GreenWorks Small Business Energy Efficiency Rebate Program

Last week Mayor Nutter announced $27 million in funding to support Philadelphia businesses. The Commerce Department will be managing one of those programs, called the GreenWorks Small Business Energy Efficiency Rebate. This program will provide grants – in the form of a rebate – to Philadelphia businesses making energy improvements to their buildings or equipment.  Applicants will be eligible for up to a 50% rebate on project costs, up to $10,000. 

The following documents are attached and available for download:

1 – The full grant guidelines and application for the energy rebate; and 

2 – Energy Assessment Application; all rebate applications will require the submission of an energy assessment or audit showing the improvements meet the required energy efficiency guidelines.  The City is hiring a consultant that will conduct these audits for qualified businesses intending to apply for the rebate who do not wish to pay for their own audit or assessment.

Sign up for ReadyNotifyPA!

Find out first! ReadyNotifyPA is a great system that helps officials send emergency text alerts and other important notifications to citizens quickly. Alerts can be sent to your cell phone, pager, BlackBerry, PDA and/or E-mail account. You decide how you’d like to be notified. These alerts are free; however, your cellular provider may charge for text messaging. You can sign up for a variety of different types of groups: weather warnings, health alerts, City government closings, transit alerts, Sunoco Refinery notifications, and police district alerts. Registration only take a few minutes! Sign up today!

City Year Heroes

City Year has pledged to work with LoMo from February – June, 2010 to provide volunteers for a series of Friday morning cleanups. With City Year’s help, we’ll be tackling the areas of our neighborhood that need some major TLC. If you’d like to take part in any of our Friday morning cleanups with City Year or support the effort in any way, please contact us for more information – email lomophilly@gmail.com. The next cleanups are scheduled for February 19, March 12, April 9, April 23, May 7, May 21, and June 4. Routes TBD. Special thanks to City Year, the Philadelphia Streets Department, and East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association for their support!

Let’s all do our part by keeping our individual blocks clean on a regular basis. LoMo’s regular schedule of neighborhood clean-ups will resume this spring, kicking off with the Philly Spring Cleanup which is scheduled for April 10. SAVE THE DATE!

2010 City Year Cleanups – Accomplishments (as of 2/5/10):

Streets cleaned: 8th St. from Snyder to Oregon
# of bags of trash collected: 15
# of bags of recyclables collected: 2
# of volunteers: 21
Total number of volunteer hours: 63

Celebrating three years of LoMo!

LoMo’s 3rd Anniversary Party!
Thursday, February 27, 6:30 PM
2139 S. 11th Street
$15 donation per person requested /
$20 for 2 guests.
This is a family-friendly event!

It was waaaay back, many moons ago, in February of 2007 when a few people got together with the common goal to make our neighborhood a better place. LoMo was born from those kitchen table talks just three years ago. With your support over the years, we’ve come a long way as a community organization and we’re looking forward to many, many great years yet ahead!

Join us on Thursday, February 25, as we celebrate LoMo’s third anniversary with a South Philly house party! There will be drinks, hors d’oeuvres, friendly folks from around the way, and a very special anniversary cake made especially for us by Cara Cakes!

All are welcome! Please feel free to share the invitation with new neighbors, friends, and family members who wish to support this fundraiser event. A tax-deductible donation is requested to support our ongoing neighborhood work.

Please RSVP to lomophilly@gmail.com.

Neighborhood tree update

Help our neighborhood go green! Sign up for a free tree! LoMo is participating once again in the state-sponsored TreeVitalize program, which makes trees available to homeowners in the City of Philadelphia free of charge. It’s all part of an initiative to restore tree cover in Southeastern Pennsylvania and so far, LoMo has been making great progress in our neck of the woods. LoMo volunteers have planted over 50 trees since the fall of 2008! Trees make great neighbors and offer many benefits to our urban environment. Read all about it here.

The deadline to submit your application is Friday, April 9. Click here to download an application for a free tree! Please note that not all applications will be granted due to planting restrictions set by the City of Philadelphia. Applications collected in April will be planted in fall 2010.
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LoMo’s spring tree planting is slated to take place Saturday, April 24. Further details forthcoming. Homeowners who applied for a tree last fall will soon be notified whether or not they have been selected to receive a new tree during this spring’s planting.
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Are you interested in helping care for our neighborhood’s trees? LoMo is actively recruiting new residents to join the ranks of our Tree Tenders group. Registration is now open for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s spring 2010 Tree Tenders program! This free course is a great way to learn the basics about how to plant trees, care for them, and act as arbor-ambassadors in our neighborhood. For more information and to register online, click here.

