Tacony: SEPTA tops
civic meeting

By Diane Villano
Times Staff Writer

The agenda for Tacony Civic Association’s first meeting of 2007 was jam-packed.
Representatives from SEPTA were on hand to outline improvements to the bus loop at Torresdale and Cottman avenues.
"We’re trying to integrate our loop into your neighborhood," said Marshall Shapiro, manager of SEPTA’s architectural design department.
SEPTA plans to replace the old shelter with another, including windscreens and seating, and it wants to build four boarding platforms with designated walkways for a safer environment. The transportation authority will also work with the Mural Arts Program to create a new mural for a new concrete back wall in the loop.
The improvements will also coordinate with the historic lighting and banners that are part of the roughly $2 million in Major Artery Revitalization Committee’s streetscape improvements slated for Torresdale Avenue.
MARC is a non-profit organization that focus on aesthetic improvements for major streets, highways, and business and residential districts in Northeast Philadelphia.
Civic association members applauded when told SEPTA’s work will start May 1 and go full speed in June, after school is out. Improvements are expected to be completed by September.
There are many more events in Tacony to cheer about as well.
Civic association president Anthony Naccarato announced that the organization has already booked Rock ’n’ Roll legend Charlie Gracie for a July 26 performance, as part of the organization’s annual summer concert series.
On April 11, second vice president Anne Marie Kuvik will organize a walking/running program for folks who don’t want to exercise alone. They’ll meet at 6:30 p.m. outside the Disston Recreation Center, Disston and Glenloch streets, to figure out when people want to walk.
An Earth Day cleanup and tree planting will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 21. The rain date is April 22. Participants should meet at Keystone St. and Longshore Ave., with the cleanup focusing on Disston Park, along Keystone Street from Princeton Avenue to Unruh Street. Trees will also be planted at the Dorsey, Disston, and Vogt recreation centers. To volunteer, call 267-738-9108 or e-mail cwoolslayer@hotmail.com
The TCA flea market will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at Disston Park, along Keystone Street. The rain date is May 5. Spaces are $15 and measure 10 feet by 15 feet. To rent one or more spaces, make check or money order payable to the Tacony Civic Association. Mail to Tacony Civic, 4815-19 Longshore Ave., Rear, Philadelphia, PA 19135. Payment must be received by April 21.
For more information, call 215-338-2575, Ext. 1.
Association vice president Lou Iatarola also outlined some zoning matters, including:
• 6332 Vandike St. — Owners requested a variance to divide one lot into three to allow for construction of three attached single-family homes. TCA did not oppose the variance, with the provisos that the homes remain single-family dwellings, with a brick front facade, and no parking out front. The city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment granted the variance.
• 4317 Tyson Ave. — Owners requested a permit legalizing a three-family dwelling. TCA opposed and ZBA denied the permit.
• 4343 Princeton Ave. — Owners requested a permit to expand day care facility to the second floor with the third floor to be used as an office area. TCA did not oppose the permit, with provisos that the any improvements be code- consistent and that the hours of operation remain 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. The ZBA continued the hearing pending approval of the plan.
• 4521 Longshore Ave. — Owners requested a permit to relocate fencing, increase parking spaces from 42 to 48, legalize a roof overhang, and convert the northerly portion of the gymnasium into a church at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic School. TCA did not oppose, with the provisos that a classroom trailer be removed from the lot within one year after construction is complete. ZBA granted the variance on Jan. 30.
Elections for association president and secretary will be held at the May 8 meeting. It will begin about 7:15 p.m., immediately following the Tacony Historical Society meeting at the Disston Memorial Presbyterian Church, Tyson Avenue and Glenloch St. For more information, visit www.taconycivic.org ••
Reporter Diane Villano can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com