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UCREVIEW.COM · OCTOBER 05 · 2011 Opening of Mantua Square continued from page 1
generating up to 200 mega- watts of power annually are mounted on the roof. The Housing America campaign is spearheaded by NAHRO, an organization of housing and community development agencies. “We are very proud of the work the Philadelphia Housing Authority has done and Mantua Square is a shining example of the good work PHA has done in the community,” said NAHRO CEO Saul N. Ramirez, Jr. “With the Census Bureau reporting nearly 1 in 6 peo- ple lived in poverty in 2010, providing decent, affordable places to live in safe neigh- borhoods is more important than ever.”
Mantua Square addresses the blight that has plagued the community over the past 50 years, while setting
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an example for other devel- opers through the sustain- able, efficient use of land and buildings. The new development complements and encourages current revitalization efforts in the neighborhood and will re- inforce future reinvestment activity by both the public and private sector. Congressman Chaka Fat- tah, a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and longtime advocate for affordable housing in Philadelphia, said, “Every day that we visit Mantua we see a neigh- borhood on the rise. PHA, with its vision and the back- ing of federal resources, has been a major player in that rebound. Today at Mantua Square we have the shining example of their efforts— 101 units, plus parkland, commercial and community space. Congratulations to Director Kelly and his staff for another successful contribution to the city’s affordable housing needs and neighborhood rejuvena- tion.”
The Pennsylvania As- sociation of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (PAHRA) recently recog- nized Mantua Square with its “Best Practices” award for design excellence. The revitalized site improves the aesthetics of the neighbor- hood while fitting in with the surrounding fabric of three story homes. PHA’s philosophy of sus- tainability and the agency’s concern for environmental issues are reflected in the design of Mantua Square. The development has cre- ated green space where little or none existed before by including a courtyard with shade trees and benches. An infiltration bed under the courtyard and adjacent parking space reduces the amount of storm water that goes into the sewer sys- tem by sending it into the ground instead. The solar panels will produce clean, electric energy that will be used in part by the com- mercial space and common area at the site, with the rest going to the electric grid. The redeveloped site con- tains 7,400 square feet of commercial space intended to attract more businesses to the area. PHA also has a management office and a community center at the site. Mantua Square is acces- sible to Lancaster Avenue, a well-established commercial corridor that has grocers, pharmacies, clothing stores, and other services. It is also accessible to Powelton Vil- lage, University City, Center City (Art Museum and Fair- mount Park), and the Phila-
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delphia Zoo. The Mantua neighborhood is working class, but has seen an influx of Drexel University student renters and renewed interest from both Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania. PHA invested $28.1 mil- lion to build the new homes at Mantua Square, including approximately $10 million from the American Recov- ery and Reinvestment Act’s Capital Fund Recovery Competition.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the nation’s 4th largest housing authority, serving more than 80,000 rental residents. PHA is also a major real estate devel- oper. See more at
www.pha.
phila.gov.
Fight lead poi- soning
continued from page 2
has a booklet giving more tips, including meal and snack menus, to build children’s resistance to lead poisoning through proper diet. It’s entitled “Lead and a healthy Diet.” Copies are on-line at
http://epa.gov/ lead/pubs/nutrition.pdf. You can also obtain a copy by contacting EPA, Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxics, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Mail Code 7401-M, Washington, DC 20460, 202- 564-3810.
Alan Krigman is a rental housing provider in the Uni- versity City section of West Philadelphia. He recently testified before a City Council Committee on a bill involving lead paint remediation in older buildings. In his testimony, he asserted that the costs associ- ated with the measure, as cur- rently proposed, would nega- tively affect the availability of affordable rentals in low- and middle-income neighborhoods. The bill, he said, failed utterly in not focusing limited public and private resources on the most egregious problem areas, and in not recognizing the sim- ple steps responsible parents can and should take to promote lead safety for their children.
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Immigrant Small Business Owners
continued from page 1
with one of its current Vis- tas, Endrow Metelus, whose official title with the Com- merce Department reads: Business Outreach Associ- ate. Hailing originally from Haiti, Metelus moved to the U.S. at age thirteen. As a re- cent graduate from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, Metelus joined the AmeriCorps Vista program “because I have always enjoyed helping people.” And for Metelus, he would like to continue to help oth- ers by “going to law school for business contracts.” But for now, Metelus works with business owners from the Caribbean and African communities in commercial corridors such as 6100-6700 blocks of Woodland Avenue. “We go store to store to tell [business owners] about services the city has to of- fer. In many cases,” Metelus explains, “Business owners don’t know how to apply for permits or zoning. They don’t know how to file taxes or deal with health inspec- tors.”
Other populations that
the Vistas help include--but are not limited to--the Rus- sians in the Northeast or the Chinese in Chinatown. Although each Vista is as- signed specific cultures, the program does not exclude other cultures, explains Metelus, adding, “Anyone from any background on a business corridor that the Vistas serve can receive as- sistance.” And as Metelus went on to explain, “Even though the Vistas have spe- cific areas they also work together as a team and will go with other Vistas to other
areas.” Communication between
the Vistas and the business owners is never a problem since “we speak fourteen different languages between the four of us,” Metelus added.
One of the people who
recently benefited from the Vista’s help included a Hai- tian woman who received a grant “from a storefront improvement program that paid for half of the improve- ment costs to her store- front,” Metelus explained. In the near future, the pro- gram is looking to have a clinic for businesses located on 6100 through 6700 blocks of Woodland Avenue, said Metelus. “The clinic’s pur- pose will center around how to prepare and store food. This is needed because a lot of the West African restau- rants have received fines from L&I because they’re not clear with the proper procedure,” Metelus added. During the three months that Metelus has worked as a Business Outreach Associate, “my brain has soaked up so much knowl- edge.” Though that isn’t to say that Metelus and other Vistas could not do their job without the Commerce Department’s help. In fact, “the more experienced em- ployees of the Commerce Department have an open door policy and will help you with any questions you might have.” To hear more about End-
row Metelus’ experience as a Business Outreach Associ- ate, tune into this week’s UC Review News Hour on WPEB, 88.1 FM from 8 - 9 a.m.
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