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From:	SW
To:	Councilwoman Blackwell, Councilman Clarke, Councilman Cohen, Councilman DiCicco, Councilman Goode, Councilman Kenney, Councilwoman Krajewski, Councilman Longstreth, Councilman Mariano, Councilwoman Miller, Councilman Nutter, Councilman O'Neill, Councilman Ortiz, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, Councilman Rizzo, Mayor Street, Councilwoman Tasco, Council President Verna
Date:	Wednesday, 04/09/03
Subject:	Support for Philadelphia's Parks

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

Thank you for your support of the Strategic Planning Process for
Philadelphia's parks. As a nonnative Philadelphian I want to stress the
importance of neighborhood parks to my decision to live in this city with
my family. Our neighborhood parks are vital to a healthy, happy city life.
That is why I ask you to continue your support of our parks by providing
funding for Phase Two of the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia's Parks.

Certainly Fairmount Park is the gem of our city park system, offering
bountiful recreational opportunities, I ask you to support funding for a
grant researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park Commission so they may
continue to seek additional funding in order to maintain such a treasure.

Finally, do not underestimate the draw of a local green oasis for
potential new residents (I am an example)! As a volunteer for the
Friends of Gold Star Park I must urge you to support our neighborhood
parks by increasing in the hourly wages, hours worked per week, and
number of positions funded for seasonal maintenance attendants
(SMAs) in Department of Recreation parks. Please guarantee their
continued funding!

Sincerely,
Sarah Waters

Dear Mayor Street and City Council:

I write to encourage your support of funding for Phase Two of
the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia’s Parks. This funding would
build on the work of Phase One begun in January, 2003 with a
grant from The William Penn Foundation.

In this time of tight resources, you are facing difficult
decisions about how to keep important programs and facilities
alive and thriving. I do not envy your position. But I know
that in making these tough decisions, you keep in front of you
your long term hopes and dreams for the city. I hope that the
park is among them.

Investment in the city's parks brings huge benefits. For
example, as family budgets shrink and costly outings become
rare, the park and its programs provide positive forms of
entertainment and recreation. Come visit Cloverly Park in my
neighborhood in West Germantown. As you would see, families use
the park because its convenient, safe, beautiful, and free. An
afternoon on the play equipment is free. So is a picnic under
the trees or a game of touch football.

Another benefit: well-maintained park areas help to stabilize
neighborhoods and bring neighbors together. In the ten years
since our neighborhood drove drug dealers and car thieves out of
Cloverly Park and, with the help of Fairmount Park and city and
state officials, replaced the "chop shop" with play areas and
gardens, we have seen similar renovation and stabilization in
the surrounding residences. The park helps makes buying or
renting in the area attractive and weighs against some of the
less desirable features of the neighborhood. And the more often
the mowing crews show up for the park's regular trim, the more
frequently neighbors pick up litter, donate plants for the
gardens, and give time for projects and clean-ups.

One jewel in this city's crown is its system of small and large
parks. Visiting friends and familiy members are delighted and
amazed by Boathouse Row and Forbidden Drive ("Are we still in
the city?" they ask). Phase two contains important and specific
requests that would help us keep this jewel bright--people whose
work would sustain and improve the parks. These include a grant
researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park Commission; also
increases in hourly wages, hours worked per week, and number of
positions funded for seasonal maintenance attendants (SMAs) in
Department of Recreation parks--please guarantee their continued
funding.

Mayor Street and City Council, thank you for your support to
date of the Strategic Planning Process for Philadelphia’s parks.
Please help preserve and improve our beautiful and important
park through your support of Phase Two of the Strategic Plan for
Philadelphia's parks.

Sincerely,
Ellen Wert
Voter, long-time Philadelphia resident, and member, Friends of
Cloverly Park

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

I am writing to strongly encourage you to fully fund the
wonderful resource that is our park system. In particular, I
ask you to fund:

1) Phase Two of the strategic plan
2) A grant researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park Commission
3) Increases in hourly wages (from $6 to $8), in hours worked
per week (from 20 to 35) and in number of positions funded (from
34 to 50) for Seasonal Maintenance Attendants (SMAs) at
Department of Recreation parks.

