Philadelphia Daily Record

Vol. II No. 82 (242)

Keeping You Posted With The Politics Of Philadelphia

June 14, 2011

Philadelphia Daily Record

¡Puerto Rico Si!

UPSET OVER unilateral renaming of long-running Philadelphia Puerto Rican Festival, a vocal group of Puerto Rican leaders and their supporters gathered to demand the name “Puerto Rican Festival” be reinstated by the Board of Directors of the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations (Concilio) in E. Poplar. “Changing the name is deleting our heritage and our history,” said former City Councilman Angel Ortiz, chairperson of “Comite de Rescate de Nuestra Herencia”(Committee To Save Our Heritage).

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The Philadelphia Public Record Calendar Jun. 17Annual Health Tech graduation at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, 3601 A St., 10 a.m.

Funded by Kal & Lucille Rudman Foundation. RSVP Barbara A. Liccio (215) 427-5398.

Jun. 18Judge Tom Gehret’s Municipal Court Party a the Shore, 3 to 7 p.m. 401 W. Pine Av. North Wildwood, NJ. RSVP 215-873-1`55 or email JudgeTGehret@aol.com Jun. 25Senator Anthony Williams will host a Family Fun and Food day at free cookout at Stinger Square, 32nd and Reed St., from 11am to 4pm. For information call 215492-2980.

Jun. 29PRO-ACT 2-hr. workshop on “How to Talk to Your Legislators

& Get Them to Hear You, ” at 6 p.m. at PRO-ACT Recovery Training Ctr., 444 N. 3rd St., Suite 307. Again on Sat., Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. at the same location. Free.

Call William Webb (215) 9231661.

Jun. 29Montgomery, McCracken, et al, invite all to portrait presentation of Honorable Judge Gene D. Cohen at 4 p.m. in Room 653 City Hall. Reception follows in Conversation Hall, 2nd Floor, City Hall. RSVP Stephanie Redding 215-772-7260.

Jul. 10Benefit for Women Veterans hosted by Cathy Santos at Mom’s Kitchen Table Garden Courtyard, 2317 Ridge Ave., 4-9 p. m. For info Cathy Santos (215) 8344228.

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Toomey Wants To Bag Ethanol Subsidies US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation, the Ethanol Subsidy & Tariff Repeal Act (S 871), to repeal a subsidy companies receive to blend ethanol with gasoline. Sens. Tom Coburn (ROkla.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.) have offered this legislation as an amendment to the Economic Development Revitalization Act (S 782) currently being considered in the Senate.

“By artificially picking winners and losers, ethanol subsidies are another example of government overreach and excess,” Toomey said. “They unfairly drive up the cost of corn at a time when many families, farmers and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet.”

In Pennsylvania, high corn prices drive up the costs of many end products, from sausages and cheese steaks to dairy products. The subsidy also harms many of Pennsylvania’s farmers who have to pay

more for livestock feed.

“Ethanol subsidies cost the federal government more than $6 billion a year. Our costs at Herr’s have risen dramatically over the past two years. Pennsylvania employs thousands of people in the snack-food industry. I applaud Sen. Toomey for standing up for these jobs and our company,” said Jim Herr, CEO of Herr’s Food Inc in Lancaster.

“The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit is a failed and wasteful policy that unnecessarily causes price inflation in food. The policy has strained consumers who now must balance economic choices between purchasing fuel to drive to work or purchasing food to feed their families. For those reasons, we at the Philadelphia Cooked Steak Co. support Sen. Toomey in the full and clean repeal of this policy,” said its COO Andreas Kalisperis.

Fattah Hails Green-Energy Company’s New Stake In Region Congressman Chaka Fattah (DPhila.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and related agencies, and a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development, welcomed a new fuel-cell manufacturing plant in Newark, Del. as a boost to the Delaware Valley’s green industry base.

“The wise choice by Bloom Energy to expand into the Greater Philadelphia area with a fuel-cell manufacturing plant is the latest example that innovation plus public-private partnering equals jobs, jobs, jobs,” said the Congressman.

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“The Bloom Energy Server, aka the Bloom Box, is based on technology used by NASA. Our government spends hundreds of billions on such research and development, but transferring these technologies to the private sector is lagging. I have introduced legislation to assist smart 21st-century businesses in bringing those innovations to market.

