AGENDA: Fishtown Neighbors Association General Membership

Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7:00 8:00 PM @ Fishtown Rec Center
Board Members: Jordan Rushie, Shaun Christopher, Shawn Hyska, Isaac Slepner,
John Alexander, Audrey Morrison, Jamie Ware

Time

Item

7:00

Welcome / 2015 Dues Reminder

7:05

Committee Updates:
Treasurers Report (Shawn Hyska): We currently have between $3k-$4k in the
bank.

Jordan
Rushie

Beautification (Kristy Landry, Audrey Morrison): Kristy Landry has been the
chair of the beautification committee for six years, is now passing the role on to
Audrey Morrison, who is leaving the board of directors to serve as chair.
Zoning: See facebook page for all recent votes.
https://www.facebook.com/FishtownNeighborsAssociation
7:10

NKCDC Announcements
Thanks to all who came out to the treecycling event a few weeks ago

7:15

Jorge from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

7:20

Phila is getting a bike share system in the city. It is subscription-based,

probably a $15/month fee, should also be a $5 one-time use. Bike &
Parts are all paid for by the city; bikes will be serviced locally as well.

Station sites: closest may be close to Girard, they are taking

suggestions from residents along the Frankford Ave corridor. Phase
one included one at Berks station, but that is likely off the table. In order
to have a viable system you need stations fairly close to one another.

Phase two is expected in 2016.

More info at http://bicyclecoalition.org/

th

Sergeant Massi from the 26 Police District and Councilman Squilla (First
District) addressed neighbors about recent events in Fishtown

Officer Massi reported that a shooting took place at 48 W. Girard.

Though this is the address of the Gold Club, Massi stated shooters
were apparently not patrons or employees of the Gold Club. There are
not many leads right now, though video/photos show a fairly good
image of the shooters. Not sure about what led to the shooting (See on
YouTube). One employee of Saint Lazarus bar was injured.
Councilman Squilla asked if all parties had been cooperative. Saint
Lazarus bar management (located at SW corner of Front and Girard)
hasnt been cooperative, though the employee has been and other

Joanna
from
NKCDC

AGENDA: Fishtown Neighbors Association General Membership

Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7:00 8:00 PM @ Fishtown Rec Center
Board Members: Jordan Rushie, Shaun Christopher, Shawn Hyska, Isaac Slepner,
John Alexander, Audrey Morrison, Jamie Ware

victims have been.

Front and Girard lacks adequate video-surveillance. There are only five
cameras along Girard Avenue; most business on Girard Ave havent
registered w/ safecam its a database directory that lets the police
know where there are cameras based on address. They cant patch into
private video automatically. Only takes 5 mins to register, and the
police will contact you if there is an incident. That is starting to be
pushed out today. Moreover, the commerce dept offers a back-end
rebate for setting up video surveillance.

In terms of other, more general issues, Front and Girard will always be
a problem because of the methadone clinic at 801 W. Girard they get
th
there via the Girard El Stop. The 26 has been targeting the area. The
clinic gets 700-1000 patients a day (one of the biggest in the city; part
of the North Philadelphia Health System) that many coming to one
location is not a good situation. There is a meeting on 1/21 at the library
th
at 6 and Girard to discuss the situation.

Neighbor Q & A
One neighbor asked about SEPTA cameras at Front and Girard
Massi replied that there arent any street level, just on stairs/elevator
and tracks.

Another neighbor asked about the role of SEPTA police; Massi

responded that theyre trained with Phila police but are bound to
SEPTA property. Bulk of the manpower is during school dismissal
hours.

Another neighbor mentioned that several neighbors near Front and

Girard are spreading an email address, circulated a notepad to gather
info for interested parties to get more involved.

Councilman Squilla responded to a question from a neighbor about

where the leadership will ultimately come from that will help with the
cleanup, safety, and surveillance of the area. Squilla assured neighbors
that he will be in contact with the police and work with them to spread
the word about private surveillance, business accountability, etc.

Other Police Updates:

Theft of handicap markers from locked cars theyre being sold on
the street
There is a robbery pattern at Schissler Rec Centeraround
Christmas, three nights in a row as women walked the path they
were getting beaten down and robbed. Part of this was due to
Schissler Rec not turning on the lights. Relatedly, Squilla
mentioned that there are capital funds for rec centers that can be

AGENDA: Fishtown Neighbors Association General Membership

Meeting
Thursday, January 15, 2015, 7:00 8:00 PM @ Fishtown Rec Center
Board Members: Jordan Rushie, Shaun Christopher, Shawn Hyska, Isaac Slepner,
John Alexander, Audrey Morrison, Jamie Ware

used for lighting.

Final suggestion: for all 311 issues, use the app rather than calling

8:30

Misc Announcements:
Refreshments from Cakes by Kharis 113 W. Girard Ave

8:35

Board Elections
New Board members elected tonight: Jordan Rushie, Shaun
Christopher, Jamie Ware, Shawn Hyska, John Alexander, Arthur
Meckler, Ken Lechinsky, and Isaac Slepner