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Everybody
should recycle!
Regarding your July 5 cover story on recycling, if "kudos" are appropriate for Northeast Philadelphia, then "Shame, Shame" must be attached to the balance of our city. For Philadelphia to be fully 20 percent below a very poor national recycling rate, suggests something is drastically wrong with this picture. On my block of Ripley Street, the rate appears to be close to 100 percent.
None of the arguments set forth for not adhering to the law seem valid to this person.
Is this just another example of the moratorium period extended to certain of our citizens who seem to feel that "laws are for others — not for me?"
I refer to the past matter regarding proper registration and proper insurance coverage for all automobiles. Mr. Street might better have spent his time calling on his neighbors to explain recycling rather than waiting in line to purchase another toy. What part of "recycling is the law" don’t the violators understand? Let’s vigorously enforce our laws to achieve a goal of 100 percent recycling in Philadelphia.
David W. Campbell
Rhawnhurst
Send those
pods packing
Has anyone seen storage pods on the streets in Mayfair? I have, at Rowland Avenue and Glenview Street. It’s been there for more than two months. Another pod is on Sackett Street between Knorr and Rawle streets. Please call the Streets Department at 215-686-5525 if you see these pods on the street more than five days.
If you don’t get satisfaction from the streets department, please contact your City Council member.
Let’s solve this problem before it gets out of hand.
Joe Gilmore Sr.
Mayfair
SEPTA rider’s
rage yields damage
On Tuesday, July 10, at 5:10 p.m., I boarded SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line to travel to the Frankford Transportation Center. However, as many riders are aware, a suicide took place at the Berks Station, and we needed to board shuttle buses at Spring Garden Street with several hundred people standing around.
Once I finally made it onto a shuttle bus (and waited 10 minutes because the bus driver apparently did not know the route and had to make a telephone call to find out where to go), a woman started pounding on the back doors of the bus, screaming that she needed to get on. Several passengers shouted that there was no room and asked her to kindly wait for the next bus.
In a rage, the woman then punched the rear window of SEPTA’s bus, breaking the glass and proceeding to laugh about it and pump her fists in the air while in the company of a young child. Apparently, she found it very funny that she broke the window. A woman on the bus actually took her cell phone out and photographed the woman who broke the window. Unfortunately, this probably won’t do any good.
What would possess somebody to destroy property just because they can’t board a bus and then act in such an irrational and threatening manner? I know it was a very hot day out and tempers were short, but destroying property seems unfathomable to me.
I realize that SEPTA is not at fault for an attempted suicide, but where is SEPTA management to control this chaos? SEPTA police officers were dispatched to the Berks Station to handle the tragedy, but couldn’t a few more SEPTA police officers and SEPTA personnel be found to manage the crowds at Spring Garden Street and arrest the woman who broke the glass?
I truly believe that SEPTA riders (and the citizens of Philadelphia) deserve better than this. Will SEPTA raise fares yet again to pay for the damage to their bus? When will this madness end?
Sandi O’Connor
West Mayfair
Absentee landlords
must be accountable
How easy it is for the letter writer Marc C. Crawford (June 14 edition) to criticize, bemoan and be a Monday morning quarterback after the big game?
Unfortunately, some absentee landlords see Northeast Philadelphia as their own personal game of Monopoly and are destroying our blocks with their nuisance and unlicensed rentals.
When Councilwoman Joan Krajewski tackled this issue of nuisance rentals, she asked for her constituents, community groups and civic organizations to aid her in her battle against this quality-of-life problem.
Our organizations, as well as individual residents of Northeast Philadelphia, worked closely with Krajewski’s office to report nuisance rentals in our areas.
In a lengthy but thorough process, once a property was given to Krajewski’s office, they in turn reported it to the Department of Licenses and Inspections for an investigation to check for rental licenses, business privilege tax licenses as well as to investigate if an illegal conversion to a duplex, triplex or apartments was done.
Many times, work was done on these properties without the proper permits and licenses. With quality-of-life problems such as trash and animal violations and unkempt yards, the Community Life Improvement Program, better known as CLIP, sprung into action and wrote violations to correct those problems reported, forcing the property owners to be liable for their renters’ unsanitary and uncivilized actions.
If L&I and CLIP code enforcements were ignored, that is where Krajewski’s Rental Housing Court steps in. Part of the housing court process is to involve the community groups and civic organizations that have been fighting alongside Krajewski in curbing these slumlords who don’t give a damn about Northeast Philadelphia or our quality of life.
This will be our chance to tell the judge how bad these rental properties have been scourging our blocks and communities.