“Bloom’s plan to develop the old Chrysler plant site in Delaware will move this growing industry into our backyard,” Fattah continued. “Philadelphia is already a major player in the green jobs economy of tomorrow. The Philadelphia Navy Yard serves as a THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY RECORD

renewable-energy hub, the first in the nation. I have been working with Mayor Nutter to promote this status – specifically to bring GE’’s proposed solar-panel manufacturing facility to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.”

2 New Members Join EPA’s Sustainable Partnership The US Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region welcomed two new members into its Sustainability Partnership Program in a signing ceremony yesterday.

EPA Regional Administrator |

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Shawn M. Garvin recognized the US General Services Administration’s mid-Atlantic region and eForce Compliance, a recycling company, during a ceremony held at eForce Compliance headquarters in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia.

As Sustainability Partners, GSA and eForce Compliance will work with EPA to further “green” the operations of both organizations in an effort to reduce their environmental footprints.

The Sustainability Partnership is an innovative program developed by EPA’s mid-Atlantic region to create a one-stop shopping approach for organizations that use large quantities of energy, water, and natural resources.

“EPA takes great pride in welcoming the General Services Administration and eForce Compliance as sustainable partners,” Garvin said. “Both organizations are already involved in reducing waste, reusing resources and recycling but they want to do more.

They are ready to take the next steps in improving their environmental performance and EPA is happy to help them achieve their goals.”

GSA provides federal workplaces by constructing, managing and preserving government buildings, and by leasing and managing commercial real estate.

GSA’s mid-Atlantic region supports federal workers located in approximately 120 government-owned buildings and facilities and in more than 650 leased regional buildings. GSA currently recycles some materials through eForce Compliance.

“From solar panels and vegetative roofs on our Federal buildings, to sourcing green products through our Federal Acquisition Service, GSA is committed to reducing its environmental footprint,” said David H. Ehrenwerth, regional administrator, GSA’s mid-Atlantic region.

EForce Compliance is a unique environmental company that recycles just about everything commercial organizations generate, including batteries, lighting, electronics, office equipment, furniture, construction and demolition materials and more. The company has been serving the greater Philadelphia area for 28 years from their Grays Ferry neighborhood location, long before recycling was popular.

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Jones Bill To Curb College Parties A Councilman Curtis Jones bill now before City Council seeks to crack down on landlords who are repeat offenders against zoning ordinances, specifically the law that bans more than three unrelated persons from living together in a single-family unit in Educational Housing Districts.

He has received complaints from residents about houses where a large number of students reside. They report such houses are often the site of parties, excessive noise and public intoxication.

Calling his Bill 100613 the ‘Good Neighbor’ bill, Jones said, “We’ve tragically seen intoxicated students become victims of robberies and other violent crimes. Mixing alcohol and large numbers of partying students is a recipe for disaster. This bill will help curb those risks by enforcing already existing zoning laws through a fair and effective three-strike system.

Another Master Plan For Delaware In an evening meeting yesterday, the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. presented the final draft of the Master Plan for the Central Delaware: Transforming Philadelphia’s Waterfront to members of the public and community and civic leaders. With opening remarks from Mayor Michael A. Nutter; and presentations from board members Marilyn Jordan Taylor, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and chair of the DRWC Planning Committee, and Alan Greenberger, deputy mayor of planning and economic development and DRWC’s consultant team, the audience of over 500 received detailed proposals for strategic investment and phasing for future waterfront development.

The Mayor Nutter stated, “The Master Plan for the Central Delaware is a comprehensive roadmap for the city and developers as we begin the next generation of waterfront development. I would like to thank the DRWC and the greater Philadelphia community for their energetic commitment to a transparent, deliberate and engaging process. Redevelopment of the Delaware River waterfront is a fundamental compo-

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nent of city’s future. This plan charts the future of a more vibrant, green and integrated waterfront.”

The presentation was led by lead planning consultant Alex Cooper of Cooper Robertson & Partners, who provided an overview of the opportunities the plan provides over the next 30 years. He was followed by Cindy Sanders of The Olin Partnership and Richard Maimon of KieranTimberlake, who presented the physical plan and focused on improving public spaces and catalyzing development of priority sites at Spring Garden Street, Penn’s Landing and Washington Avenue. The final section of the presentation was given

by Candace Damon of HR&A Advisors, who explained the economic assumptions and investment strategy which make this plan implementable.

Marilyn Jordan Taylor, in describing the foundational principles which underpin the plan, said, “With its formula of parks every half mile, meaningful connections to neighborhoods and cutting edge urban design, this plan responds to the goals of the Civic Vision and makes them realizable. It will be a waterfront with a myriad of opportunities for developers and entrepreneurs of all scales, which meets our obligation to make the Central Delaware a city and regional asset.”

