The plot that Drexel plans to buy includes University City High School and Drew Elementary School.

Drexel University is set to substantially expand its footprint north of Market Street with the tentative purchase of the 14-acre property where the shuttered University City High School and Drew Elementary School currently stand. Drexel plans to build residential housing, retail space and, most importantly, a K-8 school complex.

Drexel’s plan was outlined in broad terms during a meeting Wednesday night at West Philadelphia High School to announce that the university was the winning bidder on the property, one of seven properties the School District of Philadelphia has for sale. The School Reform Commission is expected to approve the sale during its March 20 meeting.

Drexel’s plan for the site includes an expanded Powel Elementary School, which currently serves students in K-4, and a Science Leadership Academy (SLA) middle school. If approved, the site would be the first middle school for SLA,  the acclaimed magnet school that has a campus in Center City that works closely with the Franklin Institute and a nascent high school program in the Beeber Middle School building in the Overbrook neighborhood.

Officials stressed that the plans are very tentative and are subject to several community meetings and the city zoning process. The terms of the purchase, including a possible price, has not been announced.

About 100 people attended the meeting, including members of the Powelton Village Civic Association and the Mantua Civic Association. The responses to the announcement ranged from relief to indignation.

“The community coming into this was very nervous,” said George Poulin of the Powelton Village Civic Association. “But we are excited about the possibilities of the site.”

The Powelton Village neighborhood would benefit the most from the project, particularly from an expanded Powel School.

Mantua residents, whose children lost their high school when University City High closed, questioned whether the project would help them.

“We don’t know where our community is heading,” said Terry Wrice, a University City High graduate and son of famed city activist Herman Wrice. “Our kids are all over the place.”

High school students from Mantua have been assigned to West Philadelphia High School, where many have experienced confrontations with students from other neighborhoods.

Lucy Kerman, Drexel’s vice provost for University and Community Partnerships, said the university has no plans to include a high school on the site.

“Our commitment has been to support the existing school and that means Powel,” she said during the meeting. “Our vision is in the K-8 space.”

The site will also include residential housing. “It will not be dormitories,” said Bob Francis, Drexel’s vice president of University Facilities.

Francis said the retail would be “small and locally organized.”

“We see ourselves as participating in the recovery of West Philadelphia,” Francis said. “This is about improving the tax base and bringing in jobs.”

Drexel’s push further north into West Philadelphia neighborhoods has increased under president John Fry. Fry, of course, was one of the key architects of the University of Pennsylvania’s initiatives west of 40th Street, including the construction of the Penn Alexander School, while he was executive vice president of Penn from 1995 to 2002.

Residents will have many opportunities to weigh in on the project at different stages. The next chance is the March 20 meeting of the SRC. Click here for information on registering to speak at that meeting. The deadline to register is 4:30 p.m. on March 19.

–Mike Lyons

West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution is hosting a roundtable discussion series titled “Philly, Your Voices, Our City” geared toward “Millennials” (20-34 year-olds). The event will take place Saturday, March 8, at Landmark Americana (on the St. Joe’s campus at 2481 N. 54th St), starting at 11:30 a.m. Younger residents are welcome to join the discussion on the city’s growth, what Philly can improve on, neighborhoods, housing options, and other topics. This is a great opportunity to voice your opinion on some of the most important aspects of city living. Also, enjoy free lunch!

To register, call 215-452-0100 or email: juliana@wpfsi.com

Local teens are taking part in Avenue Q School Edition. (Photo courtesy Project Arts)

Here’s a chance to support a new local high school musical project and help make a change in the lives of some talented teens who are facing cuts in their school music programs.

West Philly Local has already written about “Avenue Q School Edition,” an after-school program and show currently being put on at The Rotunda by Project Arts. The project has finally reached the costly production stage, which includes the construction of an intricate set, puppet rental costs, mic rentals, and the hiring of a great crew of teachers and workshop leaders, according to Rich Wexler, Project Arts executive director.

“We have improvisation classes, a history of puppetry workshop, puppetry manipulation workshops, vocal and acting coaching, and diversity training for our cast. This process gives our teens the tools to excel in our production. But we need help to provide our teens with all the necessary tools we need to make this production successful,” Rich wrote in an e-mail.

Rich and the teens and teachers involved in the project are reaching out to fellow West Philadelphians with the following request:

“If you believe in our work, please give whatever you can. Our last production (Rent School Edition) really had a great impact on the lives of our cast. In our own way, we changed some of their lives. We worked harder this year to do outreach to youth that did not have any access to theater programs or productions, as well as casting a very diverse cast.”

Project Arts was able to get $10,000 in grants for this show through a partnership with The Rotunda and their goal is to produce two to three productions a year with children and teens. They still need to raise about $3,500 to pay for all of the production costs.

