve Bill No. 060689. I respectfully request that the 5 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Committee vote this bill out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules be suspended to permit first reading at the next Council session. Thank you. I'm joined here today with Deputy Commissioner John Herzins. We are available for any questions you may have.

Thank you, Commissioner. Let the record reflect that Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller has joined the Committee. Madam President.

Thank you. Commissioner, can you tell us why the Department of Public Property chose to pursue an RFP through PIDC for this site rather than put it through a sealed bid process? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Madam President, we rarely use a sealed bid process. We always go to the RFP, 6 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 and we use PIDC or PAID as a means to that end. It basically gives me as Commissioner, the City Administration, also members of Council the ability to be part of the decision-making process, and we never let the sale price drive the entire process.

Can you tell us who reviewed the RFP responses and can you specifically tell us what departments were involved in the selection? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: The selection committee consisted of members of PIDC, City Planning, Public Property and Housing, and they've recently changed their name. John, what is it?

Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Did you ask me for the criteria? What was the second --

I 7 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 think you ought to inject that into the record, if you don't mind. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Okay. The criteria was purchase price, design, quality of design, compatibility with surrounding residential uses, economic opportunity plan and feasibility/contingencies.

Commissioner, I am led to believe that the RFP process resulted in two finalists, the school and a residential developer. Ultimately, Commissioner, you had the choice to make in terms of the RFP. Can you share with us why you felt that the Philadelphia School proposal should be accepted over the residential proposal? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Well, often we're put in a position to make decisions based on the benefit of an overall community, the benefit for the entire City. And in this particular instance, the school had been there for 8 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 some 20-odd years. It has done an amazing job. It's one of the most well-respected schools in the City. The opportunity for them to expand their campus there. The sale price was not that much different from the developer. It just seemed to not just me, but the members of the committee and the recommendation back that it was in the best interest to allow the school to have the property and not have it for development.

Thank you.

Excuse me, Commissioner. You said that the school had been there for 29 years? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: No. I said 20-some-odd years, and, actually, I'm not a hundred percent sure how long --

Is the school currently in that location or in proximity to the location referenced on 9 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the bill? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Yes.

Can you kind of explain the proximity or exactly the nature of the existing facility? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: John is a neighbor.

The existing facility is adjacent to our City parcel.

On the same block? Is it adjacent on a different side of the street?

Yes. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Yes. It's in the same square block, yes.

Okay. Let the record reflect that Councilman James Kenney has joined the Committee. Councilman Greenlee.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just one question, Commissioner. Along the same lines the 10 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 President was asking, I'm looking at the RFP and I'm asking this question not saying that you made the wrong decision. I'm just trying to get some clarity here. In the part that talks about zoning, it says, and I'm quoting now, that "rezoning of the site to accommodate non-residential uses will not be supported by the City." I don't know who wrote that, and, again, I'm not saying that's right or I'm not saying deciding it differently was wrong. I'm just trying to -- was there something that sort of changed that general thought? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: The answer is yes. I mean, basically when we went into this process, we normally hear from the Councilperson in the district what don't you want there, and the idea was not to go from the current zoning, which is R-10, which permits schools, to another zoning, which would end up having a nightclub on the 11 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 property or a beer distributor or some other type of use that would have to go for a zoning. They do have to -- by the way, the school does have to go before the Zoning Board for a certificate.

That was going to be my second question. What would the zoning requirements be? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: They have to go for a certificate. There is no variance or anything. It's R-10 and it's permitted use.

I know that it is permitted in R-10. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Yes.

Okay. All right. Thank you. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: You're welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Councilman. 12 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Councilman Rizzo.

Commissioner, could you explain what community involvement, if any, occurred? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Well, at the very beginning -- and I actually went to one community meeting, but the very first one or -- I'm not sure how many took place. They met with the previous principal and the developers, and I don't really know the outcome of those meetings. I do know that some of the immediate neighbors, from hearsay after and meetings with me, told me that they were not happy with some of the way the property was going to be designed and used. And then since then, there's a new principal and there's a completely different idea of how to use the property, which she will be presenting today to you, which took all of the concerns into -- she took all the concerns of the immediate neighbors and took them, heard them and considered them 13 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 seriously, and from what I can tell and from what has been presented, I would say met most of them.

What is the current status of the site, the City site? Is it currently being used? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Oh, yes.

Is it abandoned? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: No, no. 14

What do we plan to do with that operation that will be relocated from there? Is that a smart thing to do? Can we afford to move that operation someplace else? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Absolutely.

Where? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: That was the beginning process, was this was a property that was valuable. It was surplus, in my mind, because that 14 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 operation could be anywhere in the City. So it was my job to figure out how to market and sell the property and, at the same time, not incur more dollars relocating. So these folks are going to go to another City-owned property.

That's Clean and Seal there, right? COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: That's correct. And what we won't do is, we won't abandon the property and leave it empty until development starts. So because they're going into our property, it's not a problem for us.

Thank you, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: You're welcome.

Thank you, Councilman. Mr. Herzins, are you offering any testimony?

No. 25

Any other 15 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 questions by members of the Committee for these witnesses? (No response.)

There being none, thank you very much. Commissioner, can you kind of hang around, please. COMMISSIONER SCHLOTTERBECK: Absolutely.

Thank you. Because we have a significant number of individuals here who are interested in testifying, I've kind of informally asked the pertinent parties to consolidate the number of individuals that will testify. And by no means does that mean that we are not interested in hearing everyone's viewpoint, but it's clear that the lines are drawn, those that support, those oppose this particular bill. And I understand some people don't want to indicate their non-support for this particular bill as being opposed to a school, but they are 16 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 supportive of some other types of development. So we have asked the pertinent parties to give us the names of individuals who will be testifying today. We're going to call panels. So four to five individuals will come up at a time. I understand that each panel will probably have a person who is going to give some level of detail and specificity in terms of their testimony. So at this point, I would like to call up the first panel, who will be Philip Korb, Amy Vorenberg, Dmitri Chimes and Fred Goodman.

Good afternoon, Committee members. My name is Philip Korb. I'm here with our head of school, Amy Vorenberg, on behalf of the Philadelphia School. The two of us will speak for a few minutes to introduce the Committee to the school and explain the importance of this property and this project to the school and the importance of this school, we believe, to the City. 17 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 After Amy speaks, a group of neighbors, parents and alumni are also here to register their support. I'd first like to deliver for the record a petition that's been signed by more than 500 Philadelphians in support of this project. I am here as a grateful parent who is honored to be able to tell you about TPS. We are not an old, preppy school. The Philadelphia School was founded 35 years ago as a progressive non-sectarian school devoted to the City and to our community. We now represent, our Philadelphia School community at large, represent several thousand students, graduates and parents who have been through the school, almost all of whom are Philadelphians. We live in the City. Many of us live in this neighborhood. My children walk to school every day. While not an old school with a huge endowment, we've been wonderfully 18 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 successful. We're financially healthy, and one of our regrets is how many applicants we must turn down every year. The reason is excellence. As a parent, I was regularly dazzled by the dedicated teachers and their rigor and richness of the curriculum. I am indebted to this school for the superb education it gave my kids. They've gone on to great high schools and top colleges, and they will say, Those schools were fine, but they were not as good as the Philadelphia School. TPS is looked on as a model of modern progressive education. Our students learn about and learn to care about the City. It is incorporated into the very curriculum. My own college student daughter is now majoring in urban studies and worked this summer as an intern in the Philadelphia Community Court. Our graduates' sense of community, which was emphasized at TPS, is deep and it's powerful. When Richard 19 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 DeCoatsworth, the heroic Philadelphia policeman who was wounded last month and who graduated from TPS with my daughter in the same class seven years ago, was shot, her classmates had spread the word among themselves within hours using the text messaging, et cetera, that they were so adept at, and they did everything they could to support him. We also directly serve and benefit the City and the community. We have spent almost $7 million on scholarships, with percent of our 15 students receiving financial aid. We 16 teach and we strive for diversity. 17 What we've also done and want 18 to continue to do is to serve as a 19 cornerstone for the health and future of 20 Philadelphia. During the 35 years I have 21 lived in Center City, I have watched it 22 thrive and grow. We see homes built and 23 renovated throughout our neighborhood. 24 TPS has been a force in contributing to 25 this growth. Many families move here and 20 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 stay here because of the opportunity to attend this great school. PIDC recommended that the Philadelphia School be selected as the successful bidder in part because it recognized that the Philadelphia School's development of the South Street property would, quote, "complement and enhance," end quote, the neighborhood and allow it to better serve the growing population of Center City. Developers will not build homes in a city and will not sell the homes they build unless buyers find the resources and amenities that will attract them. If you go to the Toll Brothers website, you'll see that the Toll Brothers advertising for its Naval Square residential project specifically touts TPS as one of the resources the neighborhood has to offer for the families who move there.