Hours Restored at Fumo Family Library

Good news! Beginning February 4, our local Fumo Family Library at 2437 S. Broad Street will once again be open on Thursdays! The library was temporarily forced to close on Thursdays due to security guard shortages but the issue has been resolved and we can all enjoy our libraries an extra day once again!

FUMO FAMILY LIBRARY HOURS OF OPERATION:

Monday, Thursday, Friday – 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tuesday and Wednesday – 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday – CLOSED

Our nearby Donatucci Branch (1935 Shunk Street) will be operating on the following schedule:

Monday and Sunday – CLOSED
Tuesday and Wednesday – 12 pm – 8 pm
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday – 10 am – 5 pm

To read a recent Inquirer article on the library’s security guard shortages, click here.

Upcoming Friends of the Fumo Library Meeting

Calling all friends and fans of the Fumo Library! The Friends of the Fumo Family Branch is starting up again! The first meeting will be held Tuesday, February 16 at 6:30 pm at the library (2437 S. Broad Street). All library users & supporters are invited to come share ideas for ways to enhance this great neighborhood resource. The suggested donation for membership is $5 a year, and the funds will be used primarily to support children’s programming.

The next time you stop by the library to check out a book, check out the t-shirts that are also for sale! These snazzy tees are only $8 each and come in both adult and children’s sizes. Proceeds benefit our local branch.

For more information on t-shirts or the Fumo Friends group, contact Children’s Librarian Liz Heideman at 215-685-1758 or email HeidemanE@freelibrary.org.

LoMo Spring Flea Market & Craft Fair Scheduled for Saturday April 17

SAVE THE DATE! LoMo’s Spring Flea Market & Craft Fair is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 17, from 9 am – 3 pm (rain date: Sunday, April 18). Vendor spaces will be set up along the highly-trafficked area on Broad Street between Snyder Avenue & Jackson Street (streetside in front of South Philadelphia High School). Neighborhood residents, professional vendors, crafters & artists are all welcome to apply for tables! Vendor applications will be available on our website beginning February 25.

Don’t think you have enough stuff for your own table, but still want to clean house? LoMo is welcoming donations of household items, electronics, books, and small furniture which will be sold at the LoMo table. Proceeds will benefit our civic association and your donation is tax-deductible. Email lomophilly@gmail.com for more details.

And if you are an avid flea-marketer and would like to serve on our Flea Market Planning Committee, send an email to lomofm@googlegroups.com.

New Recycling Rewards Program is coming to Philly!

UPDATE: A special guest from RecycleBank will join us during our March 3rd General Meeting to answer questions & sign up new members! Recycling bins will also be available. Email lomophilly@gmail.com to reserve your bin and/or a Recycling Rewards Registration sticker!

The new Philly Recyling Rewards is expected to start up in our neighborhood this May! The City of Philadelphia has made great strides in recycling since the introduction of single-stream recycling in 2009 and this new incentive-based recycling program is expected to give another boost to our citywide residential recycling rates.

Recycling always rewards us by conserving natural resources and saving the City money. Now you can also earn personal rewards just for recycling regularly and right. With the new Philadelphia Recycling Rewards program, powered by RecycleBank, the more you and your neighbors recycle the more rewards points you earn. Redeem them for valuable gift cards, gift certificates, discounts and more! (from phillyrecyclingpays.com)

Here’s how it works: 1) You sign up for a free sticker to place on your recycling bin. 2) Every week that you recycle, you get rewards!

To sign up for your Recycling Rewards sticker and find out more info on how the program works, visit phillyrecyclingpays.com or call 1-888-769-7960. Stickers are due to be mailed out in January. You can also sign up during our March 3 general meeting! The more folks in our neighborhood recycle, the more points we qualify for, so help spread the word and help to get more people participating in the program!