The parks are a vital resource for our work with at-risk youth
and their families.

I appreciate your support.

Sincerely,


Rev. Patrick Cabello Hansel
Executive Director
Centro Nueva Creacion

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

I am very pleased that you have demonstrated your recognition of
the importance of Philadelphia Parks by supporting the Strategic
Plan process.

I hope you will now allocate the funds necessary to make park
development and maintenance possible by: funding the second
phase of the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia; funding a grant
researcher/writer position and increasing the hourly wage,
number of hours worked and increasing the number of SMA
positions.

A good plan will not succeed unless it is backed by adequate
resources.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

Please approve phase 2 of the STrategic Plan for Fairmount Park.
Please also continue funding of park personell, including
maintenance. As a resident, I am always in Fairmount Park and it
is the #1 reason I choose to live in Philadelphia. Continue to
provide resources so the park continues to exist as beautifully
as it does today.

Shari Stern

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

I am writing to you at this time when your are deciding on next
year's budget for the city. I have recently moved to
Philadelphia because of my job and reside in the 8th District.
One of the things I enjoy most about this city and one the best
things Philadelphia has to offer the people who live here and
who visit here are the PARKS! In my short time in the city, I
have used the River Drives, spent time in Clark and Wissahickon
parks, visited Carroll, Vernon, and West Parks. These parks
have served as a great refuge for me as I adjust from living in
a rural area to an huge urban center. Each of these parks have
wonderful attributes but still need continous attention.

For this next fiscal year it is important that the city invest
in the ability of our park agencies to operate effectively.
Therefore, what I'm asking for are small investments that will
yield high returns. I'm asking that you guarantee the
continued funding of seasonal maintencance attendants(SMAs)in
Department of Recration Parks, that you increase their hourly
wage, the number of positions funded, and hours worked per
week. Also, I'm asking the city to fund a researcher/grant
writer for Fairmount Park and to fund Phase 2 of the Strategic
Planning Process for Philadelphia's parks.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Mimi Pukuma

Honorable Donna Reed Miller
City Hall, Room 312
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Dear Councilwoman Miller:

I have been living in your district for the past three years.
One of the reasons I moved into the city was that I could ride
my bicycle to work. Most of my trip is through Fairmount
Park. Please continue to fund the park, one of the things that
makes Philadelphia unique and alive.

Please;

Fund Phase Two of the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia's Parks;

Hire a grant researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park
Commission;

Guarantee continued funding and increases in hourly wages, hour
worked per week, and number of positions funded for seasonal
maintenance attendants (SMAs) in Dept. of Recreation parks--a
great way to prevent blight formation.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the Strategic
Planning Process for Philadelphia parks.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:
I am writing this letter on behalf of The Stinger Square
Advisory Council and The Friends of Stinger Square Park to voice
our collective opinion on the upcoming park budget hearings. We
believe strongly that Philadelphia's parksdeserve funding to
continue the trend of uplifting our communities through enhanced
programming and maintenance at all of the parks in this city.

We have seen first hand what happens in a community when the
green space is preserved and utilized for the entire community.
It becomes a vital hub of social and recreational activity for
the community. It attracts positive activity and people to the
park. It erases blight and creates an "urban oasis" for the
community to enjoy.

We need SMA's (Seasonal Maintenance Attendants to be funded so
that they can continue to serve our parks and keep them
beautiful. They are doing a great job and should be allowed to
continue. They work hard and should see an increase in their
hourly wage and be given additional hours to work. We also need
funding in place to be able to hire more SMA's so that every
park is manned especially during the spring/summer/fall seasons.

We also support hiring a grant/research writer for the fairmount
Park Commission.

We also support funding for the continuation of Phase two of the
Strategic Plan for Philadelphia's Parks.