With Krajewski in the lead, the below signed organizations will stand shoulder to shoulder against these absentee landlords who only care about a monthly rent check, and make sure they will be brought into the Northeast Housing Court and be held accountable.
Mayfair CDC
Holmesburg Civic Association
Upper Holmesburg Civic Association
Tacony Civic Association
Oxford Circle Civic Association
Port Richmond on Patrol & Civic Association
Mayfair Civic Association
Animal abusers
should meet their maker
I was outraged when I read the letter to the editor from Kelly Mulligan in the June 28 edition (This abused dog never had a chance).
How could the SPCA and PACCA do nothing to help this poor dog? I will never donate to either of them again. In fact, I would like to know what they do with the money people donate? We all know now that it doesn’t go to helping animals. Why do they hire people who are ignorant and careless about the animals they are hired to help?
To all the scumbags who hurt and kill innocent animals, you all deserve to die. If anyone knows the person who killed this dog, turn them in. To the SPCA and PACCA, you also contributed to the death of this sweet dog. You all disgust me.
Mary Miller
Brookhaven
That poor dog had
a very sweet name
I have seen the face of the dog that was put down on many occasions. He was a sweet dog that lived on the 4500 block of Strahle St. We, the neighbors, have called the SPCA on numerous occasions regarding the dog. He lived in very poor conditions, outside in extreme heat with no water, sores all over his body and almost always chained up to a railing with a leash that was way too short for him to sit or lay down.
When I saw the picture in the paper, I had no doubt in my mind that it was him. At first it made me sad, then it turned to anger. The SPCA sent someone to the house of these people on a Sunday. The SPCA called me and told me the dog was all right. He had allergies. Two days later, I saw the owners walking the dog, and he had the cone around his neck. So finally, I thought justice is done for the little guy. The owners actually were scared and took the dog to a vet.
I saw the dog for about three days with the cone. All of a sudden, the dog disappeared. I’m assuming they took him and dumped him since nobody in that house ever seemed to worry about him. Another neighbor saw the dog getting physically abused at one time, which we told the SPCA, but they said we couldn’t prove it. These people keep the outside of their house disgusting.
Ms. Lisa Rodgers from the SPCA stated in last week’s Northeast Times that this was not a reflection on the SPCA, but it totally was. They should have removed that dog immediately. I hold myself responsible for what happened to him. I contemplated stealing him out of his yard, but was in fear of going to jail for trespassing. I should have trusted my instincts and just done it. Two families were willing to take that dog. I even spoke to a guy in the household about where he got the dog, because my neighbor was looking for one just like him. I was opening the door for them to tell me to take the dog.
So to Ms. Lisa Rodgers and all SPCA workers who didn’t help me — thank you. I hope you feel as guilty about this as I do. Oh, by the way, the little guy had a name. His name was Hershey. Rest in peace, Hershey.
I want everyone to know Hershey’s name and I would hope to think the owners of that dog see this and actually have remorse for what they did.
Sharon Glenn
Holmesburg
Animal welfare chief:
We’re doing our best
First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the concerned citizens that have expressed their opinions openly and honestly in response to Kelly Mulligan’s letter. It is good to know that so many people in our city care deeply about how animals are treated and cared for.
Many letters that have come from readers since Ms. Mulligan’s original letter was published claim that nothing has changed since PACCA opened.
While we are far from perfect, there have indeed been many significant changes, and the current state of affairs for Philadelphia’s animals is much improved, but still far from where we need to be. In 2005, following public outcry and City Council hearings that were held to investigate the state of PACCA’s operations, I became part of PACCA’s new administration that was brought on board to make changes.
In the last two years, we have revamped shelter operations, worked to change a culture of killing to a culture of lifesaving, and made a commitment to help make Philadelphia a no-kill city. We have even launched a new donor-funded division called the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) that is dedicated to saving lives.
When I first arrived at PACCA, there was no accountability and the vast majority of animals entering this building were killed. In 2004, PACCA saved only 10 percent of the nearly 30,000 animals entering its doors. This was arguably one of the worst lifesaving rates in the nation. In 2006, under the new administration, nearly 50 percent of the animals received by PACCA were saved. During the first quarter of 2007, PACCA saved 66 percent of the animals it received, with 70 percent of the cats and 61 percent of the dogs leaving our facility alive.
Clearly, much has changed, but the battle has just begun and it is far from over. We encourage everyone to visit the "downloads" section of our Web site to view a complete report of our statistics at www.phillypaws.org
We understand that all customers should be treated respectfully and courteously, and when they are not, we have failed as an agency to provide quality services to the citizens of Philadelphia. We are committed to working continuously to improve our operations and our customer service delivery.
