Several schools in West Philadelphia, including Alexander Wilson Elementary and University City High School, will be recommended for closure next year, according to a School District of Philadelphia facilities plan expected to be released later today.

The plan, which The Philadelphia Public School Notebook reports was sent to district employees this morning, calls for the closure of Wilson, a K-6 neighborhood school at 46th and Woodland, and the transfer of students from there to Lea Elementary at 47th and Locust. The plan also calls for the closure of Shaw Middle School at 54th and Warrington, which includes grades 7-8. Students there will be offered spots at Tilden Middle School, Longstreth Elementary and other nearby elementary schools that include grades 7-8.

Wilson students and their parents rallied last fall to keep the school open during the first round of closures, which shuttered Drew Elementary at 38th and Powelton. Wilson stayed open, but it was clear that District officials were still trying to figure out how to reconfigure schools in the area.

The West Philly Coalition of Neighborhood Schools released a statement this morning that expressed concern about the closing of neighborhood schools.

“We believe that every child should be able to walk to school and that a neighborhood can be strengthened by its elementary school and an elementary school by its neighborhood,” the statement read.

WPCNS also called on the School Reform Commission to fulfill the requirement to hold community hearings on the closures.

“Transparency, community inclusion and the opportunity for school communities to make their cases in opposition to closure are of the utmost importance,” the statement continued.

Some 37 schools in all are on the list to be shuttered as the School District of Philadelphia looks for ways to consolidate resources and cut costs (see the full document below). If approved the schools on the list would close their doors for good at the end of this school year.

University City High School (36th and Filbert) is one of eight high schools across the city to be slated for closure. Students at the school, which includes grades 9-12, will be given the option to transfer to schools elsewhere in the city or transfer to neighborhood high schools, including West Philadelphia High School, High School of the Future, Sayre High School or Overbrook High School. Bok, Germantown and Strawberry Mansion high schools are also on the closure list.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that no teachers will lose their jobs as a result of the closures, but that other school personnel could.

Superintendent William Hite is expected to announce the full list of closures today at 2 p.m. You can watch the press conference live on PSTV Comcast Channel 52, Verizon Fios Channel 20, or online here.

The full list:
School Closures and Reconfigurations – 2013-2014

Update: A former employee said last night that Café Cláve will close permanently. This is sad for a couple of reasons. First, they had good coffee and a good atmosphere that contributed to the diversity of cafés in the neighborhood. Secondly, that building has been in their family for a long time, since Gooch’s father, Carlos, ran an electronics shop in the same space in the early 1960s. Carlos is still listed as the primary owner of the building though he died several years ago. Café Cláve was, in a way, a homage to Carlos and Norma, who were well-known on the Salsa dance scene in Philadelphia.

Many readers have been asking what has happened to Café Cláve, the popular Cuban-themed coffee shop at 4305 Locust Street that has been closed for several days. It’s not good news. Shop co-owner Armen Terzian, known by many as “Gooch,” has been charged with a variety of crimes stemming from an incident late last month.

Terzian, 41, has been charged with aggravated assault, ethnic intimidation, possession of an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and simple assault. He allegedly brandished a machete and uttered several racial slurs during an argument with another man who was cleaning the street outside the shop on November 28.

Police issued a warrant for Terzian’s arrest soon after the incident. Terzian, who was on probation, turned himself into police on Sunday, according to court records.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 24. No word on when (or whether) Café Cláve, which Terzian co-owns with his mother Norma, will reopen.

This upcoming weekend Milk & Honey Market is throwing two holiday celebrations: a Holiday Pop-Up Shop on Sunday at their West Philly store at 45th and Baltimore and Winterfest on Saturday at their Center City location at Sister Cities Park (18th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway). Annie Baum-Stein, the owner, invites her West Philly neighbors to both events.

Winterfest will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a lot of fun holiday activities for the whole family – a Treasure Hunt, Karaoke sing-a-long with Frosty the Snowman, and holiday arts and crafts. The event will kick off with a choir performing songs of the season. Throughout the day children will enjoy Story Art, Snowflake Science, Cold Weather Creatures, and cookie decorating. This page has a full schedule.

