Photo from Philadelphia LISC blog.

A great neighborhood beautification project is underway in Mantua. Initiated by local residents and supported by community leaders and organizations, the Mantua Greenway project is an effort to transform an overgrown and littered strip of land on Mantua Avenue, adjacent to the Amtrak railway, into a green space, reports the Philadelphia LISC blog.

Lifetime Mantua resident Bessie Washington, who lives across the street from the lot, started a small garden there in 2011 in memory of her mother. The planting of the first few flowers and plants has blossomed into a grassroots cooperation, resulting in a large neighborhood revitalization campaign to create a green space and build a walking and biking trail. Thanks to support from the Philadelphia LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), the project also received funding.

“In 2013, the William Penn Foundation provided $200,000 for concept design and early stage planning, and this past October the neighborhood was awarded $150,000 by the state for design, engineering, and partial construction of the greenway. The path will eventually connect to the city’s Schuylkill Trail system, and will boast trees, murals and art installations,” according to the LISC blog post on the project.

Read more about this and other Mantua revitalization efforts here.

We hope you are enjoying your Labor Day Holiday despite the hot and sticky weather that set in in the area. We have a few reminders.

• All government offices and public libraries are closed today in observance of the holiday.

• Post offices are closed and there is no mail delivery.

• SEPTA is operating on a Sunday schedule (visit septa.org for more information and schedule).

• There will be no trash and recycling pick-up today. Trash and recycling collections will be one day behind schedule for the rest of the week.

Renaissance Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center’s resident Fannie Mae Ausby with State Rep. James Roebuck (left), State Rep. candidate Algernong Allen, Renaissance staff and family at her 107th birthday party.

Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, which is located near S. 47th and Chester, recently had a great celebration. One of its residents, Fannie Mae Ausby, turned 107 years old! On May 9, Ms. Ausby’s friends at Renaissance hosted an all-star gala in her honor, featuring music by local performer Jimmy Wells. Guests included members of the Ausby family, the staff and residents of Renaissance, Roger Harman of the Gold Standard Café, political candidate and community organizer Algernong Allen, and the 188th District’s State Representative James R. Roebuck.

Roebuck presented Ms. Ausby a citation from the State Capital. She also received a letter recognizing her birthday from Philadelphia City Mayor Michael Nutter.

When asked about how she felt to be going on to 107 she replied “Live right, eat right, love God and he loves you right back.”

Happy Birthday Ms. Ausby!

State Rep. James Roebuck presenting Ms. Ausby with a citation from the State Capital. (Photos courtesy of Renaissance).

There will be a regular trash collection today, despite the fact that today is a federal holiday, according to the Philadelphia Streets Department. Residents whose regular trash pick-up day is Monday are asked to set trash and recycling at the curb today. Please note that there will be no rear driveway collections this week.

Trash and recycling pick-up was suspended Thursday and Friday due to the snow emergency.

50th Street between Warrington and Springfield (Photo by West Philly Local reader Rachel K.)

West Philly Local readers are concerned about illegal dumping on 50th St. between Springfield and Warrington and have written us to express their frustration.

Rachel K. writes:

“I’m just sick of the dumping on my block. I have reported dumping five times since I moved into our new place in June (long time West Philly resident). It’s usually tires and construction debris (on top of the standard litter we ALL deal with). I tried CLIP for a surveillance camera, but they said because it is a heavily trafficked area the solar charged cameras will be drained before morning… so not an option. I’m so frustrated…”

Rachel says she has called the Streets Department in the past and today she used this Streets Department form to report the problem. Please note that the form should be used for reporting illegal dumping on streets and sidewalks only. If you want to report illegal dumping on private property, please contact 311 (or tweet to @philly311).

We’ll keep you posted if using the Streets Department form has solved this particular problem (and please let us know if it worked for you). But what can residents do to prevent it from happening over and over again? Well, if you witness someone disposing off of large amounts of trash you are encouraged to report it to the police (please don’t approach and confront that person or persons). Here are the instructions from the Streets Department on how to report illegal dumping:

“If you have specific information of a person who is illegally dumping, please contact the appropriate Philadelphia Police District and ask for the Code Violation Notice (CVN) trained officer. If possible, please provide a description of the vehicle and plate information such as licensing state and tag number. You can use Citymaps to find the Philadelphia Police District.”