An effort is underway to rename the Fox Chase Recreation Center in memory of Firefighter Daniel Sweeney.
City Councilman Brian O’Neill announced the project during the bimonthly meeting of the Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Fox Chase Town Watch on Sept. 12.
Sweeney perished along with Fire Lt. Robert Neary in the aftermath of a warehouse blaze in Kensington on April 9 when a neighboring building collapsed on them. Sweeney was a Fox Chase resident.
O’Neill said he’s been working with a group of Fox Chase residents to spread the word about the proposed name change so that the idea will gain broad community support. There is no pending legislation on the issue.
In a separate issue related to the Neary and Sweeney deaths, O’Neill has endorsed a proposal by firefighters in his district to extend a civil service examination benefit to the grandchildren of fallen police and firefighters.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter, children of police and firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty receive 10 points extra credit on the exams to enter the police or fire departments. But many children of fallen police and firefighters are unable to benefit because they are already committed to other careers.
Meanwhile, many of the grandchildren could benefit because they are still in school or have yet to enter long-term employment, said O’Neill, whose late father was a police officer.
The measure must pass a public vote to take effect. It will appear as a question on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
In other Fox Chase business:
• State Rep. Kevin Boyle invited residents to attend his Senior Fair on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Mayfair Community Center, 2990 St. Vincent St.
• The next Fox Chase Homeowners Association and Fox Chase Town Watch meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m., at American Legion Post 366, 7976 Oxford Ave. ••
