East Frankford Civic
to petition against NET

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

East Frankford Civic Association members decided at last week’s monthly meeting to sign petitions opposing NorthEast Treatment Center’s plan to provide behavioral health care and social services at the facility for adults and youths out of the Third Federal Bank Building, 4625 Frankford Ave.
Community members were upset that they weren’t consulted before NET purchased the property from Frankford Associates. Since NET didn’t require any zoning changes, it wasn’t required to meet with the community or civic association.
About 20 residents attended the meeting and agreed to have the neighbors on their blocks sign the petitions, which will be sent to Community Behavioral Health, one of NET’s funding organizations. Petitions will also be available at next month’s meeting, according to civic association president Peggy Hoch.
"We want legitimate signatures of people in the area," Hoch said.
Next month civic members will also discuss nominations for civic board positions. For years, Hoch has worn all the hats.
At last week’s meeting, Frankford resident Amy Thatcher volunteered to be secretary but will need to be officially voted in, according to Hoch.
In other business, City Year representative Caitlyn Gallager gave the organization an overview of the work City Year does in the Frankford community. City Year is a program of the AmeriCorps National Service Network.
City Year members are young people like Gallagher, between the ages of 17 and 24, and come from diverse backgrounds and from all across the country. They have, however, a common purpose — to offer 10 months of full-time community service to build democracy through citizen service.
City Year services fill a gap in schools across the city. They offer in-class support to students and teachers, provide tutoring, mentoring and counseling, and run after-school programs at Frankford High School, Warren G. Harding Middle School and Edmonds Elementary School. ••
The next East Frankford Civic Association meeting will be held at 7 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 1, in the second-floor conference room of Frankford Hospital’s Frankford Division.
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com