[UC] The Clark Park Meeting

[Brian Siano]

Here's what we discussed at the meeting. First of all, UCD discussed
the creation of Clark Park Community Grants. These grants are paid for
by an endowment managed by UCD, which now bears interest of roughly
$3000 per year. So, UC groups are being asked to submit proposals for
the use of this money for maintenance projects for the park. These
might include mulching, planting, cleanup, tree pruning, or other
permanent improvements.

The proposals will be evaluated by a committee, which will include
reps from the Friends of Clark Park, The Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society, the Department of Parks and Recreation, USP and the UCD. (If
you have any questions, contact Ann Mintz at UCD at
a...@universitycity.org.)

I have no idea how this amounts to "an endowment fund to control Clark
Park through the Philadelphia Foundation" and "a huge pile of taxpayer
cash." It is money being made available to the community for
improvements or maintenance for our park.

Frank Chance also gave an outline of the current status of the Park A
reconstruction. Right now, the plans have been more or less finalized,
and they're being evaluated by the city's legal offices. After this,
they'll go out for contractors' bids. So the most recent best estimate
that we've been given for the beginning of construction is June 1st or
so.

The project will require closing off Park A for the duration of the
work-- figure three to four months. This particular phase of the
project will include rebuilding the paths, revising the electrics (new
wiring, some new lights, moving the existing lights, installing new
eco-friendly fixtures), some regrading, and establishing better grass
cover and drainage so we shouldn't get the massive mud puddles we get
after rains. The existing central plaza will be taken down, and a new
plaza, paved with coarse gravel, will be built.

We also plan enlargement of the paving along 43rd street to
accommodate the Farmers' Market. This is somewhat complicated because
the Water Department is planning to build a water retention system
under that pavement, which will be similar to that under the
basketball court. Their funding hasn't been established yet, so we're
not clear if that project will happen alongside of the main project,
or afterward.

Also, thee's $60,000 set to revise the area and fence near the HMS
school: we'll be installing a lower, 3' fence, and establishing
gardening areas there which the HMS school will use to teach about
botany.

Most, if not all, of these details have been communicated to the West
Philadelphia community over the past three years. We've posted maps on
our website, conducted several public meetings where community members
could provide criticism and feedback. Several of these meetings were
videotaped and made available on Google Video. During the summer
months, we have maps and information available at our table at the
Farmer's Market, and we've spoken about these plans to literally
hundreds of people at that table. Also, in recent weeks, the Clark
Park Large Events Committee has been meeting with the groups which use
Park A in a big way (the Uhuru Flea Markets, the Spruce Hill May Fair,
the Food Trust) in order to coordinate relocations of these events
during the reconstruction project. So they're more than informed as
well.

In summary, if there's anyone in West Philadelphia who doesn't know
about this project, it's certainly not for the FOCP's lack of trying.

The Clark Park Partnership consists of the organizations involved with
the maintenance of the Park, i.e., the Friends of Clark Park, UCD,
USP, and the City's Rec and Water Departments, and it's chaired and
run by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. The purpose of such
partnerships is to explore long- and short-term strategies for
maintaining and improving urban parks-- finding sources of funding for
maintenance, seeking out design strategies, evaluating park use,
studying safety issues, etc. And yes, the meetings are
invitation-only.

I hope this gives a fuller picture of what actually happened at the
Friends of Clark Park meeting. Maybe Tony West can flesh out anything
I've missed or misremembered. Of course, I'd much rather have our
neighbors attend the meeting and see for themselves.

And on a personal note: I resent having to correct the record because
an unscrupulous, deluded and hateful person, with severe personal
grudges and no demonstrable concern for the park, feels the need to
lie about the Friends of Clark Park.

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[UC] Clark Park closure update

[Glenn moyer]

Neighbors,

The FOCP announced that it would be closing Park A about June 1st and it would 
be closed for the season.  Most of the park will be closed June 1st and then 
the part near 43rd St will also be closed.


Like the last illegitimate FOCP elections, very few people showed up to support 
the FOCP leadership!  (Remember, the FOCP still has many member names because 
soccer families are forced to pay to play.)  But, it is abundantly clear that 
people of this neighborhood do not support the FOCP organization or their 
plans!  

Because of the process, I believe that most park users and stakeholders still 
have no knowledge of the redesign plot!  We have our community newspaper, the 
UC Review, to thank for uncovering what we know, while covering the latest FOCP 
survey antics. (We've known this was coming for many years, but no one knew 
when they would strike.)
 

