DECK THE HALLS & WIN BIG !!! Participation in LoMo’s First Annual Holiday Decorating Contest is open to all residents and small business owners within our boundaries – Broad to Eighth Streets and Snyder to Oregon Avenues. Only the front of the property visible from the street/sidewalk will be judged. A panel of judges will evaluate each decorated property based on the following criteria: Theme & Creativity, Originality, Lighting, and Full use of space. Three top winners will be announced on December 21. Each will be presented with a certificate of honor and will have their pick of prizes, which so far include:
A year of wellness with Debra Mazda of ShapelyGirl Fitness
A lovely tray of holiday cookies from Cosmi’s Pastries
A massage or facial at All About You Day Spa
12 weeks of free home composting service courtesy of Bennett Compost

To enter, download the official registration form or send your name, address, phone number, and email address to lomophilly@gmail.com by 5 PM, Monday, December 7. Please also indicate whether or not we have permission to publish a photograph of your entry. On the night of judging, participants must present the judges with an “entry fee” of either 2 canned goods which will be donated to a local food cupboard or a $5 donation to support LoMo programs & events.

No, we’re not talking about that kind of street furniture.

 We’re talking about this kind of street furniture.

By the end of the year the City will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide, maintain and sell advertising for bus shelters in Philadelphia. The RFP will also invite proposals for additional pieces of street furniture. Street furniture is the collective term referring to objects and pieces of equipment installed on streets and sidewalks that are intended for public use. Transit/bus shelters and newspaper boxes are examples of street furniture currently in use in Philadelphia.

Give the City your two cents and let them know what types of street furniture you would and wouldn’t like to see on our streets. Your opinion counts! Click here to take the quick & actually pretty fun survey, the results of which will be taken into consideration by the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities.

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. 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.

SEPTA is offering credits for unused/un-punched November 2009 Monthly TransPasses and weekly TransPasses valid during the week of November 2, 2009. Customers can receive the credit at any sales location, preferably from the location where the pass was originally purchased. Customers receiving passes through Employer Programs or through Pre-Tax mechanisms, should visit SEPTA’s website or call 215-580-7800 for further instructions on how to obtain a refund.

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!

LoMo is delighted to welcome back Barbara McDuffie from the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) who will present a FREE workshop on home energy conservation on Wednesday, November 11, at 6:30 PM in the Methodist Hospital’s Morgan Conference Room (2301 S. Broad St., basement level).

Barbara will demonstrate how to install weatherization materials and the first 60 people to pre-register will receive a FREE weatherization kit to take home! Information on new state programs and referrals to existing conservation and assistance programs will also be available.

Pre-registration is required for this event, as space is limited. Send an email to lomophilly@gmail.com to get your name on the list. This workshop is open to all South Philadelphia residents. Special thanks to the Methodist Hospital for allowing us the use of their venue.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of MANNA’s Pie in the Sky fundraiser. Help celebrate a baker’s dozen of delicious years by purchasing gourmet pies to support MANNA’s mission: to deliver delicious, nourishing meals, along with counsel and hope, to people at acute nutritional risk from life-threatening illnesses.

Take your pick from 5 delicious flavors: apple crumb, pumpkin, southern pecan, sweet potato, and the chocolate cheesecake. All pies are 10″ in diameter and come in a quality gift box.  Pies are baked locally by Sweet Lilly’s Heavenly Desserts.

You can order your pies online at www.mannapies.org, or stop by our local JimmyStyle, a fabulous local boutique located at 1820 East Passyunk Avenue, to place your order. 

Pies will be available at pick-up sites on Tuesday, November 24, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our local pick-up location, JimmyStyle, will from 3 PM- 8 PM that day for pick-up.

To learn more about MANNA, visit www.mannapa.org  and to contact our local official Pie Seller & Pie Pick-Up location, JimmyStyle, call 267-239-0598 or email jimmy@shopjimmystyle.com.

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.

SAVE THE DATE! LoMo’s fall 2009 tree planting will take place the morning of Saturday, November 21. Registration will begin at 8 AM at South Philly High School (Broad & Snyder). This will be our biggest planting yet with 21 new trees coming to the neighborhood  and we need YOUR help to make it happen! We’ll be joining up with other South Philly civics for a combined tree planting this year which means that our greening efforts will be amplified – over 150 trees will be introduced throughout South Philly on the day of the planting!

You’re also invited to bring along a canned good to support local Boy Scout Troop 147’s Thanksgiving Food Drive. The Scouts will be on hand the morning of our tree planting to collect your donations.

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!

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.