As a park that has come out of obscurity into a prominent
position in our community we know that with continued funding
our parks will be able to do what they were originally intended
to do. Be a safe haven for all segments of our community to come
and share activities.

We wish to thank Mayor Street and City Council for their
continued support of our parks. We know that you have seen the
difference supporting these parks has made on many communities.
We trust that you will keep your constituency in mind when
making your decision to fund Philadelphia's Parks.

Sincerely,
Irene Russell
President,
Friends of Stinger Square Park
Consultant/Summer Play Leader
Stinger Square Advisory Council

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

Thank You for your continual efforts in past years to support the
Parks of Philadelphia!

I am fortunate to head up the Italian Market area group "The
Friends of Goldstar Park" Our beautiful park is located on the
6xx block of Wharton Street. We "officially" formed in the summer
of 2002 so that we could begin to pursue park revitalization
opportunities available to us. Our efforts have paid off as we
were awarded approximately $1400 as part of the Pennsylvania
Horitcultural Societies Small Grants Initiative. These monies
will be used to fund watering supplies, rose bushes, 2 summer
concerts, a Fall Festival. We are hoping to build a stronger
sense of positive usage around our park as well as providing a
stronger sense of community to the many great neighbors who
already use it.

Sadly, however, the grant funding does not provide money for
additional maintenence to our park. That means that new plantings
will not get watered on a consitent basis. Our trash will
overflow by the weeks end due the increased usage of our park,
and the kids who use the park will have to navigate trash blowing
about.

My family and I live right across from Goldstar Park and spend
lot's of quality family time in it . As part of homeschooling our
daughter, we spend a great deal of time in Fairmont Park,
utilizing it for nature study/activities. Even though we have
choosen not to take advantage of city schools, we choose to stay
in the city partly because of all the incredible outdoor
opportunities available to us "city folk"!

We urge our elected officials to continue their positive efforts
to fund Seasonal Maintenance Attendants for Department of
Recreation Parks. We ask for increases in hours worked per week
as well as increased in the hourly wage.

We also urge our elected officials to fund a Grant
Researcher/Writer and to fund Phase two of the Strategic Plan for
Philadelphia's Parks.

Beautiful parks make better communities!!

We will be attending the City Council Budget Hearing on March 3,
2003.

See you there!

Aileen Bunch
1233 S. Marshall Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
aileenb@martnet.com
President of "Friends of Goldstar Park"

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

Without parks, Philadelphia would be just another city. Our
parks transform our neighborhoods, affect property values and
the lives of families.

Please support full funding for Phase Two of the Strategic Plan,
a grant writer salary for Fairmount Park Commission and increase
the wages and number of workers for maintenance of the parks.

Thank you for focusing on this important quality of life issue.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

As a 10 year resident of Philadelphia I have come to treasure
not only Fairmount Park and the Wissahickon but the many
neighborhood parks that provide much needed green space to our
neighborhoods.

I feel fortunate that within walking distance of my house I can
take advantage of the wonders of Bardisconi Park and Columbus
Square as well as more regal parks such as Rittenhouse Square.

While I understand that city resources are limited, I still feel
that it is important that our elected officials adequately fund
our park system.

With this in mind, I ask that you please allocate the money for
these three things in the city budget:
1) The funding of Phase 2 of the Strategic Plan
2) A grant researcher/writer for Fairmount Park
3) Increases in the hourly wages of SMA's, and increase the
number of SMA's, and let them work more hours.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

As you weigh the many demands on the city's finances, I hope
you will continue to support parks as an important benefit to
the health of individuals and to the vitality of the city's
life and economy.

I am a frequent walker along the Wissahickon and also along the
River Drives. This access to green space and wildlife is an
important part of what I love about Philadelphia. In my own
neighborhood, my civic association has reclaimed a tiny corner
lot across from our Wissahickon Neighbors Park. We are
planting the lot with native flowers and shrubs, giving us a
precious bit of green in our densely populated area.