Present were Ed Haligan, Tony West, Frank Chance, Lew Melmon, Bill Moriarity, 
Brian Siano, Fran Byars, Andy Cole, a soccer coach, and Margie Politzer.  

4 of the flea market organizers were there, Karen Allen observed briefly and 
another observer I didn't know was there.  Ann Mintz and the new director were 
there from UCD.


UCD talked about its "Clark Park Partnership."  This is an invitation only 
group chaired by the horticultural society. The UCD Board has also set up an 
endowment fund to control Clark Park through the Philadelphia Foundation. 

Neighbors, with the huge pile of taxpayer cash; it's clear that from now 
forward UCD, this Clark Park Partnership, will control Clark Park!  There is 
nothing more of importance about the washed up FOCP to report.

I will report any significant developments as I follow-up with government and 
other agencies.  The people and taxpayers have a right to know all details of 
deliberations about their public park, and all details regarding use of tax 
money!

Glenn, citizen journalist
PS:  If you go to the Dept. of Recreation web site and click the link for Clark 
Park, the only thing it does is link to the FOCP web site.  It is evidence of 
the iron triangle that locks out the people of Philadelphia.

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[UC] Public notice of FOCP meeting denied

[Glenn moyer]

Neighbors,

After the initial attempt to redesign Clark Park in the early 2000's, the 
member's of the Friends of Clark Park passed two motions ordering their leaders 
to notify the community about FOCP meetings and agendas.  (The motion was 
introduced by Al Krigman and divided into two votes.)

The members of FOCP ordered their group's leaders to announce all board 
meetings in the local community paper, the UC Review.  (The standard time frame 
is defined in the FOCP by laws; "at least 10 days prior" if the meeting is to 
be recognized as a legitimate meeting.)  Of supreme importance, the FOCP 
members also ordered their leaders to place the agenda of those meetings in the 
paper!


Neighbors, the FOCP members agreed with the rest of the community.  When FOCP 
leaders are acting on issues that effect the community, BEYOND the membership 
of FOCP; it is the duty of FOCP leaders to inform the community about meetings 
with this minimum notification effort!  The FOCP members ordered this 
notification process!


The FOCP members understood that FOCP is a dues paying club.  Many FOCP members 
had just been outraged that a small group of their leaders joined a backroom 
process, and had excluded them from addressing the hand picked UCD "master plan 
steering committee" about major redesigns to Clark Park.

Today, FOCP leaders continue to flip the bird to their members!

Today, on the day of their last show before closing the park; an announcement 
of the FOCP meeting was placed in the UC Review. It did not have an agenda or 
identify plans to close park A!


This is precisely the issue that caused the FOCP members to order their leaders 
to make community notification!  The redesign of Clark Park is a once, per 
hundred year set of decisions!  It is an issue for the entire local community 
and the taxpayers of Philadelphia.  

Yet, the FOCP leadership continues to use every possible trick to keep their 
back room processes secret until it is too late!  When I first publicly 
confronted the FOCP leaders for the failure to notify, you might remember that 
they attempted to blame the local community paper for refusing to publish their 
notices.

Today, I have a copy of the FOCP notice sent with only a subject line on March 
3rd!  The FOCP leadership made no effort to announce their meeting agenda or 
imminent plans to close Clark Park A!!!  The UC Review Calendar notice 
published today, includes exactly the information that was provided by the FOCP 
leader.

This is the way FOCP leaders have been keeping secrets for years.  If FOCP has 
broad community support, why do they defy their own members about community 
notification?

Think about it,
Glenn   


 

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Re: [UC] UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua

[UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN]

Karen Allen wrote:

RE: UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua
 
Mark this as the first time a Liberal Democrat and a Conservative 
Republican can agree on something...
 


From: craigso...@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:25:39 -0500
Subject: [UC] UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua
To: univcity@list.purple.com; ucneighb...@hector.asc.upenn.edu

The introduction of "Fry Speed" as the new time keeper for Drexel 
University's administration expected to be announced today.
 
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/87197792.html





waiting for ucd's BID to rear its ugly head again!


..
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN





























































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RE: [UC] UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua

[Karen Allen]

RE: UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua

 

Mark this as the first time a Liberal Democrat and a Conservative Republican 
can agree on something...
 


