Green Lane Neighbors: Let's Keep It Clean

Louise Fischer opened up her tidy home to the community Wednesday for a discussion bent on keeping the neighborhood the same way—clean.

Teamed up with a group of like-minded homeowners interested in preserving respectable houses in and around Green Lane, Fischer welcomed city sanitation and streets officials to share tips on getting substandard homes up to par.

"On each block people have taken an interest in picking up loose trash, and this meeting is an extension of that," resident Kay Sykora said.

In general, the concerned neighbors have attempted to politely approach new residents and tenants into managing trash properly, keeping lawns neat and shoveling sidewalks. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. The group invited Streets Department official Chris Fields and Sanitation supervisor Keith Warren to share options they had.

Fields, who works with SWEEP (a city agency focused on sanitation code enforcement), advocated a path of education. He distributed literature explaining trash guidelines, holiday pickups and resident responsibilities.

"When the weather breaks, we give citations for grass and weeds (with growth over 10 inches). Most people know they need to take care of it, but sometimes they don't," he said.

One resident pointed out that younger tenants are often ignorant and are used to "mommy and daddy picking up everything." 

However, ticketing, Warren said, is generally the last step the city takes. He encouraged residents to utilize 311 to create a paper trail. Though Sykora and others said they had negative experiences, Warren said contacting the number holds the city and offenders responsible. Additionally, he provided his own contact info (keith.warren@phila.gov) for other follow-ups.

When the city does take action, he said, it holds property owners—not renters–responsible.

"Generally an owner gets a ticket in the mail, whether he lives in New Jersey or wherever. You find then problems go away quickly," he said, adding they hold tenants accountable.

To get the best city cooperation, Warren gave two pieces of advice:

• Have numerous people make similar 311 complaints.
• Contact the local sanitation station directly. The closest one (at Domino and Umbria streets) can be reached at 215-685-2501, 2 or 3.

Warren also suggested partnering with the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee, which helps neighborhood groups cleanup efficiently. 

For more information on city sanitation initiatives, visit the Streets Department Web site.