Upcoming Sustainability Conferences & Symposiums

Urban Sustainability Forums

Third Thursday of every month 
Held at the Academy of Natural Sciences (19th & the Parkway)

This monthly series features panels of local and national experts and is organized by the Academy of Natural Science’s Center for Environmental Policy. For more info on the USF and a list of upcoming events, visit: www.ansp.org/environmental/category/events/usf-events/
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“Compost Matters” Conference: Community Food Systems, Food-Based Composting, and Sustainable Landscape Management
February 10, 2010  Rescheduled for Friday, April 9
Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society (104 S. 5th St.)

Join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance for a one-day conference on the status of composting in the Delaware Valley.

Key note speaker, Will Allen, Co-founder and CEO of Growing Power. Closing remarks by Katherine Gajewski, Director of Sustainability for the City of Philadelphia.

For more information, call 215-988-8869 or email programreg@pennhort.org.

City Service Updates: Weekly Recycling and 3-1-1

 WEEKLY RECYCLING has arrived in our neighborhood! Continue to put out your recyclables on the same day that you would put out your trash– The only difference is that now you can do so EVERY week! To find out what your trash day is, what to recycle, or for more information about recycling in general, visit our Beautification page. To request a FREE blue recycling bin for your household, email lomophilly@yahoo.com .

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311 is the only number Philadelphians need to find out information or to access a Philadelphia City service. 311 can be reached via the telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year or via the walk-in centered located in Room 167 of City Hall during normal business hours. 311 is a free service available to anyone who needs to know more about Philadelphia, City services, or general information. 911 is still the number to use in case of emergency.

Success at Southern!

Our Philly Spring Cleanup at Southern High School on Saturday, April 4, was a resounding success! What an inpiring day it was — Over 75 volunteers from across the city came out to our local high school to plant 14 trees, give a fresh coat of paint to the old wrought iron fence line that stretches from Snyder Avenue to Jackson Street and also pick up a lot of litter from school grounds and along Snyder Avenue. Mayor Michael Nutter stopped by in the afternoon to plant our last tree with us and say a few words, and we even were featured on Channel 6 News, KYW News Radio and the front page of the South Philly Review!

It takes a village to pull off an event of this size and we received a lot of help from many different people and organizations. We are incredibly grateful for all of the support we received from our local businesses! Special thanks goes out to City Pizza (Front & Snyder), Cosmi’s Bakery, Nuts About You, ShopRite, Stadium Pizza, Starbucks and Steak ‘Em Up for their generous donations, and also to City Year for coming out in force on the day of the event.  We couldn’t have done it without you! We are also thankful for the support of the 4th Police District and local Engine 49, who came out to water in the new trees at the end of the day. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the state-sponsored TreeVitalize program provided the trees, thanks to a generous donation from Feeney’s Nursery, and Mindy Maslin and Mike Hardy of the PHS Tree Tenders program provided expert guidance to our tree-planters on the day of the event. Fairmount Park delivered a big load of mulch for us and also lent us tools, as did UC Green! And last but not least, LoMo would like to send out a big THANK YOU! to the Philadelphia Streets Department, the Office of the Managing Director and the Mayor’s Office for organizing a tremendous event! We are already looking forward to participating in the 3rd Annual Philly Spring Cleanup!

Click on the thumbnails below to check out our photos from the event. 

   

 

Mo’ LoMo on Facebook

Now you can keep in touch with LoMo and meet new neighborhood folks on Facebook! Check us out at www.facebook.com/lomoca and send us a friend request. We promise we won’t give you the cold shoulder! We’ll be posting upcoming meetings and events on the calendar and we recently uploaded a bunch of historic photos from the neighborhood. Be sure to check them out!

Trash Night Tips

Are your recyclables creating litter? Here are a few tips to keep those items in the bin overnight and off of our sidewalks, courtesy of our friends from the Queen Village Neighbors Association:

1. Squash those cans! Both plastic and aluminum cans can be compacted with either squeezing or  the trusty foot-stomp method. Not only are they less likely to blow away that way, but you’ll also be able to fit more recyclables in your bin.

2. Don’t top off! Creating a pyramid of plastics, glass and cans above the rim is a recipe for a sidewalk mess.

3. Don’t overstuff! Brown grocery store bags may be handy for setting out your paper items, but there is a definite splitting point, which often occurs on the sidewalk. And if there’s a chance of rain that night, your paper bag will turn to pulp and you’ll be left to clean up a soggy mess the next morning.

