The annual SEPTA Trolley maintenance project, Trolley Tunnel Blitz, is scheduled to begin this Friday, July 7.

While trolleys will be on diversion to 40th and Market via 42nd Street, SEPTA crews will be working in the tunnel and at the 40th Street Trolley Portal near 40th and Woodland. A portion of Woodland Avenue immediately west of the gated entrance to The Woodlands cemetery will be closed to vehicular traffic from July 8 to July 24 to accommodate SEPTA crews working on trolley track replacement (see map). Vehicles can only enter the cemetery by traveling west on Woodland Avenue.

In other Woodland Avenue news, it has been revealed that Phase 1 of the Woodland Avenue Complete Streets project, which includes installation of traffic signals and marked pedestrian crosswalks at the intersections of Woodland Avenue with Chester Avenue and near the Woodland Cemetery gates/40th St. Trolley Portal, has been postponed until next year. Design plans and construction contract to be used for this work are currently being finalized.

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Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (right) had her hand traced on a mural by camper, Syrena McCoy, 8, during a celebration of the first week of camp at Caring People Alliance West Philadelphia Boys & Girls Club’s new camp.

Caring People Alliance West Philadelphia Boys & Girls Club (5843-55 Catherine St.), in Cobbs Creek, announced the opening of its new, 10-week summer camp, offering a wide range of engaging activities and educational experiences for children in the community ages 2-18.

The Caring People Alliance celebrated the first week of camp with a community-wide block party last Thursday. Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier joined campers and staff, as a mural made by the campers was unveiled to commemorate the occasion. The mural showcased the handprints of all the children already enrolled in the camp and contained each camper’s aspirations for the summer. Councilwoman Gauthier added her handprint to the mural.

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While gun violence and other incidents involving youth remain a serious problem in Philadelphia, the nonprofit Philly Truce is bringing back its Peace Patrol to city neighborhoods, including West Philly. Beginning at 2 p.m. this Thursday, Philly Truce will deploy its first patrol of the season from Charles Durham Library at the corner 34th & Haverford Avenue in Mantua. The launch coincides with the 84th birthday of the late Herman Wrice, a community organizer who resided and worked for decades in the same section of West Philly.

Philly Truce and partner Life Outside the Streets have unveiled its community outreach and visible deterrence schedule for what they are calling Safe City Summer. It’s robust. Beginning on Thursday the group will tour 10 neighborhoods using Free Library branches as bases. Three days per week they will hold space for communities across the city to be trained and join a peace patrol on the spot.

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SEPTA Trolley Tunnel, which connects West Philadelphia with Center City, will be closed for the annual maintenance from July 7 through July 24 for the annual “Trolley Tunnel Blitz.”

The tunnel closure will impact trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36, all of which will temporarily divert to 40th and Market, where riders can transfer to/from the Market-Frankford Line to continue their travel.

A temporary shelter will be set up for riders switching to/from the Market-Frankford Line. The trolley diversion map is available here.

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The Drexel Business Inclusion Center (BIC), which develops strategies and assists businesses in building a diverse and inclusive workforce, is hosting an Aramark hiring event on Tuesday, June 27 for individuals on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities. The event will take place at Drexel’s Handschumacher Dining Center (3210 Chestnut St) between 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Candidates will be interviewed for a variety of positions and receive on-the-spot job offers for positions, many starting in August and September 2023.

Job seekers who arrive before 2 p.m. will be guaranteed an interview and have access to:

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Starting today, Philadelphia Parks and Rec will begin opening outdoor public pools on a rolling schedule. All of Parks & Rec’s 61 pools will open this summer. Pool schedules will vary based on available staffing. The first pool will open today in West Philly’s Mill Creek neighborhood – an official pool opening ceremony, coinciding with Tiffany Fletcher Recreation Center (former Mill Creek) renaming ceremony, will take place at noon at 4700 Brown Street.

Here’s the opening schedules for other West Philly pools:

Friday, June 16:

Kelly Pool — 4231 Lansdowne Dr., 19131

Wednesday, June 21:

Johnny Sample (Cobbs Creek) Pool — 280 Cobbs Creek Pkwy., 19139

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