It is our policy to inform the public that animals may be killed, or will be killed upon surrender to the shelter. In the past, people would come to the shelter and drop off their own animals, or animals they had found, thinking that they would all be saved. This was, and still is, simply not true.
The public deserves to know the truth, and the truth is that not all animals we receive will be saved — today. But, we ARE definitely and wholeheartedly committed to continuing to improve the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless animals, and we need the community’s support and participation to achieve our lifesaving goals.
It is important to note that we have no ability to isolate dogs for holding or medical treatment. The city gives us just under $3 million for a city with 1.5 million people — the bottom range of nationally recommended standards indicate we should receive at least $6 million ($4 to $7 per capita). To put it bluntly, we are operating with less than half of the staff, vehicles, space, and other resources we need to get this job done and care for the animals.
The bottom line is, we want to do more, and we are striving each day to do everything we can. We are not perfect and we do make mistakes. Please join us in our efforts to save the lives of Philadelphia’s animals.
With the participation of each citizen’s extraordinary energy and emotion, we could save the hundreds of animals we have at our shelter today, and the thousands more we will see before this year’s end.
Tara Derby
CEO, PACCA and PAWS
Ex-volunteer: Shelters
are not the problem
Many years ago, I worked first as a volunteer, and then as an employee, for the Morris Animal Refuge in Center City. So, I know firsthand what it is like to work in an animal shelter.
Animal shelter work is emotionally and physically draining. Your letter writers who are condemning both PACCA and SPCA have most likely never worked in an animal shelter. I would suggest they do so, either as a volunteer or an employee, before they are so quick to condemn the people who work there.
Like any other workplace, shelters have good and bad employees, but most shelters try very hard to employ only workers who truly care for the animals. I know this was the case when I worked for Morris.
Until you have actually worked in a shelter, you have no idea what it is like to have to see the end results of man’s inhumanity to animals; to see litter after litter of kittens brought in because the owner refuses to spay or neuter; the dogs who were left unattended until the chain around their neck embedded itself into their skin; the houses full of dogs and cats, neglected by "collectors" who took in so many animals that the house had feces on the floor 1 inch thick.
These horrors and much more are what shelter workers have to see and deal with EVERY DAY, be they kennel attendants, adoption coordinators or animal control officers. Before you judge them, try walking a mile in their shoes.
Having lived in Philly, then New Jersey and now Philly again, I have seen a number of cases where people wrote letters condemning local shelters. They did it in New Jersey too, even though the shelter I lived near then was a state-of-the-art facility.
I generally find people who complain about shelters fall into two main categories: One, people who were refused the privilege of adopting an animal because of poor animal care backgrounds (and who are indignant because they see pet ownership as some sort of "right" as opposed to a privilege), and two, animal rights activists and "animal lovers," many of whom have never worked in a shelter, but see fit to condemn people who are doing their best yet who struggle under the weight of seeing the brutalities inflicted upon innocent animals by the rest of society.
Many of these same "animal lovers" will support a no-kill shelter before a place like the SPCA, not realizing how the so-called "no-kill" shelters are able to operate in the first place. They do not take every animal brought to them, and often have waiting lists. That is HOW they can advertise themselves as "no kill." Shelters that do euthanize take each and every animal.
Euthanasia is not the worst thing that can happen to an animal that is terminally ill, in much pain, or would otherwise face a terrible life on city streets, to be abused, burned, starved, etc. And shelters have limited resources to house every single animal they get. Those are the plain facts.
Want to stop animal abuse? The best way is not by attacking those who are trying to do something about it. Try going after the REAL culprits for a change: animal abusers, people who do not spay/neuter their pets, people who engage in cockfighting, people who run puppy mills, people who cause humane societies such as the SPCA and Morris to have to exist in the first place!
Anita Wasserman
Rhawnhurst
Do a good deed: Help
cancer patients get help
Your recent article highlighting Fox Chase Cancer Center was helpful in informing the community of the valuable services provided by this outstanding hospital.
I would like to alert your readers to a service provided by the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program, which provides much-needed transportation to cancer patients who need rides to and from Fox Chase, sometimes for 35 days at a stretch if they are in radiation treatment.
Many of these patients are older, either do not drive or cannot drive due to their illness and who do not have families able to help on such a continual basis.
I am retired and a volunteer driver for this program. I drive patients two mornings a week and these hours are some of the most rewarding I have ever spent. The patients are inspiring in their determination to recover from their cancer.
