State of EMAN

The East Mt. Airy community group recalled its efforts 'to make a good community better' and glimpsed its future

by MICHAEL J. MISHAK

East Mt. Airy residents looked back on a year of "triumphs and tragedies" and weighed in on their neighborhood's future during East Mt. Airy Neighbors' (EMAN) 38th annual meeting last week.

Barry Seymour of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission presented a draft of the comprehensive plan for Mt. Airy, one of three neighborhoods selected by the William Penn Foundation for housing improvements, economic development and increased circulation.

Seymour sought community feedback on some planning commission proposals, including the downsizing of Pleasant playground for housing development. The group overwhelmingly opposed the proposal, which would have reduced the playground to half its size for development and redirected the revenue to recreation improvements.

Another proposal would focus on relocating businesses from a small retail strip on Chew Avenue to the more vibrant commercial corridor on Germantown Avenue. Residents favored supporting the Chew Avenue businesses at their current location.

According to an economic market survey, Mt. Airy residents spend $600 million annually in retail purchases, but only a third ($200 million) of that amount goes to local businesses on the Avenue.

"Your money is going out of the neighborhood," Seymour said. Select areas like the Germantown Avenue corridor from Allens Lane to Mt. Pleasant Avenue will be targeted for business development, he said. Similar areas at Carpenter, Springer and Hortter streets will also receive help. The commercial strip from Johnson Street to Washington Lane is also targeted.

Addressing circulation, Seymour said he had heard many residents complain about insufficient parking.

When Seymour mentioned the possibility of resurrecting the Route 23 trolley, the crowd was sharply divided, half in support, half opposed.

Most neighbors supported the notion of a gateway at Cresheim Valley Drive. While the plan is still a work in progress, it will be presented to City Council when completed, Seymour said, and used by city agencies as a guide for capital projects.

Ed Schwartz, president of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values, detailed the responsibilities of a community organizer, a position both EMAN and WMAN have sought to fund through joint grant applications.

Ultimately, the community organizer would devise strategies to build membership, strengthen neighborhood participation, develop programs and improve relationships with city departments.

Schwartz, also an East Mt. Airy resident, proposed negotiating a comprehensive social contract to clearly define responsibilities. "A social contract defines up front what the commitments are," Schwartz said. "Then, the community can develop a realistic sense of expectations."

Currently in negotiations with schools in the city's Frankford section to reduce youth violence, Schwartz said an EMAN contract would require discussions with the Mt. Airy Business Association, Mt. Airy USA, the School District, city agencies and elected officials.

J. Whyatt Mondesire, president the Philadelphia NAACP, previewed next month's NAACP convention. Topics for discussion will include the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and the AIDS epidemic, he said.

"It's not the homicides that are killing most black people," Mondesire said. "AIDS is wiping out whole countries. It's moving across the planet." There are currently more than 17,000 AIDS cases in Philadelphia alone, he said.

Under his leadership, the Philadelphia branch of the civil rights organization won the right to vote for ex-felons in 1999. "We defeated the modern day poll-tax," Mondesire said. "How can we bring people back into society if we rob them of the franchise?"

Now, Mondesire said, the NAACP is focused on fighting the violence that has claimed 27 children this school year alone. "This is the most lethal year I can remember," said Mondesire, who has lived in Mt. Airy since 1978.

The NAACP is working with legislators like State Rep. Dwight Evans in pushing for gun law reform and additional resources for after-school programs, he said.

"This is the slaughter of the innocence," Mondesire said. "It's really not hyperbole. This is the most serious problem in my time here."

Despite criticism of his leadership, Mondesire said he would continue his blunt approach to fighting discrimination and violence citywide.

Said Mondesire: "Some people don't like my cowboy hat and boots, but as long as the law gives me breath I'll keep coming at them."

Other items on the agenda:

Six months after the idea of merging EMAN with its counterpart West Mt. Airy Neighbors (WMAN) was formally debated, EMAN president Derek Green said the argument seems to have ended in an ideological draw. The groups will remain separate, Green said, but will continue working in a cooperative spirit on grant applications and projects like improving the area below Gorgas Lane.

Since Pleasant playground surfaced on a recreation center "hit list" in April, EMAN has coordinated with Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller to gather signatures on a petition to save the playground, Green said. More than 1,500 signatures were recently delivered to City Council president Anna Verna, Mayor Street and Councilwoman Miller, he said.

Pleasant playground could be closed because of Mt. Airy playground's proximity, city officials have said. "The two playgrounds are not comparable," Green said, adding that Mt. Airy playground does not have a pool.

Resident Elvira Evans was awarded the Edgar A. Baker Award for her efforts to save Pleasant playground, among other projects.

The community group plans to conduct more seminars, including ones on financial planning for both college students and retirees.

Green urged all residents to contact either police or the Mt. Airy Safety Network to report crime in their neighborhood, especially in light of recent killings in the area.

Facing another deficit, EMAN needs new sources of funding, renewed recruitment efforts and an expense audit, Green said. WMAN saved $6,000 annually by moving and sharing space with Mt. Airy USA. It was also noted that the EMAN Web site needs to be updated.

EMAN volunteers raised $4,500 on Mt. Airy Day, a $500 increase from last year, Green said.