Aug. 18, 1966

Plans for West Evergreen parking still stalled

Chestnut Hill is suffering a war of attrition. The Hill has a very simple goal which can be justified by the most elementary reasoning. It wants the remainder of the land on West Evergreen Avenue which is currently in use as a parking lot for Pennsylvania Railroad commuters to be permanently maintained as a parking lot. Chestnut Hill fought long and hard against the construction of a high-rise apartment on one segment of the property, but the apartment went through. We were told that our existing parking lots would be increased and a high city official tells us that a city councilman “was under the impression” that Chestnut Hill would get its parking lot. But now, the railroad is “hedging on this plan and unwilling to make a firm commitment.” And the councilman and the railroad haven’t decided what to do.

Aug. 19, 1976

Good as gold...

Step lively when you cross Germantown Avenue between Mermaid and Allens lanes: You’ll be crossing a network of so-called “Belgian” blocks which constitutes a community treasure and is protected by historical certification. The blocks are actually cobblestones — large pieces of hand-cut, round, redressed granite formed into a rectangular shape and set into mortar. Their installation in Germantown Avenue began toward the end of 1927 and was completed in January 1928, by the Union Paving Company at a cost of $3.72 per square foot of granite block, totaling $49,973.86 for the whole project. The term “Belgian” block is a misnomer, however. The Belgian variety is round on top and very smooth. The Community Association successfully encouraged the Chestnut Hill Historical Society to obtain historical certification, which is why, whenever the city’s streets department digs on that stretch of the Avenue, it must replace the blocks as part of its contract.

Aug 21, 1986

Aphasia Center closed due to funding problems

Cascade Aphasia Program and the Sandy Lee Center in Chestnut Hill were forced to close in June for lack of funds. In spite of promises, recognition of the need, and praise for the program by both state and city officials, no money has been forthcoming from those sources to help in the continuation of the program. The day-care program and respite care program, located at 305 W. Chestnut Hill Ave., provided for the care of severely disabled people who could not care for themselves. Both patients and their families had petitioned in vain for the continuation of the programs.

Aug. 22, 1996

CHCA liquor license support outrages neighbors

Angry neighbors lashed out with obscenities and wadded paper balls at the six CHCA Executive Committee members who voted 6-0 on Aug. 13 to support a liquor license for the Napoleon restaurant, which is planning to locate in the old post office building on West Gravers Lane. “This is a travesty of justice” shouted one neighbor. He then shouted “Bitch!” and “Judas!” to three of the women on the committee as they tried to leave. Several of the epithets shouted at the members were even stronger. One man not only shouted at the committee members that they had acted improperly but went over to one of the owners and threatened him, the owner said. Several men separated the two. Several visibly shaken board members exited Town Hall by the back fire escape.

Aug. 24, 2006

An obituary for the death of the personal letter

Recently, I’ve been reading two fascinating books of personal letters, and I happened to notice a full-page ad in a magazine which stated in part, “Do you hate to spend hours writing letters?... Give it up. Quit wasting hours searching for the perfect words. Discover the two-minute letter.” The book contains more than 150 letters, already written for you. Regrettably, this ad represents the state of personal letter writing in the U.S. today. It was Mark Twain who once wrote, “I didn’t have the time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.” Well, nowadays, Americans don’t have time for either.

Aug. 18, 2016

FOW begins $1 million trail restoration project

For Wissahickon Valley Park, the most popular and trafficked trail is easily Forbidden Drive. In the midst of continuing wear and tear, it will soon be receiving some much needed repair. The Friends of the Wissahickon will begin construction on several areas of Forbidden Drive that require erosion control work, as they have been in a state of disrepair for several years and the condition has become increasingly severe, according to FOW. The group has spent years raising the construction’s $1 million budget through state and private foundation grants as well as individual donor support. The design work should be completed by next year and construction will begin in late 2017.