We are in great need of more volunteer drivers. If any of your readers would be willing to devote a couple of hours a week to the Road to Recovery program, they should contact Ellen Herrmann at Fox Chase Cancer Center, 215-728-3628, or Kelly Bradford at American Cancer Society, 1-800-ACS-2345.
Jane Kieser
Ambler
Clearing the record indeed
on Rhawnhurst A.A. building
For the past several weeks the Letters to the Editor section has been of great interest to me regarding the construction site at Rhawnhurst Playground (George C. Pelbano Playground). None have been as intriguing as Bob Marlin’s (Clearing the record on the Rhawnhurst delay, July 5 edition).
First things first. Jeanne Dearden, a dedicated parent and volunteer at RAA, simply spoke on behalf of all the members of Rhawnhurst Athletic Association to voice their frustration that the gym promised is still not completed after two-plus long years.
I am the president of RAA and as such would like to correct some of the tales Mr. Marlin has spun. As this has been a very long frustrating journey, I will do my best to keep my points brief.
Bob Marlin states that Bock Construction has tried to arrange to meet with RAA’s board of directors only for their request to be denied.
Incorrect.
I have personally spoke with you, corresponded with Tom Bock through e-mail, and another member of our board spoke with Bock’s attorney. It seems Mr. Bock (friend of Rhawnhurst) could never find the time in his busy schedule to meet with us even though our meetings are held after 8 p.m. due to the fact that the majority of our board coach after work. For the record, RAA has NEVER denied Bock Construction the opportunity for a meeting.
Mr. Marlin states that Bock Construction offered to supply portable toilets in an exercise of "good faith." Incorrect again. Bock Construction did allow us use of the construction site toilet and did supply one additional toilet for our 2006 (one day) Homecoming event. The additional toilet was immediately removed the Monday following the event and the construction site toilet locked off from public use. That "good faith" gesture was immediately followed by an invoice due payable to the City of Philadelphia for the renting of the toilets. Further requests for portable toilets made by myself directly to Bob Marlin were denied, as Bob Marlin stated that it was not part of their contract to supply toilets for the general public. If not for the tireless efforts of Councilman Dan Savage, there would be no portable toilets.
Bob Marlin asserts that Bock Construction has allowed the association access to the existing building when needed. What association? Certainly not RAA, as we have been locked out and have had to rent a storage bin to store all of our supplies. Time and time again our request to use the building even on the most limited basis has been denied due to ongoing site activities. This denial has come directly from Bock.
I personally spoke to Bob Marlin on April 20, 2007, at the playground site regarding limited use of the bathrooms in the existing building. I asked that Bock Construction make sure that the facilities were in working use for the kids. He stated, "We’ll see what we can do."
We still have no access to these facilities.
Bob Marlin also states that the only thing the kids have been denied is use of the gym. Really? What about the tot program that has been suspended for three years? What about the summer camp and the spray pool? What about the existing Rhawnhurst senior citizens group, which, through all of this, have gotten no mention?
While I am certain there is plenty of blame to go around from the city to the contractor, to the architect, etc., and I know full well that pointing blame is a waste of time, I felt compelled to set the record straight. I really do not care who is to blame, who did what to whom. I just want this whole ordeal behind us, and the only one thing that will accomplish that is the completion of our gym.
I recently read that Bock Construction was assigned the job at the Gambrel Field to construct a new athletic field which is home of the Frankford Chargers. The Frankford Chargers is a great organization and I would like to wish them all the luck with their "Field of Dreams."
For the Rhawnhurst AA Raiders, our dream has been nothing but a nightmare.
Dan Bucher
President, Rhawnhurst Athletic Association
Councilman’s aide:
We’re here to help
As chief of staff for Councilman Daniel J. Savage, I am compelled to respond to Bob Marlin’s letter.
When Councilman Savage was sworn into office on Nov. 27, 2006, he inherited the Rhawnhurst problem. He immediately began talking to all parties to resolve the situation. After meeting with the athletic association at the site, he convened a meeting with various city agencies. Although Bock was invited to those meetings, no one from Bock accepted the invitation.
To get this project completed we reached out to Bock several times and even tried to speak with a Bock representative through the company’s lawyer. We have tried to resolve this for the sake of the community and the children who have been affected.
Contrary to Mr. Marlin’s claim, Bock did not try to provide Porto-potties. In fact, Bock refused to provide them, and our office arranged for installation at the city’s expense. Our office tried one last time to have a meeting with all parties. By then, the city had already begun legal action.
If constituents have questions or concerns, they may call our office at 215-686-3448.
