Cheers to moms
Vo l. 6 4 N O. 1 8
w w w. s o u t h p h i l l y r ev i ew.c o m
M ay 5, 2 0 1 1
Subtraction by addition
Members of two local communities have wrestled over a proposed moratorium on housing improvements. By Joseph Myers r e v i e w s ta f f w r i t e r
“I
think they’re letting years of frustration blind them to the fact there’s new energy and investment in the area,” Andrew Marx, a resident of the 15th and Manton streets and Newbold Neighbors Association vice president, said of advocates for Bill No. 110134. The work of City Council President and 2nd District Councilwoman Anna C. Verna, the bill would amend Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code and prohibit “the issuance of any permit for the construction of buildings, additions or roof decks, exceeding a certain height, on certain properties See CONSTRUCTION page 8
Sports
Performances like 81-year-old Cass Rubino’s April 22 post-lunch musical interlude could soon end if the local site for elders closes. Once a Jewish educational center, Stiffel now assists anyone, regardless of ethnicity.
Stiing Stiffel
S ta f f P h o t o b y G r e g B e z a n i s
A Whitman senior community center may become a financial casualty by the end of July.
The ink panther
A heavily tattooed Lower Moyamensing multisport competitor is racing up his demanding field’s rankings By Joseph Myers................Page 51
By Joseph Myers R e v i e w s ta f f w r i t e r
“I
’ve not been coming for long, but my heart is already here,” Estelle Goldstein said April 28 at the Jacob and Esther Stiffel Senior Center, 604 Porter St. If fate maintains its tumultuous course, the heart of the resident of the 300 block of Daly Street will end up broken. Barring
a mammoth economic assist, Goldstein and the other 449 individuals who depend on the 83-year-old facility for comforts such as kosher meals, exercise programs, day trips and discussion groups will need to seek them elsewhere. Their amenities could become the victims of an economic shortfall, as the space faces a $200,000 operational deficit and requires $400,000 for repairs to its roof and boiler. Minus a serious sum, the lo-
cation, which became a senior center in 1975, will likely close by July 31. Though that date represents an extension of the June 30 deadline the board at Northeast Philadelphia’s Raymond and Miriam Klein JCC, which runs Stiffel, set April 12 with an 11-1 vote, it strikes Goldstein as indicative of disrespect. “They can’t displace us,” she said. “This See STIFFEL page 11