weeklypress.com • ucreview.com •June 12, 2013 3 Lee’s Hoagie to close


I was sad to learn that after being part of our community for 28 years Lee’s Hoagie House, at 4034 Walnut Street, will be closing. They apparently were informed by University City Apartments that they “don’t fit into the neighbor- hood”. They were given too short of a notice to be able to find another location so they plan to close this week. I am sorry to see this small business with reasonable prices leave our neighborhood. - Carol


After serving the community for 28 years Lee’s Hoagie House, at 4034 Walnut Street, will close. According to a neighborhood source, Lee’s landlord gave it short notice before moving. Subsequently, Lee’s Hoagie House will shutter its doors by the end of the week. Stay-tuned to the “UC Review” for an in-depth article on the quaint sand- wich shop that fed University City residents for nearly three decades. - Nicole Contosta


Correction:


In the 6/5/13 article on Tiffany City Lighting, reporter Nicole Contosta, wrote that Louis Comfort Tiffany Com- pany still makes stained glass products. It does not. In addition, the store’s owner, Marvin Hoffman has won the US Commerce Association’s Award for Tiffany Lamps & Stained Glass Windows in Philadelphia the past five years running. - N.C.


Point of view: Amtrak’s little train that could….


By John Dowlin Community Contributor


Urbanist author James Howard Kunstler puts it bluntly: “the lever of rail passenger service in the U.S. would em- barrass even the Bulgarians!” Of note is Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian, which runs once a day between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, both ways. Taking 5.5 hours to cover 249 miles, it’s one of the slowest trains in North America at about 40mph. But there’s more to mod- ern rail service than speed, and more to mature, refreshing travel than just getting there. Earlier this year Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail and other groups nudged Governor Corbett to do ev- erything he could to at least save this train. The good news: an agreement was worked out to keep the Pennsylvanian operating for another few years, at $3.8 million a year cour- tesy of the Commonwealth. Could the train be quickened just a tad, with a slightly increased fare, and added to the list of great American train rides? Here’re a few suggestions I sent to the Governor in late March:


• The ‘airtrain’: The easiest way to help a train is with a plane. Why couldn’t Amtrak partner with the 12+ airlines that utilize Pittsburgh’s International Airport, extending the Pennsylvanian’s run an extra few miles to connect with these carriers at PIA — much as AirFrance and Lufthansa have partnered with rail lines in Europe, and ViaRail with AirJordan in Canada? In Germany, Lufthansa has even re- placed its Frankfurt-to-Cologne flights with a reserved car on 13 high-speed trains a day. • Kids on trains: For families traveling across Pennsylvania and beyond, Amtrak would be all the more attractive if there was a suitable play area on board, a “child car” with slides, sandbox, little tables & chairs. Common in Europe, the Hershey Company could be approached to support Amtrak’s “play train,’ much as Nestlé has supported one in Switzerland, offering even a “chocolate train” to its factory in Broc. • Toasting aboard: With so many small breweries and vineyards throughout the Commonwealth, why not invite


Political updates: State & Local


The UC Review and Weekly Press compile political news that affects voters each week on the city and state level to keep readers more abreast of local politics. If there’s an is- sue you would like included in this column, please email it to newsdesk@pressreview. net by the Monday, noontime deadline!


P


hiladelphia City Council members Curtis Jones


Jr. and W. Wilson Goode Jr. are among a growing trend at City Hall. In a show of creativity, students, parents and advocates gathered outside Councilman Jones’ office to place capes on the shoulders of both Jones and Goode for their outspoken support of funding Phila- delphia Schools.


The event was hosted by a coalition of arts and educa- tion supporters, parents and school staff that includes Public Citizens for Children and Youth, ArtsRising, an initiative of the Philadel- phia Education Fund, and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s Ground- Swell movement.


The event began with a performance from Ishmail Yusef-Ali Abdus-Salaam, a graduate of School of the Future and followed by a poem recital from Saleem Smith a sixth grader at Lew- is C. Cassidy Academics


Plus School. “You guys are the real heroes,” said Jones Jr. Jones has taken the lead in urging his fellow council members to support fund- ing for the Philadelphia School District. Council- man Goode Jr. also flipped through his yearbook show- ing photos of the librarians, counselors and others who he remembered from his days in school. Goode sup- ports a proposal to increase the Use & Occupancy tax that is expected to generate between $32 million and $72 million, mostly for pub- lic education. Last month Councilwom- an Maria Quinones-San- chez and Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown also received capes their strong support for school funding. The capes are created by the Arts Educa- tion team at Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Director of Arts Education Gretchen Elise Walker says, “These council members are taking the brave steps of putting themselves out there to make sure our city’s children can sing, paint, dance and get the opportu- nities they deserve in their schools”. PCCY plans to hold more arts performanc- es in the coming weeks to draw attention to the need to adequately fund public schools.


them to offer wine and beer tastings along portions of the Pennsylvania’s route, much as Amtrak has done on selected trains in California? The Erie Brewing Co., makers of “rail bender ale,” is just one of more than 100 craft breweries in Pennsylvania that would be ready to support the nation’s first “beer train.”