We have witnessed a boom in residential development in Philadelphia. In my day job, I am a real estate lawyer 21 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 who is immersed in that development. Over the last ten years, there have been 14,000 new residential units created in Center City, almost 3,000 in the southwest quadrant. More young people are living in Center City. The population of Center City is growing, and almost a third are ages to 34, with 10 almost 80 percent being college 11 graduates. City planners talk about how 12 important it is to keep them in the City 13 as they form families. The Philadelphia 14 School is one of the institutions that 15 helps the City accomplish that. 16 As Amy will explain, our school 17 has run out of space and we need this 18 property now. Amy will talk about our 19 specific needs and our specific plans for 20 this property and what it can provide for 21 our children's education. She'll also 22 explain how she'll work with the 23 neighborhood to ensure that as developers 24 of the property, we are adding a 25 beautiful and valuable asset to the 22 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 neighborhood. But what is of fundamental importance to the school about this property is not just the details of our current plans and needs. It's crucial for the future of this school and, therefore, for the future of our community. Some independent schools that started in the City eventually moved out because of lack of space. Friends Central, Germantown Academy, Episcopal Academy moved out. We want to be an institution. It's important to us and part of our philosophy that's a permanent part of the fabric of this City. We moved into a portion of what was then a closed former food distribution plant in 1976. We took over and renovated more and more of it, went from being a tenant to being an owner when we bought it in 1990 and added on as much as we could, spending $5 million in renovating it over the past decade alone. It's now maxed out. This 25,000 square foot property 23 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 obviously could be developed for another or houses, but there are plenty of 4 places in town for another 15 to 20 5 houses. A 25,000 square foot property 6 directly across from our parking lot, as 7 you can see, is unique. It is our one 8 chance in a lifetime to acquire a large 9 enough property to give us a real home in 10 Philadelphia forever. That's what we 11 want, and this is our one chance to 12 accomplish it. We ask City Council to 13 give us that chance. ) 18

They're all my 19 mother, actually. 20 What this property means to her as an educator and to continuing a community that she has recently joined.

Good afternoon, City Council President and members of the Committee on Public Property. Thank you 24 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 for allowing me to testify. I am Amy Vorenberg, head of the Philadelphia School. Along with my family, I moved to Philadelphia from my long-time home in Boston to become head of the Philadelphia School in August of 2006, a little over one year ago. On the very first day when I came to interview at the school in the fall of 2005, I was charmed by the City and by the school's neighborhood. I am still amazed at what an extraordinary City this Philadelphia is. I was and remain thrilled that our school's motto is "City, Country, Classroom," because I want to be part of a school that teaches its children to participate in the life of the City and to learn from the natural world of Fairmount Park. But I am here today to speak about the classroom, about our need for additional classrooms so we can maintain our commitment to the City and to so many of its families. One of the first projects with which I was presented in my new position 25 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 in the summer of 2006 was the acquisition and development under discussion today. I reviewed the original 2005 plan and felt it was out of scale with both the neighborhood and the educational community I wanted to build. After hearing from many neighbors, as well as talking with dozens of members of the TPS community, I led efforts to downsize the earlier plan and to add more green space. In February 2007, I shared the revised plans at an open community meeting, which was attended by about 150 people, including City Council President and the Public Property Commissioner. Also in attendance was our ward leader, Terry Gillen, who remains a strong supporter of our project today. At the meeting's conclusion, I believed we were one step closer to purchasing the property. A handful of individuals voiced concern about the project at the meeting, so we followed up with another meeting with a smaller group 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 of our neighbors on March 14, 2007. At that March 14th meeting, it became clear that the property's immediate neighbors believe that the only appropriate use for this property is a small number of expensive townhouses. We respectfully disagree. We remain committed to developing a wonderful pre-school on the site, a pre-school that offers a unique educational program in the heart of Philadelphia. We are eager to offer the best program possible for young learners, and we are convinced that the property on 25th and South Street is a fabulous and, because of its location, a singular opportunity for the Philadelphia School and, in turn, the neighborhood and the City. The Philadelphia School opened its doors in 1972 with 14 students and moved to its current location, an old commercial building, in 1976. Back then, families raised significant funds to convert the tired building into a 27 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 thriving school. Today, our current enrollment is 371 students, grades pre-school through grade eight. At its current location, TPS is bursting at the seams. We do not have space for a library or middle school science classrooms. Our pre-school and kindergarten classrooms are not optimal in terms of size or location. Our music rooms are housed in renovated but highly inadequate spaces. Some are in former meat lockers in the school's basement. Last summer, as an educator who cares deeply about the importance of space for innovative teaching, I was very troubled at the decision to take away from two classrooms the space needed to build administrative offices. We have been very creative in our use of our current building, but there is no more space for renovation. We have, quite simply, stretched our current building to its limits and we need more space. Our needs can only be met by 28 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the addition of the South Street parcel.

By building a pre-school to accommodate our early childhood program, we will be able to move approximately 60 young learners and the ten adults who work with them to the new facility. Remember, we are talking about young children. Three- and four-year-olds do not need huge buildings and giant structures. The new site will offer space for an outdoor play area and a garden, a multi-purpose space, some administrative offices and a parking lot with a safe drop-off area for pre-schoolers. Relocating pieces of our program to the 25th and South Street site will free up ample space in our current building to address our programmatic needs. Directing your attention to the rendering of the property in your packets, we intend to beautify an area that has been used for truck storage, maintenance and refueling. We will install new attractive fencing, 29 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 landscaping, lighting and surveillance cameras at the new facility, as well as at our current facility and parking lot. We will continue to allow free off-street parking in our current lot to the neighbors when school is not in session. Every weeknight and throughout the weekend, as well as for much of the summer, the faculty parking lot, all 45 spaces, has been used free of charge by the residents. We will not be losing these parking spaces or any on the street at all. With new procedures instituted when I became head of school, we have improved traffic flow around our existing school building during drop-off times and are committed to continuing to do so at the 25th and South Street location. Out of our respect for our neighbors and in response to a concern voiced by the residents of Naudain Street, I am committed to educating our parents about the importance of not using Naudain 30 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Street as a pass-through after dropping off or picking up their children. The Philadelphia School educates our children, by example, to be good neighbors and responsible citizens. We will continue to do so. We are more than willing, as evidenced by our meetings with the community earlier this year and the previous year, to work with neighbors to make both the construction process and the operation of our school as congenial as possible. We are eager to remain a vibrant and stable part of the educational community in Philadelphia. Residential development is burgeoning and the schools across the City, including the public schools, are experiencing increased demand. A walk through Center City neighborhoods reveals a baby boom. We are delighted that we are able to serve the educational needs of some of these young learners. About 35 percent of our 31 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 students live in the 19146 and 19103 zip codes in Center City. Another 57 percent come from other communities in Philadelphia. Our students come from West Philadelphia, Mount Airy, East Falls and the Northeast. Just under percent 8 of our students receive financial aid, 9 which this year totaled more than 10 $875,000. These funds are raised by our 11 parents and alumni who value the 12 diversity of the school and want to 13 continue to provide opportunities to 14 children from all backgrounds. Eighty 15 percent of our teachers and staff live in 16 Philadelphia. Our employees pay in 17 excess of $130,000 in City wage taxes. 18 Families whose children graduate from our 19 school remain Philadelphia residents even 20 as their children go on to both City and 21 suburban high schools. Many of our 22 graduates live and work in the City. 23 Some are now sending their own children 24 to the school. 25 TPS has been in the City for 35 32 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 years. We are a vibrant school of 371 students. We are desperate for additional space because we have filled every nook and cranny in our current location.

This fact, combined with our commitment to remain in the City, requires us to expand beyond our current building at 2501 Lombard Street. We ask that this Committee allow us to do so by voting to support this sale of the only significant adjacent property to the school and reporting it out of Committee today with a favorable recommendation. In closing, I would like to ask the many members of the TPS community who are here in the audience to stand in silent support and on behalf of the larger community of students, parents, alumni, teachers and staff that are the Philadelphia School. I thank you for your time and your attention. )

Thank you 33 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 for your testimony. Councilman Kenney.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Korb, when you were giving your testimony and talking about the mission of the school and its commitment to the City and to urban living and to imparting that view to your students so that they continue a commitment to the City, it reminded me of my own alma mater and Councilman Greenlee's alma mater, St. Joe's Prep, who in 1967 burned down, and the Jesuits were offered vast amounts of land out on City Line Avenue to build near St. Charles Seminary and they refused, and they refused because it was their mission and their commitment to stay in the City and to work in North Philadelphia and to bring kids in from around the region and around the City to show them what city life was about and what their responsibility to the City of Philadelphia really is, and that is to 34 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 stay and to give back. So I just wanted to say when you were making those statements, it really did bring me back to my own high school days. And, again, that was the school, even when I went on to college, that was the school that I felt I got my education. So I really did understand what you were saying. I'm sorry. Amy, Ms. --

Amy.

Amy, what is your class size average?

It ranges between -- we team teach and we have anywhere between in some cases, 24. 18 But the way we team, it allows us to move 19 children around. The pre-school 20 currently has 51 students, kindergarten 43. Our first and second grades have 75, on up to the middle school where we have about 114 students.

And you had said that 80 percent of your families 35 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 live in the City?

Ninety-two percent of our current students live somewhere in the City of Philadelphia. Eighty percent of our faculty live in Philadelphia.

In the course of your discussions with your family member parents, do you have an indication or do you believe there would be a problem with people remaining in the City in the event that they could not attend the Philadelphia School, that they would more than likely be sending their kids to a suburban school?

