By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer
Mayor John Street, not surprisingly, thinks things are going great in Philadelphia.
Street told a group of local businesspeople last week that the city’s fortunes are improving thanks to an improving public education system and three pending initiatives — riverfront development, casino gambling and affordable wireless Internet service.
The mayor was especially passionate about Wireless Philadelphia. He thinks Philadelphia can be the most technology-friendly city in North America. In the near future, he wants all city residents to be able to have wireless Internet access for as little as $9.95 a month.
Calling the Internet a “marvelous, marvelous resource,” Street started singing the 1950s gospel hit He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.
“When you have Internet access, you have the whole world in your hand,” he said.
When Street spoke to the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce last October, he indicated that he wanted to bring several cabinet members to spend some quality time with the group. That hope became a reality on April 5 at the Agusta Aerospace Corporation at 3050 Red Lion Road.
Street gave the keynote address at the three-hour seminar, intended to update the group on his major initiatives. He brought along the city’s managing director, Pedro Ramos, education secretary Jackie Barnett, city solicitor Romulo Diaz, commerce secretary Stephanie Naidoff and others.
Al Taubenberger, president of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce, credited Mike Kowalski, a representative of the Mayor’s Business Action Team in the Northeast, and other commerce department officials with setting up the event. He thought the local business community learned a lot.
“It gave our members a keen insight into what is happening in the city,” said Taubenberger, a potential mayoral candidate next year.
While education, gambling and wireless Internet access all affect the Northeast, the issue that will directly impact the community is riverfront development.
Catherine Califano, deputy secretary of the Office of Housing and Community Development, explained that there are more than 1,000 acres along the North Delaware Avenue waterfront.
The problem is that most people can’t reach the river.
“We need to create new access points,” said Califano, daughter-in-law of former City Councilman Dan McElhatton.
Califano credited U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter with delivering more than $23 million in transportation-bill dollars to extend Delaware Avenue and build pedestrian trails.
Riverfront ground is zoned industrial, but Califano said development plans call for residential, recreational and light commercial uses and open-space preservation. She believes the new developments will serve as “gateways” to existing neighborhoods.
“All of the land along the river’s edge will have public access,” she said.
On other topics, Street, 63, reiterated his opposition to mini-city halls. He closed, then reluctantly reopened, a municipal service center near Welsh Road and Roosevelt Boulevard.
The mayor believes that the city’s future is “online, not in line.” He can’t wait for the day when he sees Philadelphians sitting on a park bench ordering groceries or making airline reservations using a computer.
This type of hip wireless technology, he believes, will help convince local college students to remain in Philadelphia to work after graduation.
“New York doesn’t have it and Boston doesn’t have it and Washington doesn’t have it. Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware counties can hardly get it,” he said.
Street told his business audience that his administration has already cut taxes by $1.1 billion, and he promised more relief in the next two years before he leaves office.
The mayor also said he’s teaming with Gov. Ed Rendell to expand the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
And he’s excited that the Barnes Foundation art collection will be moving from Montgomery County to a location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The art collection is expected to generate huge sums of money for the city.
“That’s the equivalent of having three Super Bowls in the city,” he said.
The collection will likely attract a lot of international visitors, Street’s favorite kind of tourists.
“They stay longer and spend more,” he said.
Street said that, despite all the focus on major citywide initiatives, he remains focused on neighborhoods. The Community Life Improvement Program, founded by City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, continues to target residents who don’t maintain their properties.
The mayor said residents and businesses are getting the message that they must comply with city codes.
“The CLIP program is working really well in Northeast Philadelphia,” he said. “They don’t want to hear from Councilwoman Krajewski, because she’ll send somebody out in a minute.” ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com