The plan includes: • A network of civic and public spaces developed as distinctive public amenities supported by a public financing strategy focused on initial public investments in basic infrastructure (streets, utilities and public parks and trails) to serve as catalysts for high-quality private development on priority sites in supporting Philadelphia’s transformation to a 21st-centurylifestyle city.

• An increased program of free and sponsored events that bring people to the waterfront, enhancing the current program and expanding to additional locations on the waterfront.

• Accommodations for diverse land uses along the waterfront, including the working port, hotels, commercial, retail and flex office/light industrial. The plan envisions the development of primarily dense low to mid rise residential neighborhoods with service retail, cafes, bars and restaurants, entertainment venues, and other uses that support year-round activi14 JUNE, 2011

ties.

• New development which maintains a character consistent with current Philadelphia building vocabulary and quality of adjacent neighborhoods and also matches near-term market conditions.

• A detailed strategy for wealth building to create opportunity for MBE, WBE, DSBE and individual investors • A multimodal transportation and transit plan that includes facilities for streetcar/transit, vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians that shapes and serves walkable communities and links waterfront destinations to each other, connects waterfront residents to employment centers, provides at-grade service to Center City, and is an integral element of the regional transportation network.

• A phasing strategy which concentrates initial public funding and therefore development on nodes of public land near transit and other assets in order to generate a critical mass of activity in key locations as well as to pace development so that it corresponds with projected absorption rates. Four specific nodes, called “Priority Sites” have been selected: Washington Avenue, Penn’s Landing, Spring Garden/Festival Pier and Penn Treaty Park.

Pa. Supreme Court Stays Hearing On Teacher Layoffs Late Monday afternoon, a single Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily stayed the injunction hearing scheduled for this morning in the case filed by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers to enjoin the layoffs of the teachers in the Promise Academies. The full Supreme Court (seven Justices) will review the School District’s petition and make a decision on which Court has jurisdiction to hear the PFT’s complaint.

Mayor Nutter Meets With Principals Over Budget Concerns Mayor Michael A. Nutter visited throughout today public schools seriously impacted by the cuts included in the District’s budget. The School Reform Commission recently approved a budget to account for a deficit of $629 million for FY12. The shortfall

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drastically reduced the District’s ability to provide for the education of Philadelphia’s 160,000 children who attend public schools.

The Mayor has called on City Council to restore funding for identified key areas, including transportation, reduced class size initiatives, accelerated schools and other crucial services. He has also met with both executive and legislative leaders in Harrisburg in an effort to restore some State funding to the School District.

“The School District is facing drastic budget cuts that will directly impact our students and jeopardize the gains the District has made over the past eight years with increased graduation rates and test scores. We need to preserve those services for our young people that are effective, and we need to show the Commonwealth that Philadelphia needs and values its public school system,” said Nutter. “Philadelphians are not watching what we say, but what we do. We need to put our kids first. It’s time to act.”

Nutter met one-on-one with the principals at each school as he toured the facilities and classrooms. He specifically toured facilities and met with teachers directly impacted by the cuts.

Concerned Phone Bank Lobbies Council Today

Dobbins Principal Gets School District’s Marcus A. Foster Award The School District of Philadelphia’s 2011 Marcus A. Foster Award, which goes to an outstanding administrator in the School District, was presented to Dobbins Technical HS Principal Charles Whiting during the commencement exercises for Dobbins’ Class of 2011.

Presenting the award and its $2,500 stipend was Joseph Yerkes, chairman of the board of Freedom Credit Union, the award’s sponsor.

Whiting has been Dobbins’ principal since 1999. In February 2011, the school was named one of ten outstanding career and technical education schools in Pennsylvania by the State Dept. of Education.

Whiting has expanded the school’s program offerings, established a summer orientation and a Ninth Grade Academy for incoming freshmen, while creating a stronger focus on preparation for college.

The Dobbins principal also has established traditions that have helped forge a strong bond among students, parents and alumni. These traditions include a senior pinning ceremony and an alumni Wall of Fame induction.

Protect Philly Ed will partner with EdVoters to host a Phone Bank this afternoon from 1:30 to 2:30. Parents, teachers, and concerned community members will have the opportunity to advocate for Philadelphia’s students by calling City Council Members and stressing the need for funding to public schools.

The operation will be run out of the Overbrook Lab Rm. 1183 at School District HQ on N. Broad Street.

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