Taubenberger speaks to East Torresdale Civic Association

By William Kenny

Times Staff Writer

It's not often that a civic association president serves as the featured guest speaker at a general meeting of another civic association. But not many civic groups have someone like Al Taubenberger as their president.

Not only does Taubenberger head the Burholme Civic Association and Town Watch, he is a former major party nominee for mayor and one of the leading business advocates in the city as longtime president of the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

It was in Taubenberger's chamber role that he offered members of the East Torresdale Civic Association his insight on a myriad of business-related issues during their monthly meeting on June 8.

A nonprofit organization, the Greater Northeast Chamber plays a crucial role for businesses in the Northeast, according to Taubenberger, because the area is often under-represented in citywide political dialogue. Geography is to blame for a lot of that.

"If you look at a map of the city, the (Borough) of Narberth is closer to City Hall than we are right now," Taubenberger said. "We're the only part of the city with a nonethnic chamber of commerce with a paid staff."

Area businessmen realized the need for a collective voice early on, even before most of the territory that the chamber now covers was developed into the tapestry of homes, stores and industrial sites that it is today.

They formed the chamber in 1922. Taubenberger has been its president since 1992. Its primary functions are to assist and promote the area business community, while facilitating a network of business leaders for mutual benefit.

The organization's annual directory lists more than 1,000 members. The list is available online at www.gnpcc.org

"And that doesn't even represent the largest percentage of businesses in Northeast Philadelphia," Taubenberger said. "We're about 10 percent (of businesses)."

The chamber executive estimates that the Northeast constitutes between one-third and 40 percent of the population and geographic area of the city. On its own, it would be the third-largest city in Pennsylvania, behind the remainder of Philadelphia and the city of Pittsburgh.

So the Northeast plays a major role in the economy of the region.

"One of the success stories is Agusta Aerospace. They brought manufacturing back," Taubenberger said.

Agusta builds helicopters at its expansive plant along Red Lion Road on the fringe of Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

"In 1992, they had fifty employees. Now they have over 600," Taubenberger said.

The firm also takes a lead role in community projects, sponsoring the Philadelphia Soccer Club and other programs. The company hires local workers and opens its doors to public tours.

Individuals interested in taking advantage of programs that the chamber has to offer need not own their own companies, however. The chamber hosts monthly business card exchanges that are "open to anybody with a business card," Taubenberger said.

The sessions can be helpful for making business-to-business contacts or for getting one's name out into the business community.

The chamber also hosts monthly breakfast meetings popular for their guest speakers, along with an annual business exposition. This year's event attracted more than 100 exhibitors to Holy Family University.

Events like that give Taubenberger hope for the future, despite bleak economic forecasts.

"When you really look at it, about ninety percent of people are employed. ... Things can and will get better," he said.

The next East Torresdale Civic Association meeting will be on Monday, July 13, at 7 p.m. at Liberty Evangelical Free Church, Linden Avenue and Milnor Street. The guest speaker is expected to be state Sen. Mike Stack.

Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com

Abraham says farewell to Somerton

By William Kenny

Times Staff Writer

District Attorney Lynne Abraham bade a sweet farewell to the Somerton Civic Association during the community group's June 9 general meeting.

Philadelphia's longest-serving chief prosecutor, Abraham thanked residents for electing her into citywide office eight times, including three as a judge followed by five as district attorney.

Nicknamed "One Tough Cookie" by then-Mayor Frank L. Rizzo in the early 1970s, Abraham reminisced about her professional and personal relationships with the former police commissioner and mayor as well as her recently deceased husband, local radio pioneer Frank Ford.

She preached gun safety and even took a moment to share some cookies with City Councilman Frank Rizzo, son of the city's most famous and perhaps most controversial modern-era political icon.

Abraham will step down as district attorney in January after 19 years in office. She opted not to run for a sixth term this year. Seth Williams is the Democratic nominee for the position and is heavily favored to replace Abraham by defeating Republican Michael Untermeyer in the general election in November.

Abraham has not declared her next professional move, but she has said that she does not plan to retire. True to her unofficial moniker, she has long prided herself on determination, attention to detail, honesty and integrity.

"Whether you've liked what I've said or didn't like it, I never broke your trust," Abraham said. "That's all I've wanted - to show you I'm trustworthy."

The future DA gave the elder Rizzo a full demonstration of that character some 40 years ago after a high-profile murder case that she was prosecuting fell apart at trial.

Rizzo was the iron-fisted head of the city's police department at the time. Abraham was an assistant district attorney barely a couple of years removed from law school. She was trying to win a murder conviction of a young man who had fatally shot the owner of a Point Breeze jewelry store during a botched robbery.

During preparations for the trial, a police ballistics expert informed Abraham that an accidental firing of the alleged murder weapon would've been unlikely essentially because the action on the gun was too tight. The shooter would've had to "cock" the gun first, then pull the trigger.