Elizabeth McCollum Nazario
Chief of Staff
Councilman Daniel J. Savage
7th district
Bush is failing families,
says congresswoman
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th dist.) released the following statement concerning President George Bush’s comments in which he expressed his strong opposition to expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
"Time and again, President Bush demonstrates just how out of touch he really is. I’d like the president to explain to the more than six million children, including over two-hundred thousand Pennsylvania children, who are covered with health insurance, thanks to SCHIP, just exactly why he ‘strongly objects’ to insuring more children.
"I’d also like the president to explain his reasoning behind his comment, ‘[P]eople have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room.’ Does the president really not know that increased visits to the nation’s emergency rooms are one of the primary reasons why healthcare costs in this country have skyrocketed?
"President Bush’s comments suggesting that health insurance for children is not important, are not only wrong, but incredibly offensive to families working hard every day to meet their responsibilities. By demonizing a bipartisan effort that has successfully gotten health coverage to millions of families, the president makes clear his misplaced priorities.
"In 1992, I was proud to spearhead one of the first state initiatives to enable working families to purchase private health insurance for their children. Since that time, I’ve talked with literally hundreds of grateful parents. They are grateful to purchase private health insurance at a fair and reasonable cost. They are grateful that their children can receive routine checkups and proper medical care. And they are grateful that Congress is committed to expanding SCHIP so more American children can benefit.
"The president can use misleading information or he can look at the facts. SCHIP has always been about giving states the latitude they need to best expand health coverage in their own states. In Pennsylvania, we work in partnership with the private marketplace to enable parents to buy private health insurance at reduced cost.
"At a time when forty-five million Americans, including almost nine million children, do not have ongoing health insurance, and at a time when the cost of health insurance premiums for those with employer coverage has risen eighty-six percent in just six years, we need to be smart and effective about how we tackle this crisis, and SCHIP is a proven public-private partnership that works." ••
Northwood’s new regime:
We are not buffoons
We, the united majority of the board of directors and officers of the Northwood Civic Association, could not disagree more with your characterization of us as "buffoons" in last week’s editorial (Northwood’s friction is no laughing matter), and we expect that you will publish a written apology. Your evaluation of our conduct disregards facts that, until this point in time, were either unknown or not disclosed outside of the board of directors.
The blame for the current state of affairs within the association lies completely with Mr. Menkevich and Mr. Williams. Their secrecy and attitude of superiority gave the remaining board members and the general membership little opportunity to know about their actions, let alone hold them accountable for their conduct.
It was only after questions arose about the propriety of the bank account in question that their schemes began to unravel. Faced with the inevitable discovery of more incriminating evidence and the associated public scorn, Mr. Menkevich and Mr. Williams began a propaganda campaign and tried to thwart the board’s exercise of the authority clearly granted to it by the association bylaws.
This campaign included directly interfering with the very financial audit Mr. Menkevich authorized in the first place.
It also included an attempt to have the board member conducting the audit impeached when no such provisions existed at the time in the association bylaws.
At that point, we were at a distinct disadvantage. But we knew we needed to act quickly to contain Mr. Menkevich and Mr. Williams. This included revising the bylaws to have procedures for removing a board member or officer while guaranteeing some basic standards of fairness.
Our primary motivation was to prevent the additional havoc Mr. Menkevich would have brought into the situation if left unchecked. We also realized we had a fiduciary duty to protect the funds in the disputed bank account until a full investigation could be conducted.
We realize the actions we have taken over the past three months have appeared chaotic. In some cases they were. But that was unavoidable.
Once we fully realized the extreme depths of the problem, it was our duty to address the problem with measures of equal extremity and urgency. The members who attended the July 10 special meeting realized this. They could have refused to recognize the validity of our actions. Rather, they voted to pass our proposed bylaw changes by a landslide. They overwhelmingly spoke in favor of our actions and applauded our work.
Such a response from them sends a clear message that we are on the right track for turning Northwood Civic Association around.
Amazingly enough, Mr. Menkevich and Mr. Williams still refuse to accept this message, even when faced with the voice of the members themselves behind us.
Mr. Menkevich was given an opportunity in our letter of May 29 to resolve this matter with a minimum of public embarrassment. He made his choice not to take advantage of that opportunity, and now he must accept the consequences of his actions.
In the meantime, we cannot continue to permit him and Mr. Williams to breach their fiduciary duty at the risk of our reputations and the continued existence of the association.
Gina Panchella
President
Michael L. Bane
Vice president
Barry Howell
Board member
Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Board member and secretary
Renee Hudson
Board member
Louis L. Kubik
Board member
William F. Rodebaugh
Treasurer
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