4. Put lightweight paper underneath heavier recyclables to prevent them from escaping. Those receipts and scraps of paper have a way of being taken down the block with a strong gust of wind. 

5. Use a plastic bin or pail or any kind– not thin plastic grocery bags. If you need a recycling bin, contact us at lomophilly@yahoo.com.

6. Consider the weather: On windy days, be creative in finding ways to secure paper and plastics. Putting glass bottles in a cardboard box is not ideal on a dry day and can be even worse on rainy days.

Do plastic bags have a future in Philly?

UPDATE: Legislation introducing a plastic bag fee was unable to move through Council due to concerns about its affects on low-income shoppers. On June 10, Council’s Committee on the Environment voted unanimously to endorse a ban on plastic bags starting in 2011, however not enough members of Council supported the initiative when it was taken a full Council vote and the bill was voted down on June 18. 

Philadelphia isn’t the only city grappling with this issue. Cities across the world, including San Francisco, Bombay, as well as the nations of Australia, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, and Taiwan have either banned or taken action to discourage the use of the ubiquitous plastic bag, which many believe to have serious environmental consequences, as well as constitute a serious waste of environmental resources.

Biketopia!

We were honored to have Sarah Clark Stuart of the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition join us for our June 17 general meeting at the Fumo Library. The take home message: YOU can help create a Biketopia, right here in Philadelphia!

Here  are a few immediate ways to take action:

• Become a member of the Bicycle Coalition!
• Sign the online petition to complete the Schuylkill River Trail.
• Support the initiative to “Take Back MLK Drive,” which began in response to a near-fatal car crash involving a father and his 4-year old son who were struck by an automobile while bicycling on MLK Drive (aka West River Drive) on May 21 of this year. Sign the online letter to Mayor Nutter to express your desire to make this roadway safe for all users.
• Bike Freedom Valley on Father’s Day, or participate in any of the other annual events organized by the Bicycle Coalition, like Biketoberfest!
• Educate yourself! Get a bike map and learn the rules of the road. LoMo is looking into hosting a presentation in our neighborhood by one of the Bicycle Ambassadors. 

* Special thanks to our local Cara Cakes for sweetening up the evening with her amazing strawberry lemonade cupcakes! If you’re looking for baked delights for your next special occasion, look no further! This girl’s got skillz.

Got Compost?

Are you already composting, or interested in starting? Well, Philly Compost has embarked upon a project to create a map of all composters in the city. The map not only shows where compost is already happening, but is meant as a resource for those searching for a nearby place to deposit food scraps and other biodegradable materials. Their website also provides tips and links to online resources to help you on your way to start reducing your household waste stream. Everything you’ll need to start composting is right there at your fingertips!

If you are a LoMo composter, get on the map! Individual households in our neighborhood that have backyard composting bins or even vermiculture kits are encouraged to participate in the mapping project order to help quantify the combined effects of our efforts. Not only does compost provide soil with nutrients that can be reincorporated into your garden, but the act of composting also helps to reduce carbon and methane emissions in our region.

We are currently working on creating a LoMo community composting site that will be open to the public, but for now there is a private site in our neighborhood that is able to accept your compostable materials on a limited basis. Email lomophilly@gmail.com to make arrangements. If you are already composting and are willing and able to accept compost from other households in our neighborhood, please let us know! Drop us an email and we’ll be happy to help get the word out to other LoMo members, and be sure to get your site on the Philly Compost map.

Happy composting!

Before you contract a contractor…

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has announced that consumers can now contact the Attorney General’s Office to check on the registration status of any home improvement contractor in Pennsylvania by visiting http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/hiccon.aspx?id=4502 or by calling 1-888-520-6680. The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, which requires all contractors who perform $5,000 or more in home improvements in a year to register with the attorney general’s office, went into effect July 1. The intent of the act is to protect consumers from unscrupulous contractors, to provide new protection for consumers who hire home improvement contractors and to authorize criminal penalties for home improvement fraud.

Checking with the Attorney General’s office to see if a contractor is registered is important for a few reasons:

• It shows that the contractor is complying with the law.
• It shows the contractor’s insurance information. 
• It shows whether or not a contractor has a criminal record or if there were any civil judgments (including bankruptcy) against them.

