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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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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