PhillyWatersheds.org

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Venice Island Enters Its Final Phase

Jul 19, 2013

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For nearly two years, the Philadelphia Water Department has been working on Venice Island in Manayunk, the site of community amenities including basketball courts, a recreation center and parking. But these facilities have been demolished because this small strip of land between the Schuylkill River and the Manayunk Canal was chosen as the site for an underground storage basin capable of holding nearly four million gallons of stormwater. The project will reduce demands on existing stormwater infrastructure in the Manayunk area and in turn protect and improve the health of the Schuylkill River. In addition to managing stormwater, the project will transform a declining area into a renewed public space. Hidden City wrote a fantastic piece in April that digs deeply into the community aspects of this project.

Indeed, the Water Department emphasized community input in the planning process to develop a design that results in a full-scale reconstruction of the site’s parking and recreational facilities. Once completed, the site will include a new performing arts center, a children’s play area, a renovated parking lot and athletic courts. What’s more, the site will feature a number of green stormwater infrastructure tools including tree trenches and a green roof on the PWD pump house. Furthermore, PWD and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation are working together to make improvements to the Manayunk Canal to restore water flow, which will include dredging and modification to the spillway at Flat Rock Dam.

While two years may seem like a long time, PWD and its contractors are right on schedule and entering the last phase of work. The basin is up and running and the upgraded recreational facilities and parking areas are scheduled to be fully completed by the beginning of next year. Stay tuned for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the public space in April 2014. For more details on Venice Island, head over to the project page.

GRID Alive! features Infill Soak It Up! this month

Jul 17, 2013

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GRID magazine, a free publication that highlights sustainability in Philadelphia, will feature the Infill Soak It Up! Design Competition in their August Issue. The Philadelphia Water Department hosted the competition to encourage creative thinking surrounding green infrastructure. The firms that participated will showcase their work at this month’s GRID Alive! talk show.The event, hosted by The Academy of Natural Sciences, will include free drinks, live music and an entertaining talk show about the contents of the August issue. Joanne Dahme, General Manager of Public Affairs at the Philadelphia Water Department, will be taking part in the conversation along with hosts Alex Mulcahy and Nic Esposito, as wellBeth Miller of the Collaborative.

The show is scheduled from 6 to 9pm at The Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Be sure to join us to check out the sketches, designs and other ideas that came out of the Infill Soak It Up! Design Competition and to pick up a copy of the August GRID issue. Hope to see you then!

You can read more about the Water Department and urban sustainability here. If you plan to attend, please register online.

Big Green Block: Phase II Complete!

Jul 12, 2013

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Philadelphia zip code 19125, known for the community’s dedication to sustainability, will celebrate the latest improvements to the Big Green Block on Saturday, July 20th with an official ribbon cutting event. The Big Green Block is a large collaborative project between the New Kensington CDC, the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the Mural Arts Program.The first phase of theproject turned the Kensington School of Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) into a ‘green’ hub, becoming the first high school in the country to earn LEED platinum certification. Along with the school, Shissler Recreation Center has ball fields, a basketball court, tree trenches and rain gardens, all managing stormwater runoff and pollution. Additionally, phase two of the project has enhanced the site with a new spray park, dog park and more!

On July 20th From 11 a.m. to noon, the New Kensington CDC will honor and celebrate the collaboration with public tours of the site. If you are interested in learning about how you can manage stormwater at your own home, arrive early for a rain barrel workshop, hosted by the Climate and Urban Systems Partnership (CUSP), at 9 a.m. Meet for all at the Shissler Recreation Center, 1800 Blair Street. Note, the rain date for this event is July 21st.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Diana at NKCDC, 215-427-0350 x104 or djih@nkcdc.org.

"The Oval" to Open

Jul 10, 2013

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This summer, the familiar oval parking lot in front of the Art Museum will become Philadelphia’s ““new shape of fun.” Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PP&R) is recreating Eakins Oval with the help of the Fairmount Park Conservancy, the William Penn Foundation and the City of Philadelphia. “The Oval” is going to be home to community programing and activities for all ages throughout the rest of the summer. Mural Arts will paint over the entire lot and PP&R will construct Philadelphia’s very own boardwalk – complete with a sand beach. The Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center will provide tours and hands on education about Philadelphia's water.

The pop-up park will open July 17th through August 18th, Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Each day will have specific free programming (see below), but you can expect interactive games, education and environmental programs, live entertainment, movies and food trucks on a daily basis. To learn more about this new initiative, visit Phila.gov or call 215-683-3600. You can also find The Oval on Facebook and on Twitter @TheOvalPHL!