The new web site includes information for each registered contractor, including:

• Contact and insurance information;
• A description of the company;
• Information on any prior home improvement businesses;
• Names of anyone with an interest in the business;
• Any contractor licenses;
• Bankruptcy, criminal plea and conviction history;
• A map showing where the business is located;

Along with checking with the Attorney General’s office when choosing a home improvement contractor, consumers should also contact the Better Business Bureau, check the contractors’ references and obtain multiple estimates – the Attorney General’s office is not endorsing any particular contractor’s quality of work or honesty.

SEPTA’s gone Google

On July 1, officials announced that schedules and routes for all SEPTA trains and trolleys will be synchronized with the web-based trip-planning program Google Transit. On the Google Transit Web site, part of the larger Google Maps program, users can now enter a starting point and destination in the Philadelphia region – keywords like Independence Hall, Lincoln Financial Field, or even exact addresses – and Google will display a SEPTA route. Google Transit’s goal is to encourage travelers to learn their options before getting into a car, said Google spokesman Sean Carlson.

It’s easy– Visit www.google.com/transit then enter your starting location and destination. I tried out “Fumo Family Library, Philadelphia” and chose “City Hall, Philadelphia” as my destination. You can indicate the exact time you’ll be traveling, as well. Google computed, then I was asked to further refine my destination by chosing from a list of options provided. (This may or may not happen to you during your search.) Then, voila! A great set of directions and Google even provided a link at the end of the page to the SEPTA website, in case I had any questions about my fare.

Currently, only subway and regional rail routes have been incorporated into the online system. SEPTA officials predict that the system’s bus routes will be searchable by the end of the year.

Philadelphia is one of over 400 cities that now have their transit systems synched with Google Transit. Miami, Portland, Ore., Chicago, Baltimore, New York, and Pittsburgh are all on board, which means that users can plan their multi-city public transportation trips using the system. Don’t worry, you can ask Google Transit for walking and driving directions, too.

And to further its technological advances, SEPTA will launch a new Twitter account on July 10, which will enable travelers to “follow” SEPTA’s travel alerts and other announcements.

Yes, SEPTA, we are getting there.

Tired of tires?

Throughout the year, residents may bring up to 2 tires at a time to our local Streets Department Citizen Drop-Off Center at 3033 S. 63rd Street, near Passyunk Avenue, along with discarded computers, televisions, and appliances. Also, please note that the amount of trash bags put out on your curb on trash night should not exceed (4) – 32-gallon receptacles or (8) – 30″x 37″ bags. Anything in excess of this amount should be brought to our local Citizen Drop-Off Center. Compactable furniture, such as, sofas, mattresses, etc. can be left for collection at curbside, up to two items per week. For more information on Streets Department curbside collection policies, visit: http://www.phila.gov/streets/Sanitation_FAQ.html, or call 215-685-4290.

Our neighborhood’s past, through the lens of Peter Capano

New Wilmington Art Association and Adaptation present “All For One” photography exhibit by Philadelphia artist Peter Capano
September 4-17
Opening reception: September 4, 6-9pm
Closing reception: September 17, 6-9pm
4 West 5th Street, Wilmington, DE
To view the exhibition by appointment, call 302-312-5493.

 
 
To view more images from the show online, visit http://adaptationart.wordpress.com/.

Stiff Penalties for Curfew Violators & Their Parents

Call 9-1-1 to report curfew violators or file an online report at http://www.ppdonline.org/rpts/.

POP QUIZ: What watershed does LoMo belong to?

A: The Delaware Direct Watershed. 

Philadelphia Water Department staffer, Joanne Dahme, joined us during our Sept. 2 General Meeting to give us the inside scoop on how our City’s sewer system works, how her department is working to comply with the EPA’s Clean Water Act, and how we can all help improve the health of our watershed.

PWD’s “Green Cities – Clean Waters” initiative is a multi-tied, long-term plan that is broadly focused on improving the environment of the Philadelphia area. One goal of the new program is to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from the City’s built environment. Did you know that during periods of intense rain in Philadelphia, rainwater gets mixed in with sewage, which then gets emptied into our streams and rivers? Imagine the damage this causes to fish and other creatures who call our bodies of water home! By reducing the amount of “hard,” impervious surfaces (i.e. concrete & asphalt) throughout Philadelphia and creating greener streetscapes, rain will be diverted from our over-burdened sewer system and will instead follow a more “natural” cycle. LoMo will be working with PWD to select areas within our boundaries that will be considered for participation in the “Green Streets Program.” If you have a suggestion for a particular block of section of our neighborhood that should be added to the list, please let us know!