For Sunday’s Pop-Up Shop held at 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in West Philly, Milk & Honey partnered with local artist/craft team Fennec Designs (many will recognize their wares from VIX Emporium or Go West Craft Fests) who have invited their neighborhood artisan friends to participate. In addition to the pop-up gift shop, Build-Your-Own gift baskets and Cookie decorating kits will be on tap at the event.  You can purchase anything in the store for a gift basket and receive the gift packaging and a custom gift card free.

And here are some examples of locally grown or made gift items:

Urban Apiaries Honey, unusual bitters, shrubs and syrups for cocktailers, Beer Kits for Home Brewers, local artisan made kitchen accessories, art works and beeswax candles, a great assortment of cookbooks and of course lots of delicious edible gifts!

Photo courtesy of the St. Bernard Community Garden website.

A plot of land that dozens of gardeners have worked for over 15 years to convert from burned-out homes to a thriving community garden is going on the auction block.

Some 50 local residents garden at the St. Bernard Community Garden, which is now facing an obstacle that has ended many community gardens in the city. The land at 1010 S. St. Bernard (see map below), where many of the garden plots are, is privately owned and the owner stopped paying taxes in 1997, soon after fire destroyed homes on the plot.

On December 19, the property will go to sheriff’s sale. So the gardeners, with the help of some pro bono legal work, Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and other community organizations, are trying to make sure the land remains a community garden. The city could step in and bid on the plot on behalf of the gardeners, but folks associated with the St. Bernard Community Garden say the city has a maximum bid it can’t exceed. So the gardeners are trying to raise more money to buy the land. So far they have raised more than $10,000. This is where you can help out.

There will be a fundraiser at Dock Street Brewery on December 15 that will include pizza, beer and a silent auction. 10 bucks at the door gets you a pint and a slice and there will be tons of items to bid on (can you say “holiday gifts”?) from a bunch of different local artists, artisans, restaurants and businesses.

Here is a Facebook page where you can RSVP.
 

View St. Bernard Community Garden in a larger map

If some of you have been postponing your investment in a good bike lock, this report we received from a reader, Christina, might persuade you to hurry up. Christina says that she and her boyfriend are lucky to still have their bikes, but it’s because they “practice good bike security.” Here’s what Christina wrote in an email:

“I just wanted to alert you to an attempted bike robbery at 45th and Osage last night. My boyfriend and I had locked up our bikes to a stop sign before going to a friend’s Chanukah party at around 8:30. When we left her house at 2, our bikes were all tangled up, pulled around the stop sign and out in the road a little bit. My front wheel and spokes were bent by my u-lock, my hand brakes were bent backwards, and my seat slashed. My boyfriend’s derailer was bent, but he claims it actually works better now than it did before. We’re lucky because we had locked up our bikes securely and we had good locks– for the damage and frustration, at least I still have a bike. I just wanted to alert my neighbors, because even though bike theft is pretty common, I think it’s always good to have a reminder to practice good bike security, especially when we live in what appears to be such a generally safe neighborhood.”

Here’s an opportunity to share your vision of the Spruce Hill neighborhood this upcoming Thursday (Dec. 13). The Spruce Hill Community Association is hosting a Community Visioning Workshop and all are welcome to come and offer their thoughts on what kind of a place you would like Spruce Hill to be. The workshop will be held at the Spruce Hill Christian School (42nd & Baltimore), beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Community input is needed for the planning process as the Philadelphia Planning Commission is working on a new District Plan and Re-zoning for West Philadelphia neighborhoods (University/Southwest District Plan). Many West Philly residents participated in the first University/Southwest public meeting on November 13 at the Enterprise Center. More details, including the summary and presentation from that meeting are available here.

For more information on the workshop, contact Barry Grossbach, chair of the Spruce Hill Community Trust, at b.grossbach@gmail.com, or leave a telephone message at the Spruce Hill Community Center, 215-349-7825.