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 [email protected].) 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. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