Rain barrels are another way to divert rainwater from our sewers and repurpose it in useful ways, like watering your garden or washing your car. The Water Department has, to date, given away over 1,500 rain barrels which they estimate have kept 5,187,456 gallons of water a year out of our sewers and waterways. Pretty impressive! LoMo co-sponsored a rain barrel workshop with EPX on August 22 and over 40 neighborhood residents took home a free rain barrel. We hope to offer another rain barrel workshop in the future so that more LoMo residents can take advantage of this program and start making a difference in the health of our watershed. Interested in buying your own rain barrel? Check out more info on the model offered by the Water Department here.

And last, but not, least, the Water Department is encouraging residents to participate in the TreeVitalize program and plant a tree in front of their property as another means of diverting stormwater from our sewers. Street tree pits capture the flow of stormwater, letting it soak back into the soil naturally and nourish the tree planted there. Trees, in turn, provide shode, improve air quality, absorb noise, and beautify neighborhoods. LoMo will be organizing its third tree planting this fall – Details TBA soon! – so please come out and support this important neighborhood effort!
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Check out another local blogger’s post about our recent meetings with the Water Department here.

Lessons Gleaned from City Biking 101

Special thanks to the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition for dispatching two of their Bicycle Ambassadors down to our neck of the woods for the Sept. 9 “City Biking 101″ workshop, and thanks also to our local library for use of their waterproof venue! Participants took home a head full of tips and helpful info, including the fact that it is REQUIRED BY LAW that bicyclists use a red light on the back of their bike and a white light on the front during evening hours. Strange, though, that it isn’t required by law that bicyclists wear helmets, but don’t let that stop you from using one!

For other helpful tips, including how to properly adjust your helmet and lock you bike the right way, check out the Bicycle Coalition’s list of handy links: http://www.bicyclecoalition.org/resources/materials. And check out one local blogger’s account of the workshop here.

All too familiar a sight?

Here’s how to report a tagged mailbox to the U.S. Postal Service:

1) Go to www.usps.com

2) Click on “Customer Service” in the top right hand corner.

3) Click on “Email us,” enter zip code.

4) Select “Problem” from the drop down menu, then “Customer Service,” then “Support,” then “Vandalism/Theft Problem,” then click “Continue.”

5) When asked “Where Did This Problem Occur,” select “Collection Box” then provide information about the location of the tagged box.

The little garden that did!

Our lovely little Gas Station Garden at 11th & Snyder has been awarded an HONORABLE MENTION in this year’s PHS City Gardens Contest! Launched in 1975, the contest now receives over 300 entries with teams of volunteer judges visiting each site during the months of July and August. We have been invited to an Awards Reception during the 2010 Flower Show and will receive a Pennsylvania Horticultural Society certificate for our participation. We competed in the community gardens category and we are incredibly pleased to have been recognized for our efforts! This is a great honor for our young garden – it turned just 1 this summer – and the best is still yet to come. Look out, 2010 City Gardens Contest!

The garden was visited by the City Gardens Contest judges (pictured above) on Thursday, July 9, when several community members happened upon the judges and stopped to tell them just how much the garden means to the neighborhood. We found out a few weeks later that our garden made to the final round of judging and it was visited a second time on August 8.

Many thanks to all of the dedicated LoMo members who have pitched in over the course of this year and last to get the garden going and keep it hydrated and happy during the hot & dry summer months. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Please Take a Moment for Fire Prevention

In light of the recent tragedy on the 2400 block of S. Warnock Street, LoMo is urging all residents to take a moment and test the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors. If you don’t currently have one installed or are in need of a new set of batteries, don’t delay! Purchase them today! Anyone who does not have a smoke alarm and cannot afford one should call the SMOKE DETECTOR REQUEST LINE at 215-686-1382.
 
The Fire Department also offers a “Remembering When” fire and fall prevention training program for senior citizens located at local senior centers and or churches. For more information contact the Philadelphia Fire Prevention Division at 215-686-1382. Be a good neighbor – Take a moment to ask your elderly neighbors if they are in need of a smoke detector. It could save a life.