From: craigso...@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:25:39 -0500
Subject: [UC] UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua
To: univcity@list.purple.com; ucneighb...@hector.asc.upenn.edu


The introduction of "Fry Speed" as the new time keeper for Drexel University's 
administration expected to be announced today.
 
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/87197792.html
 
Jannie Blackwell senior citizen; John Fry middle aged -the times they are ah 
changin'.
 
Ciao,
 
Craig 

[UC] Beer terrorism continues

[Glenn moyer]

"The bar owner, who said he sells two cases of Duvel a week, asked not to be 
identified for fear of retaliation from the State Police BLCE. "It doesn't 
answer to anybody," he said. "They're running amok."

(This bar owner is right!  Please don't believe that you have rights when the 
police first come at you.  In a plutocracy, the militarized police do not serve 
laws; they always serve the ruling elite!) 

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20100310_In_another_raid__State_Police_hit_beer_distributor__Origlio_s__in_Far_Northeast.html


Craig,

When I was opposing the mayor's budget last year, I discovered an interesting 
point about the power of these huge corporations that manufacture this 
beer-like stuff that they push on the American people.

Part of the reason for a regressive property tax now has to do with tax cuts 
for these huge out of town corporations!  Local businesses need to pay a net 
profit tax and a gross receipts tax.  I don't remember all of the details, but 
these mega brewers are able to avoid taxes.  They opt to pay the net profits 
tax and of course their accountants show a net profit of nothing.  Importantly, 
they got some reduction in their gross receipts tax.  (I recall someone with 
more understanding of this, mentioning that this was pushed over the city from 
national pressure.)

These mega brewers are terrified of the tiny market share going to small 
brewers who actually make beer.  Of course, we can't know who pushed the idiots 
who carried out the raids.  As the bar owner noted, the police aren't 
accountable to the people.  But it appears that the mega corporate food 
manufacturers have an iron grip over this state and city!  Maybe the micro-brew 
terrorism is coincidence and maybe it is not.

Glenn 



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[UC] Why Clark Park must be destroyed

[Glenn moyer]

Neighbors,

At this point, most people know the myths and lies supporting the Penn brand. 

According to Penn and FOCP:  Our neighborhood was a dangerous abandoned 
industrial wasteland.  Good people were afraid of Clark Park because only 
"prostitutes, drug addicts, and gang members" infested it.  Judy Rodin and John 
Fry swooped in like angels and rallied the SHCA/FOCP (the only good folks); and 
in a public private partnership, saved the Penn district and Philadelphia.  
(I'll stop now before you hurl!)

Neighbors, if you look at reports from other communities destroyed by forced 
corporate gentrification, you will see that the control and redesign of public 
space is ubiquitous!

The Baltimore Ave lights, which cost taxpayers a bundle because of the UCD cut, 
is not sufficient physical proof to support the Penn brand.  The new Victorian 
garden, that will replace park A, will be the center piece and physical 
evidence for the Penn myth.  Simultaneously, the park culture, which reflects 
our true diverse neighborhood culture, will be destroyed by design. 

 (We have not even explored the post redesign phase for new FOCP rule making.  
It appears that a "vicious dog survey" and a "turf survey" are planned.  In 
short, displaced park stakeholders will not be allowed to return.  The surveys 
will bring a new round of arrests and rules, because the good folks will want 
to protect the fountain and garden from criminals.  The city has allowed our 
constitutional rights to be infringed for decades.  See the Supreme court 
rulings, including Shuttleworth vs Birmingham, and study the concept of equal 
rules for all or none)

This is what happens when local governments turn public spaces over to 
corporate control!  These are well established techniques. 
 

When libraries and rec centers, (which are not closed as they will in poor 
neighborhoods), are privatized; a similar pattern will be used to convert them 
to fee based services for good people (Good people are those who make more than 
$250,000 per year).  

Pay to play is the corporate system!  You have no rights in Clark Park unless 
you pay FOCP $20 and beg Mr. West with promises of obedience.  Working class 
people should not have rights to parks, libraries, or recreation centers under 
the pay to play system!

Glenn 

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[UC] UCD to Annex Powelton Village & Mantua

[Craigsolve]

The introduction of "Fry Speed" as the new time keeper for Drexel  
University's administration expected to be announced today.
 
_http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/87197792.html_ 
(http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/87197792.html) 
 
Jannie Blackwell senior citizen; John Fry middle aged -the times they are  
ah changin'.
 
Ciao,
 
Craig