May 19, 1966

Metered parking seen as inadequate

The Chestnut Hill Development Group, in a move designed to alleviate the growing seriousness of the parking problem in the Hill’s business section, has requested more stringent policing of existing street-parking spaces. In a letter to Captain Frederick Dorhmann, of the 14th Police District, Logan M. Bullitt, president of the merchants’ organization, the Chestnut Hill Development Group, pointed out that “individuals... under pressure for space, utilize the curb line facilities for periods longer than the law allows, thus sharply reducing the turnover per space that otherwise would be available.” Bullitt asked that parking meters be more rigidly policed, even to the extent of having a full-time “meter maid” assigned to the area.

May 20, 1976

Top priority urged for turn-around

SEPTA has been asked to give the proposed top-of-the-hill trolley turn-around top priority in its capital improvement program. In a letter to SEPTA, the Chestnut Hill Community Association urged that the project be expedited now, while Route 23 trolleys are temporarily in disuse, to avoid “unnecessary tie-ups and interruptions.” The turn-around project would allow Route 23 trolleys to enter the top-of-the-hill terminal in a direction opposite to the way they now do, and trolley tracks would be relocated to the other side of the trolley loop.

May 22, 1986

Aesthetics committee at your service

The Aesthetics Committee of the Chestnut Hill Community Association now has an approved set of guidelines, and it plans to work with each business so that the fabric and flavor of the commercial community will be maintained. The guidelines concern maintenance, signage and banners, with the committee also suggesting color schemes, signs types, sizes and designs, alterations/renovations and other aspects. The goals include a “first class” commercial district with a “village” atmosphere, with the general appearance of the signs to be discreet, low-key and appropriate to the style, scale and color of the buildings. Banners need prior approval. Storefronts should be painted an appropriate color scheme. Sidewalk displays should be limited to a few items. Window displays should be eye-catching and tasteful.

May 23, 1996

Roles of residents questioned in promotion of area

Representatives of Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill are moving ahead on a project to promote the three communities as one region. At a meeting, many ideas were considered but with no final decision other than the formation of subcommittees on the mission statement, the name and a brochure, and the scheduling of a meeting in June. It was suggested that there needed to be input from residents’ groups, but some organizers questioned that approach, saying the residents were the target market and to include them in the process could be inappropriate. Discussion of the mission was tabled following comments on the semantics of the word “neighborhood.” Various suggestions for coalition titles brought concerns that visitors will not know where “northwest” Philadelphia is, that people will not know what “German Township” is, and that “William Penn” will mean another colonial village.

May 18, 2006

MALT celebrate 25 years with gift to the community

Most people enjoy receiving presents in celebration of their birthday, but for its 25th birthday, the Mt. Airy Learning Tree is giving a mosaic that illustrates its mission to the community. On Saturday, MALT unveiled the gift, a mosaic of tiles created by members of the community on the side of Lovett Library on Germantown Avenue. A tree, under a blue sky, sprouts from roots, depicting MALT’s mission of providing community-based learning, and of course illustrates the name of the organization. The diversity of Mt. Airy, which gives such pride to the community, is illustrated by the varied designs and colors of the tiles that frame the mosaic. The conception of MALT began in 1980 when Barbara Bloom wanted to create an inexpensive, adult community education program, and worked together with individual volunteers, East Mt. Airy Neighbors and West Mt. Airy Neighbors to establish the first program, consisting of 17 classes, in 1981.

May 19, 2016

No further sightings of black bear reported

The current whereabouts of the black bear seen this past Friday in Fairmount Park are unknown, according to Friends of the Wissahickon. Park users first spotted the bear on May 13 along Forbidden Drive, near Valley Green Inn. The bear was last seen swimming across the Wissahickon Creek in the direction of Devil’s Pool. Afterwards, wildlife management officials combed the area, but the search was called off late Friday after no bear was found. (However, there were photos of the bear in the Wissahickon.) FOW released a statement asking park users to leash their pets and proceed with caution. They urged anyone who saw the bear to report their sighting to the Game Commission. The bear was seen later that night in Upper Dublin Township but there were no further sightings reported over the weekend.