Programming Includes:

Tuesdays- Wellness

Wednesdays- Arts & Culture

Thursdays- Environment

Fridays- Food & Flicks

Saturdays- Live Music Series

Sundays- Family Fun Day

TTF Summer Block Party Series

Jul 5, 2013

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Our friends at the Tookany-Tacony Frankford Watershed Partnership are hosting fun, family-friendly block parties every Wednesday in July from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Join us at each of the new Philadelphia Parks and Recreation gateways in Tacony Creek Park to enjoy FREE soft pretzels, water ice, and giveaways. Explore the creek on a guided walk in the park, and learn about community resources! PWD and other area organizations will host hands-on learning experiences as well as provide information on different projects you can get involved in.

The TTF Watershed Partnership has worked closely with community partners including the Scattergood Foundation and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation to design ‘gateways’ to Tacony Creek Park. These areas connect neighborhood residents to the previously underused trails of the park. These trails have been redesigned to allow for maximum interaction between the user and the heavily forested natural area.

See the block party dates and locations below, we hope to see you there!

July 10th - I Street and Ramona Avenue

July 17th - Fisher’s Lane and Ramona Avenue

July 24th - Whitaker Avenue and Loudon Street

July 31st - Rorer Street and Roosevelt Boulevard

For more information about the block parties, please contact Alix Howard of TTF Watershed Partnership at 215-744-1853.

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership Relocated to Globe Dye Works

Jun 28, 2013

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The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership is moving! Their new home will be the recently renovated Globe Dye Works at 4500 Worth Street in Northeast Philadelphia. What was once a yarn factory situated on the Little Tacony Creek, has become a home to artists, artisans and fabricators. After 140 years of service, the yarn factory closed its doors in 2005, only to become a new working space for Philadelphia’s creative community. The vision of Globe Dye Works includes a green roof and another potential building restoration. The move will allow TTF to be housed within walking distance of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Creek. We’re excited to see what this new complex will foster within the TTF! TTF’s mission is to enhance the health and vitality of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Creek and its watershed. They initiate and support efforts to restore the health of the watershed, and to mobilize communities as watershed stewards through community outreach, networking, educational programs, and project coordination and implementation. We wish the TTF Watershed Partnership the best of luck in their move and newfound home!

Imagining Frankford

Jun 26, 2013

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This Saturday, the Frankford Community, from Pratt Street down to Kensington Avenue, will celebrate their neighborhood. Community members, in collaboration with the Mural Arts Program and initiated by Council Woman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, have designed and created beautiful murals along a historic and diverse stretch of the Frankford corridor. Originally serving as a trail from Philadelphia to New York, Frankford Avenue has served residents of Philadelphia for decades and will continue to do so into the future. Along-side the restorative murals, the Philadelphia Water Department has implemented an exemplary rain garden in Womrath Park to help divert stormwater and pollutants from the nearby Frankford Creek. In addition to beautiful native plants, the collaborative project has also helped to bring other park improvements for residents to enjoy the benefits of the rain garden and park.

From 11am to 1pm this Saturday, the 29th, the Frankford community, the Philadelphia Water Department and the Mural Arts Program will showcase and celebrate the neighborhood they have helped to further develop. The day will include dedication of the murals by Mural Arts Director Jane Golden and muralist Cesar Viveros. The Water Department will host tours of the area as well as provide educational activities for children and families. Please RSVP for the event here.

Read more about the Imaging Frankford Project.

Watch community members tell their stories of Frankford.

West Philly Homeowners Receive Free Downspout Planters

Jun 21, 2013

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This week’s rain was no match for the homes on the 700 block of N. 43rd street. Outfitted with new downspout planters, the homes braved the storm to emerge with fewer puddles, a smaller stormwater footprint and prettier porches. The street now gathers neighborhood children to the new community garden, what was once vacant lot, as soon as the sun resurfaces.

Last Friday, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia in collaboration with the Philadelphia Water Department and Penn State Media Broadcasting organized a community block build to install downspout planters and reclaim an abandoned lot. The once weed ridden empty lot on 43rd and Aspen Street, now contains six garden beds for flower and vegetable growth as well as a large mulched area for the neighborhood children to play. The planters will help manage stormwater and beautify the homes with native grasses and flowers.

Penn State Media Broadcasting attended the event to collect footage for their newest documentary, Water Blues, Green Solutions. The film is an interactive project, documenting the stories of communities creating green solutions for water problems like flooding, pollution and water scarcity. The creators have traveled to cities such as Portland, San Antonio, New York and of course Philadelphia to learn about new and creative projects. The stories are being complied to their website, so be sure to check them out here.