We will be joined at our next general meeting on Wednesday, October 7, by Capt. Mike Goodwin of local Engine 49 who will give a brief presentation on fire safety and answer any questions on the topic. All are welcome to attend. We commend local Engine 49 for their valiant efforts.

We also would like to take this opportunity to thank Councilman Frank DiCicco who, along with Councilwoman Anna Verna, helped to prevent the shutdown of late-night medic hours of our local Medic 11, housed at Engine 49.

Residents can obtain additional fire safety and education information at www.phila.gov/fire.

Report Graffiti Online. Get Results.

The City of Philadelphia has a great Anti-Graffiti Network that responds promptly to requests they receive to remove graffiti.

• Did you know that you don’t have to be the property owner of a graffitied property in order to request that it be removed?
• Did you know that you can report graffiti online, completely anonymously, and that it can be removed in just a few days?

Take down all of the important details regarding the graffiti: Address of the graffitied property, type of surface it is on (brick, concrete, street sign, wood, etc.), what color paint the surface is (if applicable). Then visit www.phila.gov/antigraffiti/removalform.html and provide the info requested. 

Thanks for helping to keep our neighborhood graffiti-free!

Check out the Neighborhood Safety section of our website for more helpful links to report abandoned vehicles, sanitation violations, etc.

Giving thanks and looking ahead

At  our last general meeting of the year on November 4, we were joined by some very special guests – Senator Farnese and his aid, Bob Theil, as well as Tim Bennett of Bennett Composting. At the end of the meeting, we had a chance to think back on all the good things that happened in the neighborhood in 2009 and also to share our hopes for 2010. Here were some of the responses:

“We were thankful for the Mischief Night Party… We’re new to the neighborhood and this gave us the opportunity to meet some great people. We are also thankful for our new tree, coming November 21! We hope to make new friends and get involved in the civic association [in 2010].“

“I was thankful for the opportunity to meet the Mayor during our Philly Spring Cleanup event in April 2009.”

“Late on Mischief Night, a car drove up next door and I heard eggs being thrown. By the time I got to the door, three other neighbors were outside their doors, too. The car sped off. A safe neighborhood is not one where nothing happens, but one that when something happens, people are there to respond. [In 2010], I’d love to see less trash, people not throwing trash (dog poop bags) down the sewer.”

“[In 2010, I'd like to see] more composting!”

“[I am thankful for] the increasing number of new young neighbors who are really involved in improving the neighborhood, enthusiastic, and fun! Welcome! [In 2010, I'd like to see] more trees, less litter; more planters, fewer drugs; more flowers, less poop; more safety, less crime; more collaboration, less graffiti.”

What in the neighborhood would you like to give thanks for in 2009? What are your hopes for the neighborhood for 2010? Please feel free to share your thoughts below!

Philly Fall Leaf Drive

From November 9-December 18, the City of Philadelphia will be accepting leaves along with other recyclables as part of a citywide effort to compost these natural resources!  You can set out your leaves with your other recyclables on your regular trash night but be sure to put your leaves in brown paper leaf bags, which are available at most home improvement stores. LoMo also has a limited quantity of paper lawn bags for residents – Email lomophilly@gmail.com to request some. Please note: Leaves in plastic bags will NOT be collected. You may use as many bags as necessary, up to 40 lbs. each. Be sure not to mix trash or other recyclables with the leaves, as these materials will not turn into compost.

The City will be making the compost available to residents at the Fairmount Park Recycling Center, which is located at 3850 Ford Road. In addition to compost, the other materials available for pick up/purchase at the Fairmount Park Recycling Center are wood chips, shredded wood mulch and herbivore manure. Up to 30 gallons are available free of charge but for additional amounts, click here for rates and hours of availability. Throughout the rest of the year, residents are invited to bring leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, brush and herbivore manure to support the City’s composting & recycling efforts.

Fall Tree Planting Results

Over 100 volunteers took part in LoMo’s fall tree planting on Saturday, November 21, including many students from Temple University and the SEPC Youth Leadership Council. Many thanks to everyone who came out and lent a hand! This was our biggest planting yet with 20 new trees introduced to the neighborhood. We joined up with other South Philly civics for a combined tree planting this year which meant that our greening efforts were amplified; Over 150 trees were planted throughout South Philly on the day of the event! The trees were made available to property owners free of charge thanks to the state-sponsored TreeVitalize program – an estimated value of $500! (The next open call for TreeVitalize applications will be announced in a few months.)