Please allocate the money for these three things in the city
budget:
1) The funding of Phase 2 of the Strategic Plan
2) A grant researcher/writer for Fairmount Park
3) Increases in the hourly wages of SMA's, and increase the
number of SMA's, and let them work more hours.

Thank you for your hard work. I am excited about the Strategic
Plan for Fairmount Park, and I believe that the three things I
am asking for will make the parks more viable and self-
sustaining in the long run.

Sincerely,
Nancy G. Hickman
3885 Manor Street
Philadelphia 19128

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:
My name is Susan Ongirski and I have been a proud resident of
Port Richmond my whole life. I am also the Captain of our
neighborhood park revitalization group called "Friends Of
Campbell Square"(F.O.C.S.) Our group came together a little over
two years ago, because we were tired of seeing our neighborhood
park slowly becoming a haven for drugs and alcohol and we
refused to let that happen!
Over the last two years, we were able to completely transform
our park in a positive way, by creating a beautiful center
garden and several smaller gardens, holding our first successful
Summer Concert Series in the park for the community, and we even
had special Haloween and Christmas events in the park for the
children in the neighborhood.
All this was made possible with available grants, with help
from community residents and neighborhood schools on a daily
basis and during Spring and Fall clean-ups, and through the
efforts that city council has put forth in the past in helping
support Philadelphia parks.
This is the reason I am writing this letter to you today, to
voice my support in asking for three low-cost, affordable, and
effective priorities that will provide big returns by
strengthening and building the potential of our park systems and
our neighborhoods.
These priorities are as follows: Funding of Phase Two of the
strategic plan ($347,000), A grant researcher/writer for the
Fairmount Park Commission ($75,000), and Increases in hourly
wages (from $6 to $8), in hours worked per week (from 20 to 35),
and and in the number of positions funded (from 34 to 50) for
seasonal Maintenance Attendants (SMA's) at Department of
Recreation parks.
I would like to thank you Mayor Street and City Council
members for your support of the Strategic Planning Process for
Philadelphia Parks. Without your support and assistance,
Philadelphia parks would slowly cease to exist.

Sincerely Yours,
Susan Ongirski
F.O.C.S. Captain

Delores Merrick
Ashmead Place Neighbors
10 West Ashmead Pl. S.
Philadelphia, PA 19144
215-849-7629

February 12, 2003

Honorable Donna Reed Miller
City Hall, Room 312
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Dear Councilwoman Miller:

My name is Delores Merrick and I have lived in your Councilmatic
District for over 25 years. My house is across the street from
Gilbert Stuart Park, a much appreciated green space our
neighbors refer to as Ashmead Park.

Gilbert Stuart Park is where our family and neighbors held many
block parties and children’s events over the years. For a
while, the park had become a haven for seriously illicit
activities and still we “battle” the broken bottles, discarded
trash and other community deteriorating effects of the public
drinking daily taking place on Germantown Ave. directly in front
of the park. During the past year Ashmead Place Neighbors and
others from the community, spent well over 200 hours working to
keep our park clean. One day we collected over 60 full trash
bags of empty beer and wine bottles and other debris from the
park.

At this time of increasing budget constraints it is more
important than ever for the city to invest in the ability of our
park agencies to operate effectively. For that reason, I ask
that you guarantee the continued funding of seasonal maintenance
attendants (SMAs) in the Department of Recreation Parks, that
you increase their hourly wage, the number of positions funded,
and the hours worked per week. The SMA program is a low cost
investment that brings big returns to our parks and
neighborhoods while greatly increasing the effectiveness of
routine maintenance crews.

In addition, I am asking the City to fund a researcher/grant
writer for Fairmount Park. I thank City Council and Mayor
Street for supporting a Strategic Planning process for
Philadelphia’s parks and ask that the City make a commitment to
fund Phase 2 of this process. Once again, this is a small
investment that will substantially increase the efficiency and
capacity of Fairmount Park.

