The independent Philadelphia Water, Sewer, and Storm Water Rate Board announced four upcoming public input hearings to address a general rate increase requested by the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), which filed a formal notice with the Rate Board on March 31.

Based on the PWD rate filing, beginning September 1, 2025, the monthly bill for the typical residential customer would increase by 11.7 percent. Beginning September 1, 2026, a typical customer would experience an additional 5.9 percent increase, which means that an average monthly bill would be approximately $96. The reason for the proposed two consecutive year rate increases is “rising costs in labor, materials, equipment, laboratory services, regulatory obligations, and capital costs.” As a reminder, PWD raised its rates twice in the past two years because of the same reason.

PWD is also proposing changes to its Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) and the Senior Citizen Discount program to ensure that all income-eligible individuals can benefit from the reduced water bills. Since the last rate setting, assistance program enrollment has greatly increased, according to PWD, thanks to such new policies as data sharing with other departments and autoenrollment.

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The Kingsessing Library has a new teen and child reading area.

Here’s some great news for Southwest Philly residents. After being closed for a major renovation for more than two years, the Free Library of Philadelphia Kingsessing Branch, located at 1201 S. 51st St., has reopened this week and is welcoming visitors and patrons.

The century-old building (built in 1919) closed its doors in October 2022 to prepare for construction, which began the following winter.

Some of the upgrades and renovations at the library include:

• New teen and child reading area
• New roof, doors and windows which bring more light into the space
• Refurbished masonry
• New elevator
• New furniture, fixtures and finishes
• New lighting improvements on the exterior and interior
• HVAC improvements

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We’re sad to report that West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company has cancelled the final show of their 20th anniversary season due to unfortunate circumstances. The new production, A Funeral Farce, was scheduled to run from April 30 to May 17, but has been postponed indefinitely after a few key staff and family members were diagnosed with serious illnesses, according to an announcement posted on social media.

“After many hours of talks and weighing many options we must, with heavy hearts, cancel our last production of Season 20,” the announcement reads. “We have quite unexpectedly been hit with multiple serious family illnesses. Three of us who are deeply involved in many aspects of the show have been profoundly affected by cancer.”

The show is co-written by Jared Reed and Curio’s artistic director Paul Kuhn and directed by Curio’s managing director Gay Carducci-Kuhn. Curio members hope to do this show in the future, “hopefully with the same cast and crew.”

Purchased tickets will be reimbursed, but in its continuous effort to never turn away a child for financial reasons, Curio is asking to consider donating your purchased ticket to Curio’s Spotlight Fund which gives scholarships to children who cannot afford to attend Saturday classes and camp.

Spring is here and here’s a great opportunity to pre-order plants for your summer garden. The annual University City Garden Club Spring Plant Sale has kicked off this week and will continue through April 15. As always, the sale features a great selection of herbs, veggies, flowers, annuals, and perennials. You can also pick up the 2025 Vegetable Gardening Booklet from Penn State for free!

To access the online sale, click here. The pick-up date for orders is Saturday, May 3 (you will receive more details after placing your order).

If you want to shop in person, a Live Plant Sale will be held at the annual Spruce Hill May Fair in Clark Park (43rd and Chester) on Saturday, May 10. The May Fair kicks off at Noon, while the sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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UPDATE: SEPTA has adjusted the schedule for the 42nd Street Trolley Track Renewal project, which will replace the tracks between Spruce Street and Woodland Avenue. The project is now expected to begin today (Tuesday, April 1) and continue until June 13.

Trolley tracks will be replaced along 42nd Street between Spruce Street and Woodland Avenue, which is a portion of the trolley diversion route usually used in the summer during trolley tunnel maintenance. The project will affect parking and vehicular traffic.

During the project’s pre-construction phase, parking will be restricted on the portions of 42nd Street affected by work. 42nd Street will be closed in segments as the project moves along. Only one block at a time will be closed. The intersections of 42nd and Spruce, 42nd and Baltimore, 42nd and Chester, and 42nd and Woodland will not be affected by the project.

Construction hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (sometimes later). Occasional weekend work may also take place.

Additional information about this project is available here.

The newly opened period pantry is open to all community members.

A new period pantry has opened at the Health Partners Plans Community Wellness Center, located at 6232 Market Street. This new hub addresses period poverty that impacts two in five people who menstruate. The pantry will provide free menstrual products, education on menstrual health, and access to community health workers who can assist with scheduling women’s health appointments.

Period poverty occurs when individuals cannot access or afford menstrual hygiene products and is often linked to limited access to basic facilities and running water. People facing period poverty frequently have to choose between basic needs, like buying food or paying for utilities, and purchasing menstrual products, which can lead to significant health and mental health challenges. This issue is particularly prevalent in large cities like Philadelphia and disproportionately impacts Black and Latina women.

