Paul Steinke (photo from Linked In)

West Philly resident Paul Steinke, the former general manager of the Reading Terminal Market, will officially announce tomorrow that he will run for City Council.

Steinke’s announcement that he will run for an at-large Democratic seat in the May 19 primary was expected after he stepped down as general manager at the Terminal Market in early December. The announcement is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Field House, a sports bar adjacent to the Market.

The former finance director of the Center City District and the first executive director of the University City District, Steinke, 49, has overseen a 30 percent increase in visitors and $4 million in renovation and expansion of the Market in the 13 years he has overseen operations there, according to a statement from his campaign. Steinke is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University.

Steinke hopes to be the first openly gay person elected to citywide office. He lives in the Spruce Hill neighborhood with David Ade, his partner of nearly 20 years.

All 17 City Council seats are up for election in November – 10 district seats and seven at-large seats.

– Mike Lyons

A fire and gas leak were recently reported in two separate incidents within one-block radius.

The residents of Garden Court Apartments at 47th and Pine were temporarily evacuated Thursday night due to a fire in one of the apartments, according to reader reports. The fire was reported at around 7:20 p.m. Fire crews put out the fire, and most of the building’s residents were allowed back in the building an hour later. It’s not known what caused the fire.

A gas leak was reported early Friday morning, around 1 a.m., on the 4600 block of Spruce Street. A pregnant woman was taken to the hospital and several others were evacuated from a house with apartment units where the gas leak occurred. The pregnant woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation. PGW was on the scene to repair the leak, 6ABC reports.

Water mains on these Cedar Park blocks will soon be replaced (click to enlarge).

Cedar Park residents will see a major water and sewer main replacement work this year, according to an announcement posted today by the community association Cedar Park Neighbors. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) has contracted Nello Construction Company to replace water mains on eight blocks in the Cedar Park area:

• Beaumont St from 48th St. to 49th St.
• Florence Ave from 48th St. to 49th St.
• Florence Ave from 49th St. to 50th St.
• Florence Ave from 50th St. to 51st St.
• Saint Bernard St from Warrington Ave. to Florence Ave.
• Saint Bernard St from Warrington Ave. to Florence Ave.
• 48th St from Beaumont St. to Florence Ave.
• 50th St from Pentridge St. to Florence Ave.

The construction work is expected to go on for all of 2015, and there is no set schedule for when work on each block will be done. The replacement of old water and sewer mains is necessary to prevent breakages and system failures. The Water Department works to replace water mains approximately every 100-120 years, according to the project information.

Residents on the affected blocks should expect minor disruptions of water service during the construction work, for 1-2 hours while house connections are made and for 4-8 hours while water main connections are completed. Residents will be notified in advance when water service outages are scheduled, according to PWD. Construction hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Street parking during these hours may be restricted.

For more information about this project, visit the CPN website.

UPDATE (1/7/2015): If you’re on Twitter, you can report an unshoveled sidewalk to @Philly311:

@WestPhillyLocal @unshoveled I contacted @philly311 last year to report unshoveled sts. They got in touch w owners and snow got shoveled.

— Joselle (@JosellePalacios) January 7, 2015

@JosellePalacios @WestPhillyLocal @unshoveled Good morning! We are accepting shoveling reports!

— Philly311 (@philly311) January 7, 2015

(1/6/2015): Winter has finally arrived and reminded us all why we don’t like it that much. We wanted to pass along reminders about what to watch out for when temperatures drop below freezing and what to do when it snows. Stay warm and be careful as it’s slippery out there today.

City announces Code Blue

During bitter cold conditions, with temperatures near or below 20 degrees, the city issues a Code Blue weather advisory, which was announced at 6 p.m. on Monday. The Code Blue advisory triggers 24-hour outreach to homeless individuals and provides access to emergency housing network (see more here). If you see a homeless person outside and without a shelter during extremely cold conditions, you can call the Homeless Outreach Hotline at 215-232-1984.

Also a reminder to keep an eye on your pets and keep them inside when it gets too cold (or face penalties!). A new ordinance has been introduced in Philadelphia that makes it illegal to leave your dog outside during freezing (or extremely hot) temperatures. To report a dog left outdoors in severe weather call ACCT Philly at 267-385-3800 and dial 0 to speak with the dispatcher or email: fieldservices@acctphilly.org.