I have heard from many parents who have stated very clearly that if it were not for the Philadelphia School, they would have moved to the suburbs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman. (Applause.) 36 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

I'd just like to say that I'm glad that St. Joe Prep stayed in the Fifth Councilmanic District. Great Council district. Councilman Greenlee and then Councilman Rizzo.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So I don't get in trouble with the alumni, I second everything good that Councilman Kenney said about St. Joe's Prep. Ms. Vorenberg, just a couple of quick questions. First, just so I understand, it's the 51 students that are in pre-school now that will be in this new building if you get it. Is that basically right?

Correct. Actually, we would like to grow to about 60 pre-schoolers.

That was my question. Is there any immediate plans or long-range plans to increase the student body either in that building or 37 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the other one?

One of the things that I began to look at very carefully when I arrived at the Philadelphia School was how we would manage enrollment to optimize our program. One of the things that's very important about our school is the relations that children have with their teachers, and part of that requires us to have not a huge student body. We have larger classes in the younger grades, and they will be growing up through the school. So we will, by growth, maturation, have -- for example, the kindergarten currently is a class size of 43. The eighth grade, 24. We hope all of those 43 kindergartners will stay until eighth grade. So our school is going to grow, and we right now, without building enrollment, have many, many students that we need to take care of. I did not come to Philadelphia to be the head of a large 38 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 school.

I understand. Thank you. One other question. On the interaction with the community that you referred to -- and I know Commissioner Schlotterbeck referred to it -- could you just go over like some of the changes you made briefly that accommodate some of the community? Obviously you couldn't accommodate the community that didn't want you in there. I understand that. But some of the other things that you did.

Yes. I think one of the biggest changes that we thought about was the traffic, the foot traffic, from the original plan that would take students across Naudain Street. It would have required additional curb cuts. It would have required a really different flow across Naudain, and it would have had children moving across what is our current parking 39 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 lot. We believe that as City residents, they need to learn to navigate City streets, and that includes walking on sidewalks, getting to crosswalks, waiting for stop lights. So the plan we have now would require students to move using crosswalks and sidewalks in the City. Another big change is the scope and scale and the size of the building. We heard a lot about concerns about traffic on the street and parking. The original plan was ambitious, with an underground parking garage, and that is removed. We will have approximately 14 parking spaces on the new site added to our 45 on our current site, and so we will have additional parking. Another concern has been security, and we plan to address security issues with lighting, with security cameras and really working with our neighbors to understand how we can balance their needs for privacy and darkness at night with our needs to have 40 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 a secure campus. I'm sure that there are more, but that's what comes to my head now.

That's okay. Just one more thing. You touched on this, but I know often times around schools vehicular traffic is a problem, particularly dropping off kids, picking up kids. How do you address that? Has that been an ongoing process?

I think it's an ongoing challenge, and when I arrived at the Philadelphia School, one of the things that I did right away was begin -- I sent two administrators out to the curb every morning to open car doors to have a live drop-off lane so that parents would not park and jam things up. That's made a difference. We still have work to do to improve. We do have buses that deliver children to the school. And so how we work with our buses to not idle on the street, we've asked them not to turn on 41 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 26th Street. We know that we have more work to do around afternoon drop-off and we'll continue to try.

And this conversation with the community continues?

We have not had an additional community meeting with the neighborhood since the March 14th meeting. We have talked with many, many neighbors informally and continue to gather information. One of the things that we felt was challenging was the clear position of residential development only.

I understand that.

And that was a challenge for conversation.

I mean, obviously that's not a negotiating part on either of your sides. I understand.

Going forward, I would say that we would be delighted. 42 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 I wanted to say one quick comment about my two rules with the students at the Philadelphia School, which are take care of each other and get smarter. And it's my hope that as a neighborhood, we can take care of each other and get smarter around how we work together in the neighborhood.

Okay. All right. Thank you.

Councilman Rizzo.

Good afternoon. Councilman Greenlee asked the question that I wanted to ask in reference to growing the school, and you explained that. Could you restate -- I know you said it and I may have missed it -- about opportunities for young people that their parents cannot afford to come to the school. What, again, is the -- what are the programs that you offer to give young people in the immediate community an opportunity to 43 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 come to your school?

We have a very generous financial aid budget. Currently, approximately percent -- 6 it's slightly under, 24 point 7 something -- percent of our students 8 receive some kind of financial aid, and 9 this year our operating budget supports 10 $875,000, and next year that line in the 11 budget will continue to grow. Our 12 tuition rates increase annually, and we 13 always increase our financial aid budget 14 at a percentage that is larger than our 15 tuition rates increase. 16

This is a 17 question that probably should wait until 18 a year or so from now, but you can tell 19 we're pretty far along here when we're 20 talking about the safety of the young 21 people. Currently, do you have a school 22 zone in front of the school? 23

Yes, we do. 24

With the 25 flashing lights and all that? 44 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

Yes, we do.

Good. Thanks.

Sir, you wanted to testify also?

Yes. Good afternoon, Councilmembers. My name is Dmitri Chimes. I'm a business person in Philadelphia. I own Dmitri's Restaurant, and I have one of my locations is in the neighborhood of the Philadelphia School. I'm also a resident of the neighborhood and I live directly across from the Philadelphia Schools. I would like to state that I am in favor of the Philadelphia School developing that property, in that I feel although a residential development would probably bring more potential customers to my restaurant, I'm really more concerned about holding on to the customers that I have. And if I can address what Councilman Ramos (sic) talked about, 45 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 well, does the school -- how does the school help to keep residents in the City, and I see that as a problem, because both my children, one who went to the Philadelphia School, now do not go to school in the City. I had to send my daughter to Penn Charter and I, frankly, didn't like the crowd she associated with out there. My son now, whether you can believe this or not, I'm paying them $12,000 a year to send him to a public school in New Jersey, because although he got a great education at TPS, he's really not an academic guy, and that was the only solution I was able to find for him. And so I have two children that I had to pay to send them out of the City, and I'm a city guy. I mean, I was born at Jefferson Hospital, and I would love to send them to school in the City. So now I go to Jersey and now they got all these Smart Boards in the classroom and I'm paying for them. So I want to encourage any 46 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 expansion and improvement in the education system in the City, whether it's public or private, and I think that was -- that's the main issue that the democrats were talking last night at Drexel. We need to improve the education system in the City. Thank you. (Applause.)

Councilman Kenney, I think you wanted to make a correction.

Yes. Somebody once told me that I have the map of Ireland on my face, so I wanted to identify myself as Councilman Kenney, not Councilman Ramos. MR. Chimes: I apologize.

I don't take offense. I just want to make sure you get the name right.

Madam President.

Thank 47 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 you. Amy, I would like to get as much as possible on the record, so if you don't mind. Can you tell us what the projected cost for the renovations to the existing building at 2501 South Street is?

Our current projections are in the $5 million.

Does the school have the funds available to commence building?

To commence building, we will be looking to capital fundraising, as well as bond financing. We have met with a number of banks, who have been very optimistic about the relationship that they'd like to develop between the school and the bank. We need to have more papers in hand to firm up commitments from the banks, and we are looking forward to doing that. We have the cash on hand to pay for the property, the $3.4 million, and 48 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 we have additional cash on hand as well. We have work to do to decide how we will balance debt with cash spent out.

Do you have any indication how long it will take before renovations begin once the property is acquired?

We need the space now, so we look forward to working as quickly as possible in partnership with the City to get all of the work done that we need to accomplish. The goal of September 2009 was on the most recent draft of a contract, and while that seems ambitious, we are hopeful.

Thank you. Also, I know you touched on this, but I know a public hearing on this matter has been delayed for some time to give the immediate neighbors and TPS an opportunity to try to negotiate their differences. I know that you have met. Can you tell us what the outcome of the 49 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 so-called negotiations were?

Well, I'm not sure if I would use the word "negotiations" to describe the conversation at the meeting on March 14th. I heard very clearly from the neighbors about many concerns that they have regarding neighbor relations and the connection with the school and the City. I also heard that there is great energy, and energy that I respect, from the neighbors for residential development. We felt that that is not our decision to make. The residential development question was a question that I believe was answered through the RFP process. As the head of the school, it's been very difficult to navigate these conversations because it seemed that we were at a stalemate. Going forward, I would really love to talk about how we can work together as the school that feels very much a part of the neighborhood to shift the dynamics that 50 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 have developed over the years. It would be my commitment because I'm an optimistic person that we all learn from this experience and we go forward in a new way that's positive and teaches children that we can agree to disagree and we can respect each other, and it's really my hope that we are able to open a pre-school facility and that the neighbors can celebrate that with us.

Thank you. (Applause.)

Again, for the record, can you tell us what the tuition is at the school?

It depends on the grade level. The current middle school tuition is, I believe, $18,000 a year and it is -- I'm smiling only because the parents in the audience would probably be a better answer of this question. I believe that pre-school is in 51 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the vicinity of close to $14,000 annually. It's a significant commitment that families are making.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Any other questions for this witness? Councilwoman Tasco.

Good afternoon. You mentioned bank, but I wanted to ask you what public schools are near the site?

What public schools? Greenfield Friends -- I'm sorry. I'm new to Philadelphia and I'm still learning. Greenfield School is one school that's nearby. Down the street we know that a charter school will be coming on, I believe, 16th and Lombard Street, the Independence Charter School.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you, 52 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Councilwoman. Any other questions from members of the Committee? Was there one other person? Hold on one second. Councilman Kenney.

Just one other issue that was raised to me on a number of occasions. What is the status of the Pennsylvania liquor store? Is it still there?

