Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Two Roxborough community groups will be meeting Wednesday.
Two Roxborough civic groups will discuss potential new developments in the area at their meetings this week. The Upper Roxborough Civic Association will be discussing the Ridge apartment building at 7949. The group had some issues with the lighting and paint design of the building when it first came into the neighborhood and the The Galman Group development company has agreed to present alternative ideas at the meeting Wednesday. The Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association will be reviewing a proposal from the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers to close some social trails and increase the signage for the park near Henry Avenue and Hermit Lane in Roxborough. The WICA will be providing their input on the proposed trail closings. Both …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Resident Jon Miller launches Facebook group to connect community.
Wissahickon may be a small neighborhood, but it still lies within a big city. One resident attempted to rid his block of that urban anonymity by founding a Facebook group for his community. Jon Paul Miller, a local Realtor, rented in Wissahickon for several years before buying a home on Righter Street earlier in 2012 with his wife, Sara. He felt comfortable with the area but also a little isolated. "When I first moved here I wanted to look around for a neighborhood association and I found Wissahickon Neighbors, but learned they don't cover our area. I didn't realize that WICA (Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association) existed," he said. After talking with the civic and in an effort to increase the neighborhood's web presence, Miller …
40.020568
-75.209996
Northern Home for Children
5301 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/wissahickon-residents-foster-facebook-community
1264362
/locations/8027482
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Unite Fitness debuts Saturday at Wissahickon Valley Park.
Gavin McKay had one destination in mind when debuting a decathlon for the Philadelphia area. "I personally have an affinity for the Wissahickon. It's the most beautiful natural spot in the whole area. It was natural idea for us to come here since we wanted to keep it close to the city," he said. Presented by his company, the Unite Fitness Decathlon hits the ground running Saturday along Forbidden Drive in Wissahickon Valley Park. Through its 10 events, the Unite Fitness Decathlon strives to challenge both the strength and endurance aspects of the body. "Our brand is all about smart, well-balanced training. So the decathlon incorporates strength training and cardio endurance," McKay said. Formerly called Fusion Cross Training, Unite Fitness…
40.03259
-75.195199
850 W Walnut Ln, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/wissahickon-decathlon-challenges-philly-s-fittest
/locations/7953411
Thursday, September 20, 2012
WICA's appeal rejected by zoning board.
In an uncharacteristically marathon hearing, the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to keep a Rochelle Avenue property a multiple-family home, despite a civic association's appeal to alter its zoning use. Holding up a Licenses and Inspections decision to grant a rental license to 102 Rochelle Ave., the zoning board unanimously struck down an appeal from the Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association to change the property's zoning due to a lapse in use. Essentially, the appeal revolved around the city's decision to allow the property to continue as a multi-family property. Formerly owned by the estate of Edwin Lasota, the property is zoned as multi-family but ceased renewing rental licenses in 2006. In 2012, Lasota's estate …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Rochelle Avenue project brings headaches to Wissahickon residents.
As a Philadelphia Water Department utility project on Rochelle Avenue stretches into the fall, Wissahickon residents are getting frustrated. Neighbors along the normally sleepy 200 block of Rochelle Avenue have voiced frustrations through emails, phone calls, civic meetings and message boards, complaining that the overhaul negatively impacts parking, causes poor access for emergency vehicles, churns up dusk, and drives animals onto their properties. Although the water department admits the work causes "inconvenience" and is "intensive," spokesperson Joanne Dahme also called it "necessary," and the department has received fewer complaints than expected. "Our office has received fewer than expected calls, questions and complaints concerning …
40.01766
-75.20582
200 Rochelle Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/water-department-project-too-invasive-neighbors-say
/locations/7850413
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association indicated it would support current plan.
The newly dubbed Northern Children's Services may also add new and renovated buildings to its Wissahickon campus. Officials Wednesday from the former Northern Home for Children shared plans to build four new apartment units within Merrick Hall, add an elevator, increase parking spaces and potentially restore an historically appropriate wrap-around porch. The Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association heard the preliminary presentation and voiced approval in the project's early stages. Located at 5301 Ridge Ave., the campus that houses young mothers and their children—in addition to administrative offices—is zoned as residential, meaning any updates need approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Formerly an orphanage, Northern Home …
40.020568
-75.209996
Northern Home for Children
5301 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/expansion-renovation-planned-at-northern-children-s-service
1264362
/locations/7842482
Friday, September 14, 2012
Roxbororough figures a contingency plan for 'gateway' sign.
The Wissahickon sign along Ridge Avenue that alerts drivers to "the gateway to Roxborough" got crushed overnight Thursday due to unknown circumstances. Installed earlier this year, the Wissahickon sign—located at Ridge and Rochelle streets—arrived with the streetscape project along Ridge Avenue. Roxborough residents discovered the sign dismantled Thursday. Just hours earlier, at the Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association meeting Wednesday, residents hailed the sign as a beautiful entrance to the 19128 zip code and as a thoroughfare to Ridge Avenue. The destruction's cause appears to be a mystery, leaving the neighborhood to pick up the pieces. So what happens next? First, the debris will be cleared from Ridge Avenue. In the interim, …
40.018653
-75.211166
5200 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/wissahickon-sign-crushed-on-ridge-avenue
/locations/7838089
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Police report man had his bike stolen Aug. 12.
A Wissahickon man said three men beat up him and stole his bicycle in an August incident, police said. Philadelphia Police responded to 5400 Quentin St. Aug. 12 on a report of a robbery. According to police records, a man rode his bike at 3 p.m. when three men approached him. One man slapped his neck, while the other one grabbed his iPhone from his hand. The men grabbed his bike and fled toward the Wissahickon Creek. A witness also told police he saw the men. Police were able to recover the bicycle a block from the incident but not the phone. No injuries were reported.
40.021584
-75.204867
5400 Quentin St, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/three-men-jump-cyclist-in-wissahickon-police
/locations/7702028
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Roxborough branch sets run for Sept. 29.
Reinstating a former YMCA tradition, the Roxborough branch will launch a 5k run in September. The Roxborough YMCA Fit, Family Fun Run is set for Sept. 29 at Valley Green Inn along Forbidden Drive in the Wissahickon, local Health and Wellness Director Melissa Russo said. "We are sincere in that we want everyone to stay strong and within their goals. When we raise funds at events like this, it goes right back to our members and our scholarship programs," she said. The 5k is open to both members and nonmebers of the Philadelphia-area YMCA. In the past, the Y held a similar 5k but not for several years. "We're doing it the right way this time... as it will be professionally timed and marketed with sponsorships," she said. For $25 (adults) or…
40.046266
-75.231008
YMCA
7201 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/ymca-debuts-new-look-5k-at-valley-green
1264306
/locations/7650089
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Rev. Graham Robinson seeks to return church to the community.
Graham Robinson presides over the imposing, historical structure perched on a hill atop Ridge and Manayunk Avenues. However, as the new pastor at Wissahickon Presbyterian Church, his goal is to demonstrate that his congregation is anything but imposing and embodies the neighborhood. "Everything I'm doing here is about exploration. What can we do to help the community?" he asked. "I want a place for people to come and worship and praise God." His challenge is similar to many Manayunk and Roxborough pastors—to reinvigorate the atmosphere at these historical churches. Robinson's Story Installed as pastor in February 2012, Robinson knows the stresses that exist in the secular world. Although faithful, he worked for Mobile in Fairfax, VA, but …
40.019866
-75.210507
Wissahickon Presbyterian Church
5245 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA
/articles/presbyterian-pastor-offers-new-hope-for-wissahickon
1264599
/locations/7435207
Kevin
10:59 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
If you say so g'ma more ›