Winter Weather Advisory and Snow Removal

A winter weather advisory is in effect for today, and property and business owners are required to clear a path on the sidewalk within six hours of the end of the snowfall.

Residents and business owners must clear a path on sidewalk at least 36” wide within 6 hours of the end of a storm.

— Phila. Streets Dept. (@PhilaStreets) January 6, 2015

For owners of properties located on corners, the path should extend to the handicapped curb ramps to assist pedestrians and wheelchair users

— Phila. Streets Dept. (@PhilaStreets) January 6, 2015

The Philadelphia Streets Department has reminded that property owners are subject to a fine starting at $50 for not complying with this policy. To report a sidewalk that has not been cleared, call the Streets Department Customer Affairs Unit at 215-686-5560.

In case of a heavy snowfall with a large accumulation of snow, the City may declare a snow emergency. Snow emergency means that vehicles parked along the snow emergency routes must be moved to alternate parking spaces, so City crews can clear the snow along these routes.

Below is some information and holiday schedules for SEPTA and city services and hours for some local shops, cafes and restaurants. If you want to add your business hours, please do so in the comments below.

Happy New Year everyone!

SEPTA

Dec. 24, 26, 29, 30, 31: City buses and trolleys will operate on a special modified weekday schedule.

Dec. 24: Regional Rail will operate on a special Christmas Eve Midday schedule.

Dec. 25: All SEPTA vehicles will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. All-night Train service will be available beginning Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Regular Owl Bus Service will resume Friday at 12:01 a.m. Regional Rail will operate on a special schedule.

Jan. 1: All vehicles will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule.

Post Offices/Mail Delivery

Post Offices will be open on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, but will close early (most of them at noon). Mail will be delivered on these days. Post Offices will be closed and there will be no mail delivery on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

Trash/Recycling Collection

There will be no trash and recycling pick-up on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1, and collections for the rest of the week will be delayed a day. Philadelphia Streets Department is reminding residents to recycle their holiday gift materials and party supplies.

Stores, restaurants, coffee shops

Cafe Renata (43rd and Locust)

Dec. 23: Open until 4 p.m.
Dec. 24 & 25: Closed
Dec. 31, Jan. 1: Open regular hours

Coffee Market (45th and Pine)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Dec. 25: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Dec. 31: Open until 2 p.m.
Jan. 1: Open until 3 p.m.

CVS Pharmacy (43rd and Locust)

Dec. 25: Store: Open 24 hours; Pharmacy: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Honest Tom’s Taco Shop (261 S. 44th St)

Dec. 24, 25, 26: Closed
Dec. 31, Jan. 1, Jan. 2: Closed

Mariposa Food Co-op (4824 Baltimore Ave)

Dec. 24: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 26, 30, Jan. 1: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Milk and Honey Market (45th and Baltimore)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 26: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 31: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Jan. 1 : Closed

PA Wine and Spirits Shops

Dec. 24: Open until 6 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 31: Open until 8 p.m.
Jan. 1: Closed

Supreme Food Market (43rd and Walnut)

Dec. 24: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Dec. 25: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Dec. 31: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Jan. 1: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

The Fresh Grocer

Open 24 hours

VIX Emporium (50th and Baltimore)

Dec. 24: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dec. 25, 26: Closed
Jan. 1: Closed

If you’re planning to recycle your Christmas tree, here’s some useful information on how and where you can do it.

There will be some additional Christmas tree recycling opportunities next month. As always, the Philadelphia Streets Department will be accepting trees at its Sanitation Convenience Centers. The annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program will run from Monday, Jan. 5 through Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. Please note that the closest Sanitation Convenience Center is in Southwest Philly (3033 South 63rd St). It’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

In addition to the sanitation centers, there will be other drop-off locations throughout the city where you can bring your tree for recycling on Saturdays (Jan. 10 and Jan. 17), from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The following drop-off locations will be open in West and Southwest Philadelphia (click here for more locations):

• 54th and Woodbine
• 66th and Haverford
• 43rd and Powelton
• 72nd and Buist

Finally, UC Green and University City District will be hosting a tree recycling event at Clark Park (43rd and Chester) on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll post more information about this event when it becomes available.

Before recycling your tree please make sure it’s free of all decorations and ornaments and untied.

Trees left curbside will be picked up as trash and will not be recycled.

No recycling for this tree.