It is still there.

And it's still in an unsightly condition as far as its pavements are concerned? I understand it gets very weedy and they don't shovel the snow. So that's an ongoing problem for you?

The liquor store?

Well, the liquor store itself is a problem, but on top of it, the way in which the owners of 53 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the building do not take care of the building. Perhaps we should be looking to put some pressure on the state to move that liquor store to another location. (Applause.)

Okay.

Actually, if you could write a letter from the school, I guess, to the Council President, maybe we can get some of the state officials to put some pressure on them to get them out of there.

Okay. Thank you. (Applause.)

Please proceed. State your name for the record.

Thank you. My name is Fred Goodman. I live at 2531 South Street, which is actually the block depicted up in the, I guess, upper left-hand corner. I've lived there for 20 years and I've watched the neighborhood really change as dozens, I 54 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 guess, if not hundreds, of new houses have been built. In addition to that, I have three kids, two who go to the Philadelphia School, one who has since graduated. So I've lived in the neighborhood, as I said, for years and 8 struggled with this a little bit, because 9 I respect my neighbors and their desire 10 to have residences built there, but I've 11 come down unreservedly in favor of the 12 Philadelphia School, and the reason in 13 part is living there for all these years. 14 It's the notion that neighborhoods just 15 simply need anchors. You need an anchor 16 in a neighborhood. You need a place that 17 increases the vibrancy of the 18 neighborhood. And it's undeniable that 19 any time during the day when you come 20 down the street and you see what's going on in and around that school, that you see people and children, and that makes just a gigantic difference to a neighborhood. And we have so many new residences and I think it is so important 55 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 to keep this school here, keep people going to the school and to keep this neighborhood really friendly towards families. Finally, I would just like to say unabashedly that I love the Philadelphia School, and I say that in what I think is a germane way to you and to what you were talking about St. Joe's. The heart and soul of this school is its commitment to the Philadelphia community. So much of what they do is interactive with the Philadelphia community, and to me, at least from my point of view of living in the City and being a resident, that maybe is the most important thing there is. The school gives back so much to this community, and I really hope that you will go ahead and give this property to the school. And I thank you for the opportunity to speak.

Thank you. (Applause.) 56 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

Thank you for your testimony. I'd like to call Paul Levy.

Good afternoon, members of Council. My name is Paul Levy. I'm normally here in an official capacity. Today I'm here in a personal capacity as the parent of two children I've raised in the City of Philadelphia and as a Board member of the Philadelphia School. In the professional capacity, you know we've worked very closely with the City on the huge success we've had in the revitalization of Center City, the attraction of so many more families into the City. For the last five years, we've had a very continuous message. If we're going to want to sustain this wonderful revitalization that's going on, we're going to have to focus on parks, playgrounds and schools. We have partnered with the School District because we believe that professionally 57 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the public schools are a great alternative, but we think parents need many choices, the parochial schools, the charter schools, the independent schools. As a parent, my older daughter went through the public school system. My younger daughter is a sixth grader at the Philadelphia School. I personally am committed to this school. And I want to again reiterate, those scholarships you're hearing about are not coming from someplace else. They're coming out of the commitment of parents who not only pay the tuition but who recognize that diversity is an important goal, so they personally contribute to fund those scholarships so many more children can go to the school. Again, I love to see more housing being built all over the City. We're a very big promoter of it, but if we're going to sustain that, we need good quality public schools, good charter schools, good parochial schools and good 58 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 independent schools. You've heard it said several times. There are many places in the City. Developers are filling in empty lots, tearing down old vacant industrial sites. There is only one site adjacent to the Philadelphia School that would enable them to grow and grow, I think, in a very responsive fashion. You've heard from Amy over and over again this commitment. We recognize there are certain differences with the neighbors, but there is a firm commitment from the Board and from the leadership of the school to work very closely with them to ensure that we can address nearly every concern that they raise. So I urge you to support this as part of a broader effort to keep families and children and talented young employees in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. 59 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Any questions of this witness by members of the Committee? (No response.)

There being none, thank you for your testimony. Our next panel I'd like to call Marianne Anthe, Paul Edelblut, Don Mahoney, Charles Dougherty. I'll just call everyone up and you can just testify. Charles Dougherty, Sara Greenspan and Bhavisha Patel. Good afternoon. Please proceed.

Good afternoon. Councilman Clarke, esteemed Council representatives, concerned citizens and members of the press, my name is Marianne Anthe. I live at 2516 Naudain Street, which is immediately next door to the property in question. Today I represent not only myself, but I'm also here as the spokesperson for the Naudain Street/South Street Coalition for Houses, which 60 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 numbers more than 200 signers within a four block radius of 2501 South Street, some of whom are here today. I am also a democratic committee woman in our division. In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I am also the proud mother of a Philadelphia School graduate. For years we have 11 counted various faculty and 12 administrators of TPS as our friends. So 13 it has been a very difficult personal 14 struggle for me to oppose anything having 15 to do with the school. 16 But this meeting is not about 17 my son and me or our personal 18 relationships. It is quite simply this: 19 It is about neighbors' rights. No one 20 knows better than we do, the neighbors who live next to and around a property 22 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days 23 a year, what is the best development plan 24 for that property, as it affects our lives. 61 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 So we want to make clear that our opposition is not just to the Philadelphia School, but it is against any institutional development of any kind at 2501 South. Our blocks are residential. I don't know if you all realize that. Our blocks are residential. We intend to have them completed that way and to keep them that way. Now, I would like to clarify a few things as to the comments that were made prior to our sitting down here. 2501 South Street is not adjacent to the school. It's not as if they can just break through a wall. It is not adjacent to their parking lot. There's a street in between. There's a street in between the L&I property and the parking lot, and there is Lombard Street in between the parking lot and the school. So you should not be confused that this would be just a mere matter of stepping next door. It involves a block. 62 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 There are -- I'm a little breathless at the information that came by, and unfortunately, I'm going to have to take a little time to clarify some other things. I was not surprised to hear Commissioner Schlotterbeck say that should you approve this bill, the school would have the opportunity to plan, design and build, because from what we see here, this is basically just a somewhat prettier version of some pretty drawings that we saw last February, which, according to the school's Board member, Frank Gould, were not a plan, with no architect, no engineer. It was simply the current thinking, and I say that in quotations. So there is no plan. As Mr. Edelblut to my right will go into further detail, I'm sure, we have been asking the Philadelphia School ever since they submitted their first proposal in 2005 where is your money coming from, because that proposal was 63 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 initially figured by the architect, who told me at to million, it escalated 4 to to million. Now we're down to 5 the 5 million, but I did not hear whether 6 that included the purchase price or 7 whether that's in addition to the 8 purchase price. 9 So what we're talking about 10 here is quite questionable in our minds 11 as to how the transfer of 60 students 12 from one corner to another is going to 13 pay for the debt service on 5 plus 14 million dollars of mortgaging. 15 We also want to draw your 16 attention to this: Ms.

Vorenberg, who we 17 think is a very nice person, as the head 18 of school is on record at a March 14th meeting at the school, which she called with the neighbors, and she went on record when she was asked would you sign a covenant that this property would never be anything more than a small pre-school, and she said to us that as the future -- that a future head of school and/or Board 64 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 might have, and I quote, a different vision for the school such as a high school. Now, we ask you, how foolish would we be to tolerate that kind of uncertain future for a half a City block attached to our houses? By comparison, you can understand why the prospect of having houses, which in Philadelphia are up for a minimum of a hundred years, sometimes two or three hundred years, the prospect of having houses that when they go up, we know what they are for the next hundred plus years. We don't have to wonder if five, eight or ten years down the road we're going to have not 60 students but 160 or if it's going to be a high school or if the next head of school does have that different vision. There is no 22 stability in what this bill would provide for our neighborhood. We also want to make the point that Sunrise Builders has a design plan 65 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 that we approved of two years ago, and we're still looking at only drawings. We want to make the point that the residential developer will pay the highest purchase price, which might not be the only criterion for this property, but it is one of the criteria, and he will pay in cash and he has had full funding for his total project since 2005. Ladies and gentlemen, when you asked Ms. Vorenberg where is the money coming from, there was a pause and she replied that there were some financiers who are interested. May I tell you that we have met with the school and asked this question from the beginning in 2005 with the prior head of school. We asked it of Ms. Vorenberg at the public meeting in February of '07. We asked it at two smaller meetings in March of '07. We asked it again in May of '07, and all we have ever heard is, Well, we're looking and there are people who are interested. By comparison, we have a residential 66 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 developer, cash in pocket, fully funded. You can understand why we want to go with houses. We would also make the point that it makes no sense to turn over half a City block of prime, prime taxable residential real estate to educate 60 wonderful young children. However, by comparison, the projected millions of dollars of tax money from houses over their hundred-plus year lifetime would support public school education for tens of thousands of students who in this School District are struggling to have simple supplies like paper and pencil. )

We would make the point that our security would continue to be compromised by allowing institutional use, which keeps the property closed at night, on weekends and holidays, as well as for months in the summer as schools are, in a neighborhood that is surrounded by ten closed buildings and spaces. 67 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 We make the point that there is a noise level that is beyond annoying, beyond disturbing, that is absolutely intrusive when you are bookended between two playgrounds, not to mention the loss of home value for houses that are sandwiched between two schools. (Applause.)