• Carry bicycles: Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s most popular destinations for vacationing bicyclists, so why not welcome them? Suitable space on the Pennsylvanian and Keystone trains can be found on most runs, and bicycles can be safely secured with simple bungee cords. SEPTA’s commuter rail trains have carried bicycles for years – with- out a baggage car! One could argue that long-distance trains could also


provide a gym car, affording passengers a work out while enroute. And how about slots? A few years ago Philadel- phia City Council candidate Marc Stier suggested putting slots on selected SEPTA commuter trains to boost ridership. While slots would probably attract more riders, I’m not sure my family would want to be on the same car with a lot of gamblers. That’s not to say that the gaming industry shouldn’t be enticed to open where needed.* Could the Commonwealth partner with the state of Ohio and extend the Pennsylvanian to continue on to Columbus, stopping at two major airports? Ohio’s Governor Bob Taft, who proposed a Pittsburgh-Columbus-Chicago train ten years ago, would be happy to see service at least to Colum- bus. “And most of the tracks are there,” he says. With high-speed rail projects now underway worldwide, couldn’t we invite some of that investment to Pennsylva- nia, if only to help a little train that could, and would?


* Aboard the SS United States, for example, a national icon that has been rusting on the Delaware for years


City Council on Monday announced the formation of a Special Investigative Com- mittee to probe the deadly June 5, 2013, building col- lapse at 22nd


and Market


Streets and undertake a wholesale examination of City regulations and proce- dures in the areas of build- ing safety, neighborhood development, construction and demolition, and licens- ing and certification. Council President Dar- rell L. Clarke named the following members to the Special Investigative Com- mittee: Councilwoman Jan- nie Blackwell (3rd


District),


chair of the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development & the Home- less; Councilman Bobby Henon (6th


District), chair


District), chair of the Committee on Public Safety; Councilman At-Large Jim Kenney, chair of the Com- mittee on Labor & Civil Service; and Councilwoman María Quiñones Sánchez (7th District), chair of the Com- mittee on Licenses & Inspec- tions.


of the Committee on Public Property & Public Works; Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. (4th


“There are legitimate questions as to whether the deaths of six people and injuries to fourteen others could have been pre- vented,” Council President Clarke said. “While our City mourns this terrible loss, it is on our leaders to examine the events leading up to the 22nd


and Market demolition collapse and come up with ways to ensure something like this never happens again. The time for truly proactive government is now.”


The Special Investigative Committee will engage in a comprehensive review of the management and over- sight of vacant and blighted buildings across the City; invite industry experts from Philadelphia and elsewhere to give testimony on best practices; and request infor- mation from City officials and businesses involved in the 22nd


& Market demoli-


tion, by subpoena if neces- sary. “Property owners have to be held responsible for their actions as well as their inac- tions,” Councilman Henon said. “Whether it’s a deci- sion to leave a property to deteriorate or it’s a decision to try to save a few bucks by hiring untrained and incompetent contractors to do work on a property, own- ers are responsible for the


harm their decisions cause. If they are getting away with it in Center City, they are cer- tainly getting away with it in our neighborhoods. The time to make aggressive changes is now.”


“I have long been a pro- ponent of increasing our budgetary commitment to Licenses and Inspections,” Councilwoman Sánchez said. “In light of this tragedy, we need to carefully review our standards and practices for demolitions to ensure that our public safety agencies are following best practices and are adequately funded.” “Last week’s tragedy


proves that a building can be just as deadly as a gun,” Councilman Jones said. “As with guns, responsible ownership and management are vital to the public good. The Special Investigative Committee will explore bet- ter ways to incentivize good building stewardship – and penalize neglect and aban- donment.” “Preliminary reports indi- cate that the workers at this demolition site had no busi- ness being there,” Council- man Kenney said. “Examin- ing just how these workers are vetted and finding ways to ensure construction and demolitions are done by truly qualified individuals will be a top priority of this Special Investigative Com- mittee.”


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