GreatExpectations2007 - Fox Chase / Burholme REPORT ON CITIZENS FORUM

Date: Jan. 8, 2007

Location: United Methodist Church of the Redeemer

Citizens attending: 45 participants, most from Fox Chase, Burholme and Mayfair. Participants included Councilman Jim Kenney and City Controller Alan Butkovitz.

Inquirer observer: Dave Boyer, Editorial Board

Check out reports from the dialogues:

Group One: Led by moderators Ilene Wasserman and Ed Hanna.

Group Two: Led by moderators Ellen Petersen and Richard Doran.

Group Three: Led by moderators Harris Sokoloff and Douglas Fitzgerald.

Participants in each group were first asked to describe one hope or one fear as the city enters its election year. Then each group did an exercise that asked participants to imagine they were giving a good friend’s family advice on whether to move to Philadelphia.

What would be the pros and cons of that move?
What forces and factors underlie those pros and cons?
What steps could the city and region take to strengthen those pros or weaken those cons?

For a full description of the exercise, see http://go.philly.com/friendsdilemma

Observer's Notes:

Dave Boyer

Editorial Board

Among the most pressing problems discussed at this event were a dysfunctional school system and an unresponsive

45 or so people in attendance discussed failing schools and gun violence, corruption and taxes. But one of the most doable suggestions for making the city more livable came from Joe Siciliano of Burlhome.

His proposal: Build more “dog runs,” or fenced-in dog parks, throughout the city, especially at rec centers. All it would take is some chain-link fence at different locations, creating separate sections for small dogs and large dogs, he said. In other cities, these parks become places for dog owners to congregate and socialize, or to meet before going out for bagels on Sunday mornings. They also help to control dog litter.

“It’s such an easy fix,” Siciliano said. “It’s something that would work out without spending a ton of money.”
The city has at least two dog parks in South Philadelphia, said Councilman James Kenney. But Kenney said building more of them might encourage dog owners in their 20s and 30s to move to Philadelphia -- just the demographic that city planners are trying to attract.

Among other suggestions at this session were giving parents of school children $100 Acme gift certificates for perfect attendance at parent-teacher meetings, an idea proposed by Dave McCarthy of Burlhome and Lisa Deeley of Rhawnhurst. Other attendees proposed that the school district take students on field trips to different neighborhoods in the city and that the city hold a citywide Olympic Games competition with teams from various neighborhoods.