The police expert offered the same opinion during the trial. But when the jury was given an opportunity to handle the weapon, the gun seemed to work freely, even without cocking it first. The revelation threw the case into jeopardy and Abraham into a rage.

Without consulting with her boss at the time, future U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, Abraham barged into Rizzo's office.

"I demanded to speak to the police commissioner right away," she said. "I stormed in and said, 'This is no way to run a police department. I pitched a fit.'"

Years later, Rizzo, then the mayor, called upon Abraham to leave the district attorney's office and become executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. She accepted.

At the ensuing news conference, Rizzo introduced Abraham as "One Tough Cookie."

"It all came from a murder case gone wrong. I haven't been able to shake it since," she said. "Rather than reject it, I've embraced it."

She's tried to live up to it, too, whether her toughness manifests itself in the more than 70,000 cases that her office prosecutes annually or in her refusal to fix parking tickets for her late husband.

"He'd say, 'Can you take care of this for me? You're the district attorney,'" Abraham recalled. "I'd say, 'Yes I can.' Then I'd go downstairs and write a check. ... I paid them."

The Somerton Civic Association executive board brought the actual cookies to last week's meeting. They were a going-away gift, along with a cake, for the DA.

Meanwhile, Abraham brought a case of gun locks to distribute to area residents for free. With handguns increasingly prevalent in the community and in people's homes, the locks can save lives.

The locks feature a sturdy metal loop that can be fed through the barrel, chamber or ammo clip holder of most modern handguns.

"In Philadelphia, we are awash in guns, some legal and some not," Abraham said. "And this country has been on a gun-buying binge."

Analysts believe that gun proponents fearing stricter gun restrictions under President Barack Obama are responsible for a recent spike in gun sales.

Those who keep guns in their homes must remain ever mindful of the curiosity and resourcefulness of their children, according to the district attorney.

"The important thing is you do not keep the gun that is locked and the keys (for the lock) in the same place," Abraham said. "It might save somebody in your house's life."

The Somerton Civic Association also addressed local zoning issues during the monthly meeting. Residents voted unanimously not to oppose the proposed sign configuration for a new Big Lots store just north of Bustleton and Philmont avenues, in a former Super Fresh building.

SCA board members reported that the civic group had failed in its attempt to totally block beer sales from a proposed chicken wing restaurant at Roosevelt Boulevard and Red Lion Road.

Neighbors don't want to see a liquor license at the business because of its close proximity to homes. Also, a public high school, Swenson Arts and Technology, is within a couple of blocks of the restaurant.

SCA board members met with the business owners and agreed to conditions for the beer sales. On weekdays there will be no beer sold before 4 p.m.

The next Somerton Civic meeting will be on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m., at Walker Lodge 306, 1290 Southampton Road.

Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com

Chief talks prison issues with Holmesburg

By Diane Prokop

Times Staff Writer

The name "Holmesburg" has been associated with a prison for more a century, but that doesn't mean Holmesburg residents have gotten comfortable with it.

About 30 members of the Holmesburg Civic Association turned out last week to hear Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla detail plans the city is considering that would increase the use of Holmesburg Prison, at 8215 Torresdale Ave., by housing 600 prisoners there.

Currently there are 100 to 120 low-custody inmates - for example, a person sentenced to weekends for driving under the influence - housed in four trailers on the site. Other parts of Holmesburg are used for the city Community Life Improvement Program, or CLIP, which spruces up local neighborhoods; film productions; and as a training academy for correctional officers.

According to Giorla, the cellblocks of the old prison are laid out like a wagon wheel. Driven by a rising inmate population of about 9,200 in the city prisons system, the department's proposal would demolish half of the wagon-wheel layout for construction of A-frame tent structures that would house low-custody inmates.

Their offenses would be mostly misdemeanors, such as theft, prostitution, burglary, criminal trespass or possibly simple or aggravated assault. A single perimeter fence would enclose the tents within the 35-foot stone walls of Holmesburg Prison.

While the prisons system would like to confine its operations to the complex on State Road, between Rhawn and Ashburner streets, it would like to demolish the crowded and antiquated House of Corrections, which was built in 1854 and renovated in 1927, along with the Detention Center, built in 1963. That would create space for new facilities to house prisoners, including those who would be at Holmesburg.

A timetable has not been set, but Giorla estimated that demolishing and rebuilding the State Road facilities could take six years.

"We, the city, would like to put the plan in motion," he told residents at the meeting.

Giorla also told them that he wasn't going to make any promises.

Nearly two decades ago, city administrators promised the neighborhood that when the $140 million Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility opened in 1995 at the State Road complex, Holmesburg Prison would be closed for good.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do, when we do it, and how we're going to do it," Giorla said.

