The 48th and Woodland Recreation Advisory Council will meet on Thursday, March 24 to discussion efforts to put a trolley stop back at 47th and Woodland Avenue, near the playground there, which had been removed.

This winter, residents and local officials have expressed their concerns with the lack of accessible trolley service and have been calling on SEPTA to bring the stop back. City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and state Rep. Rick Krajewski will attend the meeting. SEPTA officials will also be at the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the 48th and Woodland Playground at 1414 S. 47th St.

Philadelphia homeowners can now protect themselves from unsolicited offers from real estate brokers or wholesalers. Based on the “homeowner protection law” passed in 2020, which prohibits wholesalers and their agents from soliciting homeowners who don’t wish to be contacted, the City has launched a Do Not Solicit registry.

The types of solicitation may include in-person contact, telephone calls, mailings, digital communications and other written communication, like flyers placed at your door or on your vehicle. By registering in the list, homeowners opt out from receiving any direct offers to purchase their residential property as well as advertisements for “just listed” or sold houses in a neighborhood. Continue Reading

Photo from www.phila.gov

The second phase of Mechanical Street Cleaning, the Streets Department’s pilot program that launched in 2019, is currently underway. The 2022 program is scheduled to begin on April 4th and will include mechanical sweeping on select routes in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

• Parkside to Spring Garden from 52nd to 40th (see map)

• Woodland to Kingsessing from 49th to Cemetery (see map)

Mechanical street cleaning utilizes trucks with mechanical brooms sweeping street debris (see photo). In addition, Streets Department staff will clean some routes with backpack blowers and hand brooms. Sanitation officers may issue sanitation code violations related to litter and dumping as part of this program. Continue Reading

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Spak Group, the West Philly real estate company behind WADE Flats, a new housing development at the intersection of 53rd St. and Whitby Ave., is sponsoring a new mural in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia. The mural will be located on the entirety of the 5300 Whitby Avenue Bridge and Spak Group is inviting all interested neighbors to participate in its creation process, which includes planning, design, production and celebration.

The first step in this process will take place Thursday, March 17, at a community meeting which will be held at the New Testament Church of God at 935 S. 53rd St., beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and does not require an RSVP or reservation. Continue Reading

Starting today, students and staff at Philadelphia public and Archdiocesan schools are not required to wear masks. The mask mandate has also been lifted for early childhood education settings, except for Head Start programs. Masking also continues in pre-K classrooms that also have Head Start students.

Masks will again be required in all Philadelphia schools for one week following spring break to avoid a possible post-break surge in cases.

The City’s Department of Public Health announced last Wednesday the immediate transition to the All Clear COVID-19 response level due to the continuous drop in the number of new cases and some other criteria. The All Clear level (Level 1) means that proof of COVID-19 vaccination and masks are no longer required in most indoor public places. Masking is still required on public transit and in healthcare settings.

During the All Clear period, businesses may choose to require staff and patrons to wear a mask and/or show proof of vaccination. Unvaccinated residents are advised by the Department of Public Health to wear a mask in indoor settings.

Philadelphians have been given “All Clear” as the current COVID-19 response level, which means wearing masks at indoor public places is no longer required, with some exceptions (see below). The announcement was made this morning by Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, the City’s Public Health Commissioner.

During the Level 1 – All Clear period, no public COVID-19 mandates will be enforced, but masks will still be required in some settings, including schools, healthcare settings and public transit. The City is planning to drop the school mask requirement on March 9 if COVID-19 cases and other metrics will continue to drop. Masks will again be required in all Philadelphia schools for one week following spring break to avoid a possible post-break surge in cases. Continue Reading