I want you to know how important that Gilbert Stuart Park,
Fairmount Park and our other green spaces are in making
Philadelphia a much more livable urban environment. Healthy
parks increase real estate values, attract businesses and
improve significantly the quality of life, especially for our
elderly neighbors and youth. Philadelphia’s parks must be one
of our City’s funding priorities.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,


Delores Merrick
Block Captain

Distribution: Mayor John F. Street and Members of Philadelphia
City Council

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

I have written to you before on the critical importance, to my
way of thinking, of a fully funded and healthy park system to
our community.

Many people leave the city seeking greenery, trails, waterways,
open skies, yet when they move to exurbia, they end of
destroying what they came to enjoy.

We are in the enviable position of being able to protect our
park spaces against the onslaught of development. But the parks
need critical maintenance so they don't deteriorate and become
easy targets for developers.

Our family lives where we do in no small part to the Wissahickon
park. Do not build there, do not commercialize it; plant there,
educate there.

Please.

Sincerely,
Brian Rudnick

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

Please act to protect and improve our most prize treasure.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

As a resident of West Philadelphia, I can see what
a clean well-Mantained park can do for a community. Since
Barkan and Malcom X parks have been activity cared for, the
litter has decreased, less drug activity and more kids playing
in the park. In an area with few areas of open land for kids and
adults alike we really need to raise the wages of the seasonal
manintance attendents. The Summertime is a time of increased use
of our parks and our attendents are neighbors who have taken
pride in the clean up of the park.
You can be sure that the Friends of Barkan and Malcom X
park will appriciate your support of our wonderfull city parks.
Thank you,
Mark Krull

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

I wish to thank you for your support of the Strategic Planning
Process for City Parks. It demonstrates your recognition that the city's parks play a significant role in the quality of life experienced by both local residents and those who visit our city. People respond viscerally to the order, beauty and calmness of a well-kept green--or to its absence. Children also respond to
positive, attention, outlets for energy and a place where they
can develop skills which give them a sense of value. In my many
years of working with the city's youth, I have witnesses a lack
of resources for children and the terrible consequences of lives
gone astray. Therefore, it is important to support and
strengthen the planning and maintenance of our City Parks and
recreation services, which have received much less funding in
our City budget than comparble or even less comparable cities
allocate.
Specifically, I urge that adequate funding be provided for
stage two of the Strategic Plan; that a grant/research writer
position be funded for the Fairmount Park Commission; that
recreation services be strengthened rather than curtailed and that there be an increase in the hourly wages, hours worked and numbers of persons hired for seasonal maintenance work.
I understand that the City is under financial stress at this
time. I urge that we not make cuts which end up costing us more
in the long run.

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

It is extremely important that he city helps to fund the next
phase of the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia's Parks.
Additonally, I believe the park shoud have a grant
writer/researcher for the Fairmount Park Commission. I also
endorse increased wages for SMA's. Thank you for your interest
in the parks and please continue to support our city treasure.

Yours,
Cindy Affleck

Dear Mayor Street & City Council:

As a park leader and advocate of Vandergrift park in the city of
Philadelphia I want to convey one clear concistent message to
you and your council of the importance of our local parks. It'a joy to see our elders come together again and sit without
fear in our parks and enjoy the fresh air, beautiful flowers and
trees that grow in our neighborhood parks. We also witness parents engaging in conversation with other parents while their childern were playing. It is with great honor to ask the mayor & city Council please don't kill our dreams and hope of tomorrow and support the full funding for phase two of the strategic plan for philadelphia's parks (347.00), the grant researcher/writer for the fairmont park commission ($75,000) and please help our
hard working Seasonal Maintenance Attendants (SMAs) by increasing the following , hourly wage from $6 to $8, a hour,hours worked per week from 20 to 35 and the number of positions funded from 34 to 50 at department of recreation ($230.000). I'd like to thank you in advance for strengthening and building the
potential of our park system and neighborhoods and for all your
support in the past.
Park advocate
Thomas J. Nesbitt

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