And I do want to make another clarification as to the R-10 zoning. In my discussions with the City Planning Department, they made it clear, as Commissioner Schlotterbeck did, that a certificate is required. So any institution has to go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and request the certificate, but the City Planning Commission did not say to me, and I asked, a school is automatically included in R-10 zoning, because it is not. I think Ms. Vorenberg forgot the May meeting we had when she said we stopped meeting in March, and certainly it is not true that all concerns have 68 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 been met. If all concerns were met, would we be here? No, we would not. We would allow this to go through. I also want to reference the 500 petition signers. We have sent in letters. We have sent in petitions on the whole thing, and when we vetted the school's original petition, the huge majority of names that had signed were from nowhere near to the property. Now, I ask you, is it fair and right that someone who lives in the far Northeast determines for the people who live adjacent to, next to and surrounding a property what it is we have to live with on those blocks for the next hundred years? We think not, just as we do not go to the Northeast and tell them what they have to live with. (Applause.)

I want to address the crowding issue. You know, if you have a property and you know how many it will hold comfortably, why would you 69 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 voluntarily take in more people, more students than you can comfortably accommodate? I haven't heard a response to that. Knowingly voluntarily crowding your school. I think that is a question of responsibility. When I hear someone say there are plenty of places to build houses, yes, and one of those places is on our blocks where we have houses attached to this property. I also want to let you know that we believe and, in fact, I'm sure that we were a precipitating motivating factor in the Philadelphia School having scrapped its original burdensome plan for 250 students on that property, because we did an eight-page position statement which we sent to Ms. Vorenberg and which she and I talked about, which laid out our significant objections. I really wonder if people will leave the City because they can't send their children to St. Peters or the 70 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Philadelphia School or Friends Select. I think people will not come into the City because they are concerned about public school education. And it might sound as if I'm hypocritical because my son went to the Philadelphia School. Well, I also went to parochial schools, and my son also went to Central High School, a public school. So we have been across the board, and it's our feeling that -- it was interesting when you asked Ms. Vorenberg what are the public schools in the neighborhood and she did not know, other than Greenfield, and couldn't get that name right. And it is sad for us to hear that she didn't even mention the Peirce School south of South Street. We believe that public school education needs its due. My dear friend Fred Goodman, who is a neighbor -- and this is also very hard because we are neighbors and friends, and we'll probably be out on the street tonight having a glass of cider 71 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 for our Halloween celebration, but I want to say our neighborhood is vibrant and certainly the school contributes to that, but our neighborhood is not a dark, dank place. It doesn't need another Philadelphia School. We have one. We love the Philadelphia School. We're not so thrilled about the parking lot which fronts on Naudain Street, but we think it's a fine and wonderful education. We just don't want two Philadelphia Schools within 196 feet of each other. Councilman Kenney, as to that liquor store, evidently you haven't been on our blocks in a while. That liquor store was totally gutted about three years ago, totally gutted, totally rehabbed. It now has a very expensive and illuminated awning for nighttime security on that block. So I don't really think and I don't think the neighbors here who get our occasional bottle of wine want to see that wine store go any place any time soon. 72 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

Then it won't.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

In closing, knowing these facts and many more -- and we would be happy to answer your questions -- should make it clear to you that housing is the best and highest use of 2501 South Street. You should also know that our commitment to housing is so deep and so passionate that we are funded for and prepared to take legal action to ensure that no institutional use occurs at 2501 South Street. I thank you for your attention. (Applause.)

Thank you for your testimony. Are any of the other panelists going to testify? Councilman, did you have a question? 73 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

Well, it was kind of based on her testimony, if I can now, or would you rather everybody else testify first?

I defer to you, Councilman.

Maybe I could just ask the question. I know certainly the time you've put into this, and you and I have talked previously. And I don't mean this in criticism, because you do live there, and I understand that, but I know you said in the discussions with the Philadelphia School, you said, Well, all the concerns were not met, and obviously I think Ms. Vorenberg was referring to issues regarding the school, like things she talked about, traffic, that kind of thing, maybe designs, whatever, and you said all concerns were not met or you wouldn't be here. But, I mean, in all fairness, isn't it true, whatever they did, as long as they were going to build 74 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 the school, you would be here opposing it, right?

Well, Councilman, I think we were clear, the group that came to speak with you, and certainly at the beginning of my comments when I said that we treasure the Philadelphia School in the neighborhood, but we are opposed to any kind of institutional development. It compromises our security. It makes our life troublesome with -- more than troublesome, with traffic, with noise. Institutional development is not the best for our blocks.

But right now it is a -- it's not residential now, correct? Even though it may be zoned it, it's not residential.

Oh, and I'll tell you what, if we had one dollar for every time everybody in the neighborhood has gone by there over decades and decades and said, dear Lord, I'll be so happy when they tear this down, assuming that 75 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 we would have houses, because we'll be able to finish the blocks, everybody in this room could retire.

All right. I mean, I understand what you're saying, and I guess I just make this short statement: I think the school should work with the community. I think they should try to accommodate as much as they can. It is difficult for me to oppose a school. I don't know how else to say it. (Applause.)

And that's with all due respect to the neighbors, and I understand what you're saying, but knowing how needed education is, and this is -- and I think even you agree -- is a successful school, it's just difficult for me. It's not an easy vote, but I have to tell you, I've tried to listen as much as I could, but --

Councilman, as I said at the very beginning, my son is a 76 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 graduate of the Philadelphia School. Can you imagine the anxiety that I have been through over the past two years, two plus years? And the reason is not because it's about me or that I live next door or my son. It is about the neighborhood. It is about what is best for this neighborhood. This half City block, I want you to imagine a half City block for 60 students. That is excessive to the max. When we were first told it would be 51 students, we did the math, it was simple. That worked out to 501 square feet per student. That works out to a 20-by-25 foot room per student. I want to know which of us grew up in a house where we had a 20-by-25 foot room or went to a school where we a 20-by-25 foot space for each of us. This is very difficult, but you know what? The easy vote, the easy thing is to say, Oh, gosh, school, how can you say no. That's the easy thing. The difficult thing is to say what is right 77 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 for the neighborhood. And I would draw your attention to this item, which is on your desks, which was in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The co-author is Robert Rosenthal, Vice-President of the Reinvestment Fund Development Partners in Philadelphia, and when referencing how to remedy Philadelphia's antiquated, unfair zoning problems, he says, he and his co-author, "Adding a contextual zoning provision offers the best way to preserve and strengthen a neighborhood's unique look." And this is significant now. "Contextual zoning requires the City to consider the look of the existing block when determining whether a new development is appropriate." We are blocks of row houses. What is appropriate for us are those three-story brick attached houses that are going to attach to ours. (Applause.)

And let those houses when the abatement is finished, 78 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 let them pay the millions of dollars of tax money over their lifetime to fund public education. (Applause.)

Which is a major part of the educational system in the City of Philadelphia.

Just to finish up, and I know there's other testifiers. I just slightly disagree with one statement. You said the easy vote is vote for the school. I think we all have to do what we think is the right vote, and that's, I guess, what we're all going to do.

Thank you for clarifying that for me.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Kenney.

Just out of curiosity, is the developer planning to apply for the ten-year tax abatement?

I would believe so. 79 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

So for ten years, the public school children will not be receiving the benefits of the taxes. (Applause.)

Well, excuse me, Councilman, but as you well know, there is tax paid on the land for those ten years, and then after those ten years, if we only projected those houses to sit for a hundred years, they would have 90 years of full property tax. That adds up to millions. (Applause.)

Just probably a whole generation of kids in the public schools won't take advantage of the taxes here, I guess.

I beg your pardon?

I assume a generation of these kids over ten years would not get the benefit of the taxes for their public school.

Well, let me ask 80 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 you how many of those children do you think can afford $18,000 a year, which escalates every year.

I wouldn't have any idea.

Well, I think that's a good question.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman. Would you please proceed. State your name for the record.

Committee Chair Clarke and distinguished Councilmembers, I thank you for this opportunity to address you today on this important neighborhood issue. My name is Paul Edelblut and I live in the neighborhood and have been here for going on 12 years. I currently live at 2518 South Street, directly across South Street from the property. Before I go to my prepared 81 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 remarks, with all due respect, Councilmembers, the politically correct thing to say, it's hard to go against a school, I believe that it's your job to do the hard thing and support public education, and I ask that you vote against this bill and support public education over private education as you search your soul for that. Councilman Kenney, as you think about taxes, the estimated value of the homes that would be put in would necessitate that the members living in these homes would actually pay wage taxes that would generate north of six figures a year, which is a substantial amount of money going into the City coffers to support the public schools that, quite frankly, Peirce Elementary where I'm districted, that it was unfortunate that Amy was unaware of the closest school where her neighbors go, Peirce Elementary School, when my wife and I took our six-year-old down there for a tour to 82 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 consider sending our child to public school, largely because of our parents were Philadelphia public educators, we felt like it was a war zone and we could not do that in all good conscience. And it bothers me to this day that the Council is still considering a proposal from a private school that would take money from public school and public education where many students would benefit. I ask you -- (Applause.)

