East Torresdale sees loitering
problem lingering at Pleasant Hill

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Residents of East Torresdale have been confronted with a few big issues lately, such as raw sewage spilling into the Poquessing Creek and the prospect of a massive underground sewage storage tank in a local park.
On the other hand, one particular local problem has plagued those same residents as long as they can remember. And it seems no closer to a resolution now than it did years ago when they first began complaining about it.
Illegal drinking and other after-hours activities in the Pleasant Hill Park parking lot continue to disturb folks who live near Linden and Delaware avenues, along the Delaware River waterfront. In past years, the East Torresdale Civic Association has met with politicians and public safety officials, from Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson and down, with park complaints at the top of the agenda.
ETCA has received assurances repeatedly that police will chase away the troublemakers, who residents say linger in the park long after the 10 p.m. closing and engage in many other disturbing behaviors, like swearing loudly, blaring loud music, using drugs, racing cars and motorcycles and even having sex.
At ETCA’s monthly meeting on June 11, it was police Sgt. John McKenna’s turn to respond to complaints by neighbors that the scofflaws are back in force now that the summer is in full swing. McKenna supervises a patrol squad in the 8th Police District.
"We’re just beating a dead horse," one area woman said, commenting on the long history of complaints by the civic organization to public officials.
"I call (911) five times a week," a man said. "They were out there shooting off fireworks at two in the morning last weekend."
A few residents noted that even when police drive by the park, they often leave without writing any citations for illegal drinking or other banned activities.
One woman reported that on one recent visit to the park, she observed people drinking in the parking lot and others smoking marijuana while having a cookout on a nearby hillside.
"This is supposed to be a family neighborhood park," she said. "How are you supposed to bring your kids down there to fish with the ‘F-bomb’ being dropped all over the place?"
Pleasant Hill Park has long been a magnet for water-recreation enthusiasts and nighttime revelers from a far-reaching geographical area. It is one of three public access points to the Delaware River within Philadelphia north of Center City. Many boaters use the park’s boat ramp to launch their vessels.
In recent weeks, the boat ramp and parking-lot areas of the park have been undergoing extensive renovations with the initial phase of a proposed reconfiguration of the entire park. Future phases have not been scheduled, but city and state officials hope that the park will one day become part of a greenbelt stretching the length of the waterfront from Center City to Bucks County.
Many East Torresdale residents question the wisdom of spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on improvements there when local authorities can’t seem to keep destructive influences out of the facility.
McKenna, the police sergeant, explained some of the challenges faced by authorities in the area and noted the complaints. But he did not commit the 8th district to a specific response.
"We are shorthanded. Everybody knows that," McKenna said of his district and the police department in general. "The line squad (patrol officers) are 911 responders."
So, officers are committed to go where police radio tells them to go. Reports of public drinking and loud music have a relatively low priority in the police radio system.
And because 911 calls peak during the same hours when neighbors are generally looking for patrols in the park, officers usually don’t have time between calls to handle park problems on their own.
Even if they do make it to the park, officers may not arrest anybody for breaking the law because that could take the cop off the street for hours to complete the paperwork. Also, not all officers in the district have been trained to issue Code Violation Notices, which would allow them to cite the offender without arresting him.
In other East Torresdale Civic Association business:
• ETCA president Lew M. Halas reported that the Philadelphia Water Department asked that the civic group attend a future meeting at Holy Family University to discuss the local sewage problem and proposed solutions.
The civic group opposes the installation of a 4.25-million-gallon holding tank on park ground adjacent to the college campus and in close proximity to local homeowners. Last month, Halas and other residents testified in support of a City Council bill to prohibit tanks within 1,500 feet of residential properties.
The bill passed Council unanimously last Thursday and is awaiting the mayor’s signature.
• Bob Biedrzycki, the ETCA zoning chairman, reported that a city Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing on June 20 was to address a proposed home-building project at 5212 Arendel St.
The civic group opposes the construction of one set of twins on the site formerly occupied by a single home. The site is zoned for twins, but there isn’t enough room for them on the parcel, the civic group believes.
The zoning was changed from R-5 to R-4 in 2002, according to Biedrzycki, before the property was sold to its current owner.
• The next East Torresdale Civic Association meeting will be on July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Evangelical Free Church, Linden Avenue and Milnor Street. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com