Editor’s Note: West Philly Local is proud to present the fifth in a series of vignettes of local block captains drawn from Them That Do, a multimedia documentary project and community blog by West Philly-based award-winning photographer Lori Waselchuk. Go to Them That Do for more information, updates and additional photos.

Angie Coghlan / Photo by Lori Waselchuk.

It’s the trees that keep Angie Coghlan busy these days.

Angie has planted hundreds of trees in West Philadelphia and she wants to plant more. A retired nurse, Angie has been the block captain of 4800 Springfield Avenue for 32 years. During that time, she was also active in Cedar Park Neighbors and in the revival of the Firehouse Market. Mostly, though, she’s had trees on her mind.

Angie co-founded Cross Baltimore Tree Tenders with her friend and neighbor, Johanna Fine, 20 years ago. “We were losing the tree-cover in our neighborhood and we tried to do something about it,” Angie remembers.

At first they acted informally, planting small trees in the lawns near the curb. “We called ourselves guerilla tree planters,” because they didn’t seek permission from the city, says Angie. For their first project, they planted two plum trees on a corner of Windsor Ave. and 48^th Street.

Over time, Angie and Johanna met the city’s requirements of having permits and formal permissions. “We developed a really good relationship with the arborist from our district and count him as a friend to this day.”

Angie and Johanna have partnered with UC Green since its inception. Angie has been a board member as well as an advisor to the organization. “Angie is one of UC Green’s pillars,” says Susan MacQueen, director of UC Green. “She is always thinking about what to do next.”

One of Angie’s long-term projects has focused on 47^th St. and 48^th St. corridors between Woodland and Baltimore Avenues. In 2005, she organized a one-day campaign to plant 47 trees on 47^th St. To pull it off she met with residents, coordinated volunteers and gathered donations of supplies, tools and trees. In 2008, she led a similar drive at 48th and Woodland Avenue Recreational Center, planting 50 trees.

This week, Angie and Johanna are going back to 48^th and Woodland to check on the trees they planted nearly six years ago. “We are finding that some of the trees are stressed. The roots are all tangled up,” says Angie. She worries that they will not survive. “We’ll see if we can save them.”

Much of Angie’s work is behind the scenes, identifying trees for removal. Just last week, the city responded to one of her reports and removed two giant sycamore trees near the corner of 45^th St. and Baltimore.

Johanna and Angie also assist homeowners who need to get rid of dead trees. “Larger trees pose a big problem for homeowners,” says Angie. Knowing that tree removal isn’t cheap, they collect donations to help residents pay for the removal.

– Lori Waselchuk

As always, we here at West Philly Local aim to keep neighbors abreast of community news and inform you of updates to that news. For today’s installment of updates, we’ve rounded up news about three big projects we’ve featured in the last three months that verge from the exciting (tacos!) to the conflicting (another expensive development!). And, of course, if there are other updates you’d love to know, we’d love to hear them in the comments.

Groundbreaking for Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral’s $110 Million Development

Photo by West Philly Local.

Tomorrow, Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and Radnor Property Group (RPG) will hold a groundbreaking for 38Chestnut—the $110 million mixed-used development at 38^th and Chestnut Streets that will see the razing of two historic brownstones (pictured) formerly used as the Cathedral’s parish house. The demolition will make way for a three-prong 326,000 square-foot project (owned by 3737 Chestnut, LP and developed by RPG) to be completed in 2015, and will include the construction of an allegedly “state-of-the-art” 25-story apartment building targeting professionals and grad students, as well as the Episcopal Cathedral Center that features a three-story office building with ground floor retail, a community center, and an early-learning childcare center. Additionally, as part of a settlement with the Preservation Alliance, the development will also see the renovation and maintenance of the cathedral itself. The groundbreaking starts at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral, located at 13-19 South 38th Street.

As we reported in November, the demolition to the two 19th-century brownstones has been nothing but contentious since it made news last summer. In an 8-2 vote, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the Cathedral’s hardship application to bulldoze the two historically-sanctioned houses, which were on the list of Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The Preservation Alliance appealed this decision almost immediately, but came to an agreement with the Commission in March, in which a 50-year preservation and restoration plan is implemented and maintained by the Cathedral, with project funds set aside for immediate work on the house of worship.  Continue Reading

There are some spots still open for this great free event, where you can learn how to make your home more cozy for the winter. Many of the materials demonstrated are given away to participants in tonight’s Weatherization workshop (see details below) free of charge. The workshop is presented by the West Philly Tool Library in partnership with the Energy Coordinating Agency, who will teach you how to weatherize your home and save money on your energy bills. Participants will also receive kits to take home to weatherize their own homes.

What: Weatherization Workshop
When: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Where: West Philadelphia YMCA, 5120 Chestnut Street

To sign up, click here.

The University of Pennsylvania’s community outreach office is hosting a community meeting on Thursday morning, Dec. 5, to discuss public school initiatives, including its program at the Henry C. Lea School (47th and Locust).

The meeting will run from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Walnut Street West Library (40th and Walnut). Representatives of Penn’s Graduate School of Education, Lea School University Partnership and Netter Center for Community Partnerships will be there to talk about their programs.

Thursday’s meeting is part of the regular First Thursday Community Meeting series that Penn routinely hosts.

Click to enlarge.

Here’s a chance to recycle your old computers, TVs, CD and DVD players, maybe even a VCR – basically anything with a plug (except for large appliances). Bring them to Saunders Park (39th and Powelton) on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. to Noon.

The recycling service is free to everyone in the community, including businesses. The recyclers (eForce Compliance) say they will wipe clean or destroy all data.

The People’s Emergency Center and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center are sponsoring the event.

On Sunday, Dec. 1, there will be a great opportunity to wind down your Thanksgiving weekend and learn more about other cultures at the 18th annual “Peace Around the World: Passport to Cultures” event at Penn Museum (3260 South St). This is a free event for the whole family. Visitors will receive museum “passports” with itineraries to visit different cultures (Brazilian, Cameroonian, Indian, Kenyan, Pakistani and more) and explore their holiday traditions.

The event includes a wide array of activities, such as dance, storytelling, sari-wrapping, yoga sessions, Middle Eastern drumming workshops, face painting and balloon art for children, and international family crafts. And of course, there will be free treats for children!

The event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and guests are also invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy donation that will go to a West Philadelphia charity. For more information about this event and schedule of activities, visit this page.

(Photo courtesy of Penn Museum)