If you would like to support this project please go to this Indiegogo page to make a donation:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-art-s-avenue-q-school-edition-fundraiser

And here’s information on the upcoming “Avenue Q School Edition” shows:

Dates: March 21st – 30th (7 shows )
Times: 3pm, 7pm, 8pm (various nights)
Venue: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street
Cost:  $10-15
Tickets on sale here: http://projectartsavenueqschooledition.bpt.me

Practicing the battle cry. (Photo from the Team Sunshine Performance Corporation’s website).

Fancy taking part in an epic battle in Clark Park on a sultry summer eve? This year Shakespeare in Clark Park is staging Henry IV complete with a battle scene and they need your help.

The Shakespeare in Clark Park folks are teaming up with the Team Sunshine Performance Corp. to recruit and train 100 volunteers to take part in the late July performances. Tryouts will be held during the weekend of April 5-6 and you must be at least 12 years old to participate (which unfortunately eliminates some of the kids who go at it with all manner of medieval foam weapon every weekend in Clark Park). Your commitment includes a half-dozen rehearsals and five performances in mid- to late-July and early August.

“Anyone who can learn and remember basic instructions, be outside in July, can get up to a light jog and can be enthusiastic about joining an epic performance should participate!,” according to the tryout invitation. “No previous performance experience is required.”

The tryouts are:

Saturday, April 5th, 10:30am – 1:00pm
Sunday April 6th, 2:30pm-5pm
Sunday April 6th, 6:30pm-9pm

For tons more information about tryouts – including an FAQ – go here.

Archived photo/Joel DeGrands.

This afternoon, some West Philly Local readers reported to us that there was no water service around S. 45th and Baltimore/Springfield. We contacted Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) for details but found out that no one had reported the problem to them yet. When there’s a disruption in water service, please make sure to call Water Emergency Hotline at: 215-685-6300 and provide your exact address so that PWD can dispatch their crew, PWD spokesperson Laura Copeland told West Philly Local.

Since this is the season of water main breaks and frozen pipes PWD would appreciate if residents let them know without delay if there’s a problem with water.

By the way, the water service at 45th and Baltimore was restored at around 3 p.m.

The Fire Works (Photo from The Fire Works website)

As an independent journalist, sometimes working from home can feel isolating.

Sure, I have my cats and reruns of Dallas, but staying confined to my bedroom’s four walls while furiously typing away can induce pseudo-cabin fever. And setting up shop in a local coffee joint isn’t always better—while there’s activity buzzing around you, you’re still among strangers who may not be up for much conversation.

That’s why coworking spaces like West Philly’s The Fire Works, which recently opened above Dock Street at 701 S. 50^th Street, are a growing trend in the city. Coworking hubs give professionals without a permanent workspace an opportunity to be independently productive while building a like-minded, synergized community. It’s a win-win for most people.

For owner Linford Martin, The Fire Works is meant to achieve just that in West Philly. Opened earlier this month, The Fire Works is an enhanced version of a small coworking group that met in a studio at The Cedar Works—Martin’s 15,000 square-foot community-oriented work and meeting space at 4919 Pentridge Street. Martin approached the group in October about joining forces after Philadelphia Community Acupuncture vacated the third floor of the Dock Street firehouse at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, which is already home to neighborhood mainstays Dock Street Brewery, Firehouse Bicycles and the Satellite Cafe. The Fire Works, he said, would be a larger coworking community in West Philly built on their foundation.

“Over the past year, I got to know the group better and understand more about how coworking communities function and how important it can be for people working independently or remotely for an organization,” Martin told West Philly Local. “As we brainstormed about how what shape that might take, we got jazzed about the possibilities and decided to go for it. We didn’t (and still don’t) have everything figured out but we’re enjoying working in the space and having informal discussions about how to make this coworking community an enjoyable and productive place to work.”

So The Fire Works set up shop in the former PCA space, which was revamped to include a conference room, small meeting room, kitchenette and a shared work table in an open space accessible to members only. So far, members of The Fire Works include cartographers, activists, educators, web developers, musicians, and writers according to its website.

But coworking in the 2,000 square-foot hub isn’t free. The four levels of membership range from $60 a month for five days of access a month to $200 a month, which gives you 24/7 access as well as desk and storage space. If you want to use The Fire Works beyond your membership allotment, it’s $12 for each additional day.

Still, if you can afford to drop down the cash, The Fire Works is worth checking out—particularly for the chance to connect and collaborate with local creatives.

“As we’re beginning to grow and welcome new members, we’re realizing our coworking community is really an extension of our geographical community,” said Martin. “Most of us see each other around Cedar Park or surrounding neighborhoods and have interactions with each other outside our physical space. It’s been fun to see new connections happening already.”

–Annamarya Scaccia