By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Tom Conway thinks the city has vastly improved its response to complaints about quality-of-life problems.
In the past, according to the deputy city managing director, complaints about dog dirt, high weeds, debris in back yards, abandoned cars on private property and trash being put out early were often overlooked.
“Basically, it was sending out notice after notice after notice,” he said. “Nothing would happen.”
Now, Conway said, things are beginning to change, thanks to the Community Life Improvement Program. CLIP is a pilot program in the 6th Councilmanic District that is designed to be a rapid response to quality-of -life issues.
Conway attended last week’s meeting of the Lawncrest Community Association to tell residents of the difference that CLIP has made.
In the six months since the program started, 5,000 spots have been cleaned of graffiti, 5,000 violations have been written for weeds and trash, more than 1,400 trees have been trimmed or removed, more than 2,800 cars have been towed, more than 1,600 signs have been replaced and 1,200 tickets have been written for trash placed outside the house before 7 p.m. on the eve of scheduled pickup.
Typically, the city will give the property owner 10 days to comply. If the problem isn’t addressed, the city will clean the property and bill the owner. Unpaid fines will result in a lien on properties.
Conway explained that the compliance rate has risen from 35 percent to 63 percent since CLIP began.
Complaints by residents are no longer ignored or forgotten about, according to Conway.
“We follow it from the beginning to the end,” he said.
The deputy managing director said the city expects folks to be responsible for themselves, their homes, their children and their pets.
“If you comply with that, we’re not going to bother you,” he said.
Conway indicated that CLIP will soon expand to the 10th Councilmanic District.
The Lawncrest Civic Association represents the area in the 9th Councilmanic District.
“We’d be really fortunate to get (CLIP) in Lawncrest,” said LCA president Tom O’Malley.
O’Malley plans to write to Mayor John Street, asking him to bring CLIP to the Lawndale area.
Cherelle Parker, an aide to City Councilwoman Marian Tasco (D-9th dist.), told residents that the councilwoman has asked the city to fund CLIP in her district.
In other news from the Nov. 12 meeting:
• Shari Cooper, an official with the City Planning Commission, gave a presentation on possible improvements to the neighborhood as part of the city’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
Cooper outlined the good and the bad about the neighborhood.
The good?
Cooper mentioned a slight rise in home values in the last decade, an abundance of transportation options, the large number of neighborhood organizations and a strong business segment.
The bad?
Cooper noted that the percentage of owner-occupied properties is lower in Lawndale and Crescentville than citywide, the commercial vacancy rate is relatively high, the amount of recreation space is relatively low, and there are companies offering cash for homes.
The planning commission official said neighbors concerned with quality-of-life issues should also be on the lookout for cars parked on sidewalks and Dumpsters outside businesses.
Cooper thinks there are promising opportunities in the neighborhood.
She thinks more businesses should adopt a classier, secure facade rather than the ugly shutters seen on some storefronts. She thinks rear driveways can also be beautified with landscaping and other upgrades.
And she would like to see signage that would serve as a gateway to the community.
“When I’m in Lawndale, I don’t know where it starts and where it ends,” she said.
The reaction to the presentation was largely positive, though a few people wondered why some of the data provided did not include the area south of Levick Street.
“Am I at the wrong meeting?” one man asked.
• There were a number of updates on businesses coming and, if the neighbors have their way, going.
A Laundromat is set to be built at 5710 Rising Sun Ave. It would replace a former Dairy Queen.
The LCA also agreed to support an expansion by Ann’s Tender Touch Child Care, at 5817 Rising Sun Ave. (near Rosalie Street). The zoning change will allow the company to care for youngsters in the basement, in addition to the ground floor.
Neighbors are not as happy with the owner of an automotive business at 100 Comly St. They continue to complain that the owner is leaving vehicles on a vacant field on the suburban side of the Philadelphia/Montgomery County border. They’d like to see the vehicles parked on the business property behind a fence.
Residents are not pleased that the city Zoning Board of Adjustment gave a six-month temporary variance to Priority-1 Ambulance Service, at 5702 Newtown Ave. The company needs a variance because it is located on a property zoned only for police and fire stations.
Neighbors have complained that ambulance company employees clean and fix vehicles on the street. In addition, they say that drivers often go the wrong way on one-way blocks.
Phil Grutzmacher, an LCA vice president and former president, asked neighbors to record any violations that they see over the next six months. Bob McGowan, an aide to state Sen. Shirley Kitchen (D-3rd dist), told residents to take pictures of violations.
• Mark Orehowsky, president of the Lawncrest Revitalization Project, said he hopes to publish a directory of businesses so residents will know what’s available in the community.
Orehowsky, who owns a printing business on Rising Sun Avenue, said the revitalization has gone well so far. Light fixtures have been erected, worn trolley poles have been taken down, trees have been trimmed and trash cans have been placed on corners.
In addition, a street-cleaning machine has picked up trash from the avenue.
Orehowsky credits Tasco for assistance in making the improvements.
The major work — increased parking, new building facades, renovation of vacant buildings — is yet to come. That kind of work costs a lot of money, and the business folks are looking to government and private foundations for funding.
• The next meeting of the Lawncrest Community Association will be on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m., at St. William parish hall, at Argyle and Robbins streets. Cooper, the City Planning Commission representative, will make a presentation.
In the meantime, residents can look for neighborhood updates at www.lawncrestcommunity.com ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com