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The City is moving forward with the 47th Street Repaving and Traffic Safety project, which includes a new 47th street layout. Today, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) introduced legislation to move forward with the project that will improve traffic safety for pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists.

The project, which was introduced to the public in 2023 and underwent some revisions, will:

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The 67th annual Spruce Hill Community Association May Fair is set to return to Clark Park (43rd and Chester) on Saturday, May 10.

As always, vendors, local artisans, community groups and organizations seeking to do outreach and promotion are invited to to be part of this popular community event. The application process is currently open for interested vendors and groups. Space is limited and priority will be given to local community organizations and artisans.

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Shepard Recreation Center is another West Philly public space that will be renovated thanks to the City’s Rebuild program. (Photo courtesy of Rebuild PHL).

Rebuild Philadelphia, the City’s program that invests in public spaces, will break ground on a renovation project at century-old Shepard Recreation Center located at 57th and Haverford. This is the latest in a series of renovation projects at local recreation centers, public libraries and playgrounds implemented through this program.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Community members are welcome to attend.

The $17 million Shepard Rec transformation project will bring major renovations, including:

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A four-year project to improve the Market Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River is expected to begin this week, according to PennDOT. The project will be carried out in phases and will include a complete 14-month closure of the bridge to vehicular traffic.

The initial phase of the project includes construction activities by the general contractor on this project, Buckley & Company Inc., that will focus on extensive utility work to replace numerous electric, gas, water, fiber optic and other lines within the project area.

Further work will include structural work on the bridge. As part of this work, the superstructure on the existing Market Street bridge over Amtrak and I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) will be partially demolished and replaced. The deteriorated deck and sidewalks of the adjacent Market Street Bridge over the Schuylkill River will also be replaced, and the existing four-span Market Street bridge over the Schuylkill River Trail and CSX Railroad on the east side of the river will be replaced with a single-span bridge.

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Spruce Hill Provisions, a small local grocery/general store located near 46th and Baltimore, is closing its doors after less than four years in business. The store, “selling local products wherever possible,” from produce to baked goods to flowers and gifts, opened in 2021 at 4529 Baltimore Avenue.

The last day of operation will be March 31. The owner, Elizabeth Planet, who lives in the neighborhood, has decided to dedicate all her time to nonprofit work.

“Given everything that’s going on at the federal level at the moment, I have decided to devote myself fully to my nonprofit/social impact work,” she posted on Spruce Hill Provision’s Instagram page. “It has been a joy to serve the community we live in and love since 2021, and I’m sorry I can no longer keep it going.”

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In an effort to make pedestrian crossings safer, the Streets Department has begun installing “pedestrian refuge islands” along Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia. The construction work began this week.

A pedestrian refuge island is a concrete raised median at crosswalks that serves as pedestrian refuge on wide roadways (see image). They often separate traffic lanes and are used on wide roadways. This safety feature reduces crossing distances and provides refuge for pedestrians to be able to cross the road in stages.

The project on Chestnut Street includes the removal of the existing plastic delineator posts and construction of concrete pedestrian refuge islands in the bicycle lane buffer areas.

The pedestrian islands will be installed at multiple intersections from 43rd Street to 62nd Street:

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West Philly residents have a chance to meet and hear from two Democratic candidates ahead of the May 20 primary election at a District Attorney Candidates Forum at West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, 123 S. 51st St., on Tuesday, March 11, at 5 p.m.

The candidates participating in the forum are:

• The incumbent Larry Krasner who is once again running for District Attorney.

• Patrick Dugan, a former Philadelphia judge.

The forum is organized by the 46th Ward Democrats. Please go here to RSVP.

On May 20, a primary is being held to elect the District Attorney, judges, controller and Judge of Elections. See the full slate here. Because Philadelphia is heavily Democratic, elections in this city are really decided in the primary.

The Walnut Hill Community Playground renovation project is moving forward thanks to a recently secured $75,000 grant.

The Walnut Hill Community Association, in collaboration with the University City District, is now gathering community input that will help them understand what parts of the playground’s improvement are most important for users. The association has released an online survey which takes a few minutes to complete. Here is the link.

The Walnut Hill Community Association is still trying to raise more funding and understanding who the playground users are and how they use the playground can help them do that. There are several voluntary questions about the playground usage in the survey. Please answer as much of that information as you are comfortable with sharing. The only required questions are about the park improvements.’

If you have any questions about this survey, please email Morgan Rogers Burns at morgan@universitycity.org.

More information about the $75,000 grant and the playground renovation efforts is available here.