I'm here today to ask you to vote against the pending legislation for the transfer of 2501 South Street to the Philadelphia School. If we look at the facts that have been presented through public documents, if you look at the Philadelphia School's tax returns for the most recent tax year ending June 30, 2006, the Philadelphia School actually runs an operating deficit. They lose money on each student 83 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 they enroll. They survive solely by donations. The donations that they receive have been declining over the last few years at a time when they should be growing because of a capital campaign. This should be troubling to you, because we will have yet again an underfunded school in the neighborhood. The Philadelphia School's financing has been a great concern for me for a long time. If we take their reduced numbers and they go with the best available option, which is rarely commercial financing but something along the lines of the PAID bond program, they would be looking at taking on nearly 70 percent of their assets, their debt ratio, nearly 70 percent of their assets. That could be crushing to a school if they had some major problem. Again, the shaky financing is a concern to me and should be a concern to you, because we do not need another underfunded school. I'm concerned about the 84 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 neighborhood. When decisions like this come before the Committee, I imagine that you try and keep the neighborhood as a primary element and driver in your decision process. They have 42 Board members listed on their tax returns. Of those 42 Board members, only one lives in the zip code where the school is. Everybody else lives outside of that zip code. We're being dictated to by folks who live in Florida. The Board Chair and six of the additional members on the Board live outside of the City of Philadelphia. These are the Board members who we're supposed to develop a relationship with because they understand our neighborhood? I would argue that that's not even a possibility if they live in Florida. While we've been delighted with the breath of fresh air that Amy has brought and despite our differences aired both publicly and privately, I commend Amy for reaching out in some way to the 85 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 neighbors. I am concerned, however, that one public meeting in six months is not really being committed to the citizens and the neighbors around her school. Along those lines, the school has for a long time fought with neighbors. The Board has not changed. While Amy is a breath of fresh air, the Board has not changed. When we were doing our homework in preparation for the fight with the school, we asked for the tax returns. Tax returns are our federal right to get from a 501(c)(3) non-profit. I was personally threatened with arrest. I left the property, not wanting to cause an incident. When I returned to the school at an appointed time, I was told I must not be a U.S. citizen if I dare stand in the way of this development. I would argue that this is not a school or a community of people who believe in the neighborhood and the neighborhood and the bigger part of Philadelphia. 86 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 I would welcome you all to come to our neighborhood and see how we live, what goes on in our neighborhood. One of the primary concerns certainly is crime. In the last few months we've had a stabbing, a home invasion. We've had an attempted rape. Putting homes and eyeballs on the street is a value to us more so than video cameras. Replaying -- and living directly across the street, the car alarms go off every third night, and my wife and I get up and we call the Philadelphia Police Department to come out, and at that point, the perpetrator has moved on. So I think it will be of limited help to have videotape of the windows smashed out of the cars along South Street at that point. (Applause.)

The South Street corridor from the base of the bridge to 24th Street is a virtual speedway. In the last year, we've had an 18-wheeler run up and run down a row of trees and 87 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 plant itself on our front walkway. Imagine what will happen when we have 60 three-year-olds walking along the sidewalk when that happens. We have had an accident as recently as two weeks ago where a car was driving along and sideswiped three of the cars along the side of the street where the school will be. This is a common occurrence. I encourage you to come out to the liquor store on a Friday night, perhaps a Thursday afternoon and a Friday night, because the traffic that begins to double-park as they speed from the base of the South Street bridge and nearly collide with pedestrians, with the automobiles is a travesty. If we put children there, we're putting children at risk, and I ask you not to do that.

I'm sorry. Do you want the liquor store or you don't want the liquor store? (Applause.)

I tried to 88 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 get rid of the liquor store for you and you're telling me to keep it. One is telling me to get rid of it; one is telling me to keep it. I don't understand. I don't think anybody really wanted a liquor store across from their house either.

I guess Paul is not drinking as much wine as I am.

If the bill 12 before the Council was about the liquor store, we can talk about that.

Okay. Thank you.

In closing, I'm the third generation Philadelphian. My grandfather came to Philadelphia as an immigrant child and he pursued his dreams. He went through public schools, got his M.D., his MPH. He ran Philadelphia General Hospital. He ran Einstein. He ran for Mayor of Philadelphia. I believe in the neighborhoods, 89 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 and for generations my family has protected the neighborhoods, and unfortunately if this bill goes through, we will lose a big part of our neighborhood. I ask today that you vote down this bill. (Applause.)

I hope we're not going to focus on the liquor store, but I do want to add one point to this which I think is significant. The entrance into this property is on 25th Street. It's directly across from the blank wall of the liquor store, blank except for their receiving area, which means that multiple times per week we have semi tractor-trailer rigs pull up, park on the street. It takes up a good half to two-thirds of the block. So, consequently, traffic that is going to come around that corner and have to navigate in, navigate out or maybe not even do that, but line up on that street, you have to understand there is a semi 90 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 parked there, with a conveyor, a metal conveyor ramp going into the liquor store. So all of this, trust me, is not just some mild concerns. This is why institutional use is not the best choice for this property. (Applause.)

Councilman Greenlee.

Just quickly. I guess I'm not clear, first of all, on the numbers Mr. Edelblut said. My understanding is most of these kids are getting transferred from the other building. So the numbers are there almost all now, right?

Well, if the numbers remain the same, think about their capital costs. Try managing two buildings for even less -- I mean, you have less money and higher capital costs.

Well, that's a different issue. You talked about the cars streaming down the street 91 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 and all. I mean, those kids are there now, right?

And I can tell you this: There are some children who certainly get driven in and I'll tell you this, when you're stuck blocking the box at 25th and Lombard because the parents have double-parked, imagine that happening now at 25th and South and 25th and Lombard and being stuck behind a bus from Lower Merion that has stopped in the middle of the street. These are the challenges that we face in our neighborhood.

I understand that. That's why I brought up earlier to Ms. Vorenberg issues like traffic. Maybe they can be worked on, but --

We requested a traffic study and were told that if we got it, they might consider paying for it.

Okay. I 92 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 don't have any questions. That's all right.

Thank you. Sir.

Yes. Thank you. My name is Dan Lanchoney. I live with my wife at 2526 Naudain. So right on the same block that we're talking about. Both of us are college graduates. We have a nine-month-old son, so we're obviously for higher education and for kids. So this was somewhat of a decision for us, too, when we got into this. But when we started looking around for a place to live in the City, we looked all over in the different neighborhoods. We came back to Fitler Square where we were, and it's because of the neighborhood, number one, and also from a security perspective, it really is a safe neighborhood. And I'll reiterate what Paul was alluding to about a particular break-in that occurred on our block about a month or so ago. It 93 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 happened actually on a Sunday and the break-in came as the police figured out really from the vacant school lot, parking lot, that's how the person entered and left the house that they broke into. So my number one concern really as someone that travels often for work, with my wife and nine-month-old son, is really now security and how is this new school potentially, with the lot that's going to be there, have itself secured. We know houses are just by nature, people are going to be living there. It's obviously a more stable environment, a more secure environment. So I ask that that certainly be taken into consideration, and reiterate all the points that Marianne and Paul just made.

Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)

Anyone else from the rest of your panel? 94 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

My name is Bhavisha Patel and I live directly opposite the lot in question. My address is 2503 Naudain Street. And before I even start, I want to tell you that I'm a product of public education and proud of that, and I want to tell you that I'm a graduate of Temple. By all means, education is very important, but I am here to ask you not to sign that bill. At the presentation of the bill 16 to you, you were told that what was important was the design, the compatibility and the economic opportunity, and that is why TPS was given a chance. Well, from what you have heard, there is no design as of yet. The Philadelphia School has no specific plans of what they're going to do with that property. As a person who owns a house and lives directly across that lot, it is 95 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 of a concern. It would be nice if the Philadelphia School had been direct and open and had negotiated with the neighbors. As Amy Vorenberg said, this was not negotiations. Yes, there were no 8 negotiations. The TPS has done nothing but been unhelpful to the neighbors, have been against the community and has done nothing to build any sort of relations with us. And so today I stand here to tell you not to sign this bill. First of all, there have been multiple misrepresentations. The school, as Marianne told you before, there is two streets between where the school is now and the lot in question. That was just something -- a misstatement that was made by Ms. Vorenberg today. The green space that Ms. Vorenberg mentioned, if you walk to TPS today -- and I ask you to go and see it -- there is not even a potted plant in that area. There is no green space. 96 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 We're told that they're looking for a school for 60 students. 8 million, plus 5 million for 60 students. So obviously we're not being told everything. There is no public institution. There's no 9 private institution. There's no business that can support and make a profit and use some of the profit to support public education or provide financial aid if they're looking at the kind of numbers they're giving us today. In terms of security, I'd like to mention that a while ago TPS was asked to do something about their ugly green fence by their parking lot. The back of my house abuts the parking lot. Recently my neighbor had someone jump from that parking lot into her garden and into her house on a Sunday morning. TPS's response to their ugly green fence to us has been, We've been grandfathered in, we don't need to do anything about it. 97 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, is that working with your neighbors? My neighbor was stood up at gunpoint on a Saturday night at her door. Somebody on Waverly Street was the subject of attempted rape. People are not going to move into our cities if crime is an issue. The City of Philadelphia already has been on the top of the list for crime. So we're talking of putting in a new dead space in front of our houses in a neighborhood that already has ten dead spaces, in a neighborhood where TPS has done nothing to secure its parking lot or even address the issues of security with us, to add another space that is not going to be populated in the evening, that is not going to have a porch light, is not going to have a neighbor. In terms of education -- and I want to say and, again, I will reiterate -- there are not many people 98 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 who can afford $14,000 to $18,000 in school fees for their children. So what we are talking about here is education for people who come from -- and I think the statistics given to us was that 57 percent of the students at TPS live outside, outside of the 19146 and 19103 zip code. The majority of TPS's students are from outside our neighborhood.