The prisons commissioner, a Tacony resident, assured civic members that he shares their safety concerns. He has two grandchildren attending the New Foundations Charter School at 8001 Torresdale Ave.

"I have a stake in this," he said.

The Holmesburg Prison staff conducts five population counts a day, he explained. As to walk-away inmates: "If they are sentenced to work release, you have to let them out. Some don't come back," Giorla said.

Residents asked if other options had been examined.

The former Navy brig down at the Navy Yard could house 200 prisoners but there would be an economic impact of transporting food and services. Holmesburg, on the other hand, would save the city time and money, Giorla said.

"It's the fastest way to address our needs," he added.

With Holmesburg, the city wouldn't have to spend time and money acquiring the property. The prisons department also would be able to tap into nearby food and services.

Giorla did agree that if the plan went forward, prisoners would be discharged from the State Road complex, so they wouldn't have to walk through the Holmesburg neighborhood to catch a bus.

Giorla's answers didn't make the civic members any more accepting of the plan. They don't want it.

"We've got to speak in one voice," a resident said.

Pat Wolstenholme, the civic group's vice president, told the woman that if the city wants to do it, nothing can be done about it.

"The city does what the city wants to do," she said.

In a related matter, a woman asked Giorla why a man who said he was supposed to be in Holmesburg Prison wound up on her front porch.

According to Giorla, an investigation of the matter found that the man had not escaped but was a weekend inmate. He was on his way to report to the prison when he passed out on the woman's porch.

When the civic group meets again in September, the prisons department will return with a PowerPoint presentation on the plan. Civic president Fred Moore will invite City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.) to attend the meeting.

Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com

PennDOT plans for replacement of Cottman Ave. bridge

By Tom Waring

Times Staff Writer

PennDOT last week announced a $2.5 million project that will replace an aging bridge along Cottman Avenue.

Mike Holva, an engineer for the state transportation department, said the existing bridge was built in 1905. It is above the CSX railroad tracks and generally runs from Oakley Street to Rockwell Avenue.

As explained at least week's monthly meeting of the Burholme Town Watch and Civic Association, 33,000 vehicles travel over the bridge every day. After it is replaced, the bridge will last for another 100 years.

The road allows for four lanes of traffic, two each heading east and west. The width of the road will be expanded from 40 feet to 46 feet, with the two sidewalks decreased in width from 13 feet, 6 inches to 10 feet, 6 inches.

In November, PennDOT will advertise for bids. Work will begin next spring and be completed by the summer of 2011.

At all times, two lanes of traffic and one sidewalk will remain open.

No businesses will be negatively impacted, though the temporary new entrance for Bill's Best Choice Transmission will be through the Wawa parking lot.

Neighbors noted that the area is already home to a lot of traffic, but PennDOT believes keeping driving lanes open is better than shutting down the road completely and forcing motorists to detour.

To comment on the project, write to Mike Holva, P.E., Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Engineering District 6-0, 7000 Geerdes Blvd., King of Prussia, PA 19406-1525.

In other news from the June 11 meeting:

¥ Joma Salon, at 7246 Rising Sun Ave., agreed to temporarily drop its effort to get a variance to be able to offer massage therapy.

The salon has been open for more than a year, providing hair care, body waxing and facials. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Neighbors complained that the exterior sign was too flashy, and one woman wondered why a hair salon had so many male customers.

The crowd seemed to really turn against the business when it was revealed its advertisement on the craigslist Web site had the tag line, "We make sure you leave with a smile."

Soon after, attorney Vince DeFino announced that Joma would no longer seek relief from the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

¥ The Rev. Dave Carey, pastor of United Methodist Church of the Redeemer, announced that he has been assigned to Ridge Avenue United Methodist Church in Roxborough.

Carey had been pastor at United Methodist Church of the Redeemer, at Cottman and Lawndale avenues, for nine years. His last service will be on Sunday. He has been an active patrolling member of Burholme Town Watch.

The new pastor will be the Rev. David Brown, from Somerton United Methodist Church.

The Burholme Community Town Watch and Civic Association will continue to have its meetings at United Methodist Church of the Redeemer.

¥ Mark Mroz, community relations officer in the 2nd Police District, spoke about the 2nd Police District Advisory Council's fifth annual Ride to Stop the Violence on Saturday, June 27 at 8:30 a.m.

All bicyclists are asked to meet at Roosevelt Mall, across from Modell's Sporting Goods. Helmets are mandatory. After the ride, refreshments will be served.

All motorists are welcome to bring their automobiles to the mall to have their vehicle identification number etched onto the glass as a way of identifying it in case it is stolen.

Also, a giant shredding machine will be at the mall from noon to 3 p.m. Members of the community are welcome to shred outdated personal documents and other paperwork.

¥ Holly Ballay, a marketing representative for the Villages of Pine Valley, explained that there were condominiums for sale at the 55-plus active living community at 8