Special thanks to ShopRite, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Hot Bagels for supplying food & refreshments for our hard-working volunteers and the Adobe Cafe on Passyunk Avenue also hosted a great after-party. Boy Scout Troop 147 was also on hand in the morning to collect canned goods for their Thanksgiving Food Drive. 

As of our fall planting, LoMo has introduced a grand total of 53 trees to the neighborhood! With the number of trees in our neighborhood growing, LoMo is actively trying to recruit folks to join the ranks of its Tree Tenders group, which is composed of people who are dedicated to caring for our neighborhood’s trees. These folks have completed the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Tree Tenders training course. This free & fun educational series will teach you all you need to know to plant, care, and maintain trees in the urban environment. The next course is coming up in January and will take place over two Saturdays – You can register online here or by calling 215-988-8844. Be sure to tell them that you are a member of the Lower Moyamensing Civic Association’s Tree Tenders group!

Winners Announced for LoMo’s First Annual Holiday Decorating Contest

First Place Winner! 1215 Snyder Avenue

Many thanks to everyone who helped to make LoMo’s First Annual Holiday Decorating Contest such a great success! All of the homes that participated in this year’s contest were absolutely spectacular and we wish to congratulate everyone on helping to make our neighborhood so festive this time of year! Special thanks to all of our generous neighborhood businesses – Debra Mazda of ShapelyGirl Fitness, ShopRite, Cosmi’s Bakery, and Hollywood Nails – for supplying our great prizes! 

All entries were judged on the following criteria: Theme, Creativity & Originality, Lighting, and Full Use of Space. Our top winners – which we highly encourage everyone to see for themselves! – are listed below:

FIRST PLACE: 1215 SNYDER AVENUE – Received a $100 ShopRite gift card

SECOND PLACE: 1232 WOLF STREET – Received a year of wellness with Debra Mazda of ShapelyGirl Fitness

THIRD PLACE: 1135 RITNER STREET – Received a lovely tray of holiday cookies from Cosmi’s Bakery

RUNNER-UP: 2549 S. ALDER STREET - Received a free manicure courtesy of Hollywood Nail Salon
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It’s not too soon to get those creative juices flowing for next year! Next year’s contest registration forms will be available around Thanksgiving 2010, but if you’d like to pre-register you can send an email to lomophilly@gmail.com.

Be sure to check out the great feature on this year’s contest in the December 24th issue of the South Philly Review: http://www.southphillyreview.com/news/lifestyles/Deck-the-walls-79921572.html.

19148 on the real estate rise!

As we all know, U.S. real estate prices have fallen dramatically over the past year, but some parts of the country - including ours! – have managed to buck the trend. A new report, recently released by Zillow.com and profiled on CNBC, highlights places that had the biggest year-over-year price increases during the third quarter. And don’t you know, 19148 made it to #3 on the list! Of course there are many factors that influence housing values, but we like to think that our collective efforts as a civic association are a small part of that equation. Check out the links below for more details!

Philadelphia, Pa. (19148)
Year-over-Year Price Growth: +16.9%
Zillow Home Value Index: $164,661

http://www.cnbc.com/id/33733815?slide=14
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33733815

Recycle Your Christmas Tree!

UPDATE: Over 265 trees were recycled during this year’s TreeCycling event! Many thanks to all who participated and helped to get 2010 off to a greener start for our neighborhood!

Several South Philly civic associations are teaming up to sponsor a neighborhood Christmas Treecycling event on Saturday, January 9. You can bring your tree (stripped of its lovely decorations & ornaments) to Columbus Square Park (13th & Reed) from 10am – 4pm where it will be turned into woods chips that will be used in public parks & gardens. The suggested donation is only $5 and this earth-friendly act will surely get you onto Santa’s Good List for next year!

While the City will pick up trees that are left on the curb on your regular trash night, these trees will not be recycled and will be instead sent along to the landfill with all other garbage. If you are unable to attend our local Treecycling event at Columbus Square Park, you may also bring your tree for recycling to the Streets Department’s Citizen Drop-Off Center at 3033 S. 63rd Street from January 9-16 from 8 am – 6 pm, Monday through Saturday. For more info, visit www.phila.gov/streets/ChristmasTrees.html or call 3-1-1.