And certainly, you know, perhaps the money that the City can potentially get from an open bid for this property here from the taxes, even if they come ten years from now, and from the income taxes of people who would move there would definitely support a better public system of education. And I would certainly ask all of you to consider that while TPS has sat here and told you that they are for education, then you know what? I am embarrassed, absolutely embarrassed, that the principal of TPS cannot at the tip of her tongue tell you what the public schools in our City are. 99 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 That is not in any way an indication that a private institution that charges $14,000 to $18,000 has any concern for the education of the majority of the people in this City. Thank you. )

Thank you for your testimony. Yes, sir. Please proceed.

Yes. Good afternoon. My name is Charles Dougherty. I'm a resident in the neighborhood. I live at 2519 South Street, along with my father, who is also here attending. He's been a resident for over 70 years in the neighborhood. His family has been in that neighborhood for over a hundred years. I'm just here, again, to request that you vote against this bill 23 and just to read into the record, I'm here basically on behalf of the 200-plus individuals who signed that petition who 100 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 were not only Philadelphians, they're also residents of within that two- to four-block area, who vehemently opposed the school and support the private homes. I also at this point kind of find it interesting that it seems like the buzz word from TPS lately has been "negotiation." The very first meeting that I ever attended was about coming up on two years now and it was at a local church, and this was the plan that has been mentioned previously where there was going to be an underground parking garage and there was this big grand scheme. But in any event, when we looked at the plan, it turned out that there was going to be -- the proposal was for a 24-hour access to garage, which was going to be located ten feet from my father's property, and I only bring this up at this point because we all know the school has moved on, but I don't think the attitudes changed, because when my father said, Geez, you know, you're putting an 101 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 underground parking garage ten feet from my home, you're proposing to take off parking from South Street, the response to my father was, Looks like you're going to have to live with it. I mean, those are the kind of comments that have galvanized this group. It's kind of the reason we're here. I mean, we refuse to sit back and have someone dictate to us and tell us what's good for our neighborhood. We're going to be the voice of what we feel is good for our neighborhood. And the only other comment that I'd make -- it's been touched on quite a few times -- is when you look at the plan, I hear the purchase price is 3.4 million. I hear the improvements are 5 million, and we all heard the number of students we're affecting and we hear what the improvements are, we're going to put in some trees, we're going to paint the wall, I mean, it's basically the same wall that's there now. I mean, it's 102 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 something just -- as we've all tried to bring to your attention, something is just not adding up. Thank you. (Applause.)

Good afternoon. My name is Sara Greenspan. I've been living at 2527 Naudain Street for more than 31 years. My son also graduated from TPS and it came about in a way that's difficult to talk about, because it's very personal. My neighbor, who was a teacher, called me and said that a whole class of boys in the sixth grade had families that were moving to the suburbs and that my son should come and audition for TPS and there would be money provided for him, there would be a scholarship. I was thrilled. Greenfield was great for my daughter, who is months 23 older, but for my son, it just wasn't a 24 happy place for him. 25 He passed the audition, I 103 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 passed the audition, and he started in at school. We took a trip, a bus tour trip, to Europe and he brought back, I think it was, from Stratford-upon-Avon, he brought back something, some souvenir of Shakespeare's, and I got a call from the ex-principal that I would now be paying full tuition and the only accommodation would be I could pay it in installments. This created a great hardship for our young family at that time. So that is my personal history with TPS. Until recently, a couple of years, they have not addressed snow and ice in front of their parking lot on Naudain. They have not addressed plantings. We've been there more than 30 years. There have been robberies, and when my husband called TPS to ask if some larger barricade couldn't be established with this parking lot that abuts our alleyway, our fire alleyway, and our properties, he was told that they 104 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 couldn't do anything because if the thief hurt himself, they would be sued. That was what their lawyers -- and they have many lawyers, many very responsible Philadelphia citizens on their Board and among their parents. I would also like to take just a minute to address some of the things that went on prior to coming up here. I heard that the bill, as Commissioner Schlotterbeck said, was originally for the first to the eighth grade. This is not a bill, these are not plans that we are spending a lot of time discussing today for first to eighth grade. It doesn't even reflect first to eighth grade. I want to give you briefly, if you think that TPS renovated that entire space from 26th to 25th along Lombard, it's been a gradual expansion. First, Aramark and Globe Security shared the building. Then it was a gym. There was even -- they even owned a parking lot at 105 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Taney and Lombard, which was since sold and has residences built on it. I cannot take my two-year-old granddaughter to Taney Park at certain hours, because it is a public park, but it is used as a private park for TPS students, who are much bigger than my two-year-old granddaughter. The city housing issue that fewer families would be attracted to Center City, the housing, I'm happy to say, in our neighborhood has gone up inordinately in the 30-some years that we've been there. There aren't many young families that can afford this price without family support or something of that sort, and there aren't too many families that can afford 14,000 to 18,000, plus an after-school fee. By the way, I wanted to say about that state store, we didn't talk about the winos. I have a brief statement from my husband who can't be here today. This 106 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 is what he had to say: Our immediate neighborhood is a quiet residential block and our long-time neighbors purchased houses on it with the confidence that it would remain that way. We want to maintain this environment. I value educational institutions in the right setting. We cannot just plunk down an institution when it so adversely affects others. From our experience, neighbors in our area have little faith that TPS is equipped to meet these standards of maintaining our residential neighborhood as just that.

It is located in a set of buildings that were originally for commercial use. I explained about that. Its parking lot, as has been mentioned, has been grandfathered in, and it doesn't belong in a residentially zoned area. m. m. 107 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Parents of students exacerbate the already serious parking problems in the neighborhood by leaving their cars parked throughout the school day. Parking facilities are established in the parking lot, but even pick-ups and drop-offs are using the adjacent streets as well. TPS school buses parked in front of the school tie up traffic on Lombard Street for a considerable period of time at mid afternoon five days a week. I think everything else has been covered and this would be -- the rest of his statement would be a duplication. Thank you very much. )

Thank you for your testimony. Any questions of these witnesses by members of the Committee? (No response.)

There being 108 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 none, thank you so much for your testimony.

Thank you. We would just like to say that I think all of this disparity that you've heard about, all of these different things is because there is no security for our neighborhood as far as what will be there a hundred years from now other than residential development. That is what we can count on. There will be houses there.

We've heard your prior testimony to that effect. Thank you.

Thank you. (Applause. )

I'm going to call one last witness that's on our witness list, Ms. Terry Gillen.

I would like when Ms. Gillen is finished the opportunity to respond to her comments.

It doesn't 109 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 work that way.

Well, then I need to mention immediately that Ms. Gillen was -- I have in my archive of e-mails e-mails from Ms. Gillen stating that she would defer to the neighbors around this building since she lives at the opposite end of the division and that she would defer to our wishes. I also have an e-mail stating that if I would compose a letter to Thomas Dalfo at PIDC in favor of the houses, she would sign it.

Okay.

She did not do that. She did not even respond after we -- after I advanced the letter to her, which she had requested that I compose.

Okay. Thank you. Ms. Gillen.

Hi. I'll be brief. My name is Terry Gillen. I'm the democratic ward leader in the 30th Ward, which is where this site is located. I'm 110 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 also the other democratic committee person in the division, the 8th Division, which is where this site is located. I've sent a letter to the Council President. She's aware of my position on this issue. We've talked about it several times, but I just wanted to put on the record that I am in support of the bill to transfer the property from the Public Property Department to the Philadelphia School. I've talked extensively with people in this division for well over a year about this. I want to commend the leadership of the Philadelphia School for doing a really good job of addressing the issues that were raised by people in the neighborhood. I do understand that several of the neighbors in the adjacent houses would prefer that it not be a school. I understand that they think that it wouldn't be as economically beneficial for them, and if I lived in that house, I might feel the same way, 111 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 but I think what the neighborhood really needs overall is an expansion of the Philadelphia School. We need more school choice alternatives in the South Philly/Center City neighborhood, and the Philadelphia School I think will provide that. And they have been a good neighbor. I think they continue to be a good neighbor, and I would urge all members of Council to pass this bill. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have any.

Thank you. Any questions of this witness by members of the Committee? (No response.)

Thank you so much for your testimony.

You're welcome. (Applause.)

At this time, this concludes our witness list. For the record, are there any other individuals who are interested in 112 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 testifying on this bill? Three. Is the testimony going to be repetitive?

Mr. Chairman, can I make a suggestion, if I may? I mean, it seems that the people who are opposed to it should have their say. If people want to testify in favor of it, maybe we should ask them to refrain, because all the nice things have been said already and we can -- I mean, I am not one to want to cut off people who are opposed to it, but it's not a filibuster either. That's my suggestion, that those who are in favor of it just refrain from adding further testimony.

I thought that was the agreement in the earlier discussions with the person who was pulling together the individuals who were supporting the proposed school. I'm just going to ask the question, is there anyone else who is 113 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 opposed to the site interested in testifying? So we have three. Can the three of you please come up. Four. Come on up, sir, please. Please proceed. State your name for the record, please.

My name is William Brennan. I live at 624 South 26th Street. I've been a resident of this area, my family has, since 1832. I'm against the L&I function as they stand because it's dead space. There are no eyes. There are no homes. Now, the same thing would happen with the school, the school expansion. There would be no eyes, no one to see what was going on. And I'm particularly concerned about the safety issue, because my wife was held up at gunpoint, and the same dead space. So what we don't need there is more dead spaces. We need eyes. We need families. We need people. 114 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 That's all I have to say.

Thank you, sir. (Applause.)

One more thing. I want to thank President Verna for her prompt response to my letter.

You're welcome.

Please proceed.

Hi. I'm Stephanie Lanchoney. I live at 2526 Naudain Street and I am across the school and next to -- on the same street where the property sits. And I just want to make a point here, that a big concern of mine is security. I've been living here. All my friends live in the suburbs, and I wanted to live in the City, and I found a great neighborhood. And we looked for a long time. And Naudain Street provided the safety and security that we felt we could raise our children and live here 115 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 for a long time and live in the City. There's reasons why we decided to buy. Number one being security and the neighborhood feel. You don't get this anywhere else in the City, except really -- we couldn't find it anywhere else except right here on Naudain Street. Everybody knows each other. Everybody looks out for each other. And that is something so important when you are a young couple looking to buy and you are getting forced to live in the suburbs, but you want to live in the City. So we said, You know what, we're going to live in the City. The L&I building right now, it's not pretty, but it's secure. I would love to see homes there, and the reason we'd love to see homes there is not that I'm against a school. I love kids. I have a nine-month-old and I hope to raise him in the City and I hope to send him to public school, and I think by having homes here, it's going to increase 116 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 our security for the eyes and ears. When I walk home, I park my car on 25th Street or Naudain Street, and just to walk that one block, it's not pleasant to walk down that one block to have an empty building with no eyes, no 8 neighbors looking out for you. And I'm afraid if a school goes up there, when they get the money, when they decide to build, which we don't know when that is, there's not going to be someone looking out for me when I walk from my car. And neighbors do that, and that's a big difference. You can't do that with a school lot. You can't do that with an empty property. I want to reiterate that there's been a lot of break-ins recently. This wasn't -- I haven't lived here except for maybe three years, but we never saw this the first year. In the past six months, we've seen two break-ins and we've seen -- my neighbor across the street, which is right next to the school 117 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 parking lot, was robbed at gunpoint on her doorstep. Can you imagine how she feels security-wise? And then when she asks the school -- because the guy that broke into her house jumped over the fence that is a part of the school property. Can you imagine how she would feel when they say, Well, you know what, that's something we have to decide later. We don't have later. I have an alley that would sit directly behind the new lot, the alley that would connect directly behind that school lot. My concern is security. How can I be concerned -- or how can I be sure that they're going to secure my alleyway and all my neighbors' alleyways when on the other side of the street they haven't even done anything and there's been two robberies and a guy that broke into her house from their property and they've done nothing about it? So my concern is how can I be sure that they're going to do something 118 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 about the security on my lot?

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

Ma'am.

My name is Sandy Rosenfeld. I live at 2505 Naudain Street. When I saw the sign saying "vote yes for education," I kind of felt like the people who were here today in opposition are against education, and that's so not true. And I, for one, I worked more than years for the School 16 District of Philadelphia. I am very much 17 in favor of education, and I love kids, 18 and I even love the little squealing that 19 I hear from the playground. And I do 20 hear it. It did bother me like in the 21 morning, so I moved my bedroom from the 22 back of the house, which faces the 23 present school on Lombard, to the front 24 of the house, which is on Naudain Street. 25 Well, if there's a school at Naudain 119 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Street, I have nowhere to move. And I do have a problem with the people on Naudain Street being sandwiched in between two schools. As Marianne said, we already have a Philadelphia School. One should be enough. If they wanted to build upwards, that could be an option. If they wanted to find another site -- and there are some sites nearby -- that could be an option. But to sandwich us in, to basically take us and unwillingly make us -- they're incorporating us into their campus. We don't choose to be part of their campus. And I do have to say this, sadly: I keep hearing about their being a good neighbor, and from my personal experiences, where they have the parking lot and the fence, they own that strip of maybe 40 or 50 linear feet, which for 20 years of my living there they never once shoveled. There were patches of ice there that would stay there until they 120 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 melted, sometimes for weeks. And it wasn't until I sprained my ankle falling on their ice that I went in that they started occasionally, after years of 6 never shoveling, they did occasionally 7 shovel. 8 They removed some trees and for 9 years left stumps where the trees were. 10 But the biggest problem for me was when 11 they put in an air conditioning system 12 that was so loud, so very loud that I 13 could no longer sit in my backyard and 14 have dinner, because it was on all day 15 until 7 o'clock at night. Actually, 16 until 8 o'clock at night. I'm sorry. 17 And finally when they were asked to do 18 something about it, to put in some 19 soundproofing, their answer was, We can't 20 afford it. So they really thumbed their nose at us for years, and I understand why some of the neighbors are very resentful, but basically our quality of life is going to be changed for the worse 121 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 forever if a school goes on this site, and I see no reason for it. They already have a site. They have a school. They could find an alternative place, another little site, especially if it's only for 50 students, or they could build upwards. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your testimony. (Applause.)

Ma'am, please proceed.

Thank you very much for your patience. My name is Georgia Boulias and I live on 2521 Naudain Street. I'm adjacent to the famous parking lot, and the back of my house faces Lombard and, of course, the school building. And now with this proposal, the school is proposing to come right in front of my house, which means I am surrounded by the school, from my back side, from the east side and it will be from my south side. 122 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 Now, I have had a lot of problems with the school after about a year that I have moved in. And I'm not going to -- I know that there's too much to discuss and I'm sure that you don't want to hear all the details, but the issues were noise, number one, and the other one was, they were hitting my house, actually hitting my house, with their cars. Now, Anna Verna's office is very much aware of the record of this, and we had a lot of problems. Anyway, for two years, they were dragged kicking and screaming into doing something about the noise that's coming from their air conditioning system. Now, while they did some of it, it is not complete. We still have noise. My house gets the biggest of the noise from all the other surrounded houses. Now, it still needs work. They don't want to do anything about it. I have noise that comes from their school yard. Now, we all love 123 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 children. I love children. And like Sandy says, I'm for education. I teach at the Community College of Philadelphia. I see the product of the students that come out from the public education of Philadelphia. I have recently had a student who was in her 40's and she had never seen fractions, mathematical fractions, in her life. Now, that is the need for education. By putting this school here, the City is actually subsidizing the private school for all this money, the tax money, that will be going to the public school system. Anyway, I don't want to talk a lot about this, because other speakers spoke about that, but I do want to get back to the noise issue. I have noise coming from their roof because of their mechanical systems that they chose to use without soundproofs. I have noise coming from the school yard, for which I love the children, but if you listen to the 124 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 children, even your own, from 8:00 in the morning until 6:00 every day -- and this is not only when my windows are open. Even if I have my windows closed, I can still hear the noise from the children in front of Naudain Street, which is about 200 feet away from where the school yard is presently now. If they come across the street from me, that's feet from 11 my front living room window. So I will 12 have noise from the back, noise from the 13 front. As my neighbor says, stereophonic 14 noise. 15 Now, I would like to invite any 16 of you before you make your decision, if 17 you would like, to come and sit in my 18 living room while the school yard is full 19 of children, and if you think that you 20 can live with those conditions -- it makes my house nearly unlivable now. If they come right in front of me, which is 20 feet from me, could you please tell me what am I supposed to do? I'm all for TPS. I'm so happy 125 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 they're successful. I want to help them be even more successful, but could they please do it not at the expense of my living room? I have to be able to sit in my living room and read and do my work just like everyone else, and I cannot do that. Right now I can do it if I close the windows and I hear it a little bit. If they come right in front of me, what am I supposed to do? So would you please, please consider the impact that this has. And it's not only me that has this problem, there are other neighbors who have the same problem. And I am sorry that my husband could not be here today, because he is teaching and could not get off from his work, so he can tell you what he thinks about this as well.

Thank you very much. )

Thank you. I would like to thank everyone for their testimony today, both pro and 126 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 con. It is clear to me that regardless of what ends up happening with this site, there needs to be some discussion among the neighbors and the operators of the school. So I would encourage you all to get together.

Is that before your decision, sir?

But I'm saying it's regardless of it, because a lot of the issues that were brought up today are about existing conditions.

They're existing and they're getting worse in the future.

I understand that.

Thank you.

I understand what you said. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. This concludes the public hearing. We will now go into the public meeting. Councilwoman Tasco, can I 127 10/31/07 - PUBLIC PROPERTY - BILL 060689 please ask for a motion on Bill No. 3 060689.

Mr. Chair, I move that Bill 060689 be reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended so that this bill 9 can be heard at Council's next session. (Duly seconded.)

It being moved and seconded, all in favor? (Aye.)

Those opposed? (No response.)

The ayes have it. Bill No. 060689 is reported out of Committee with a favorable recommendation, with a rules suspension as to allow reading at the next session of Council. (Applause.) (Committee on Public Property and Public Works adjourned at 3:35 p.m.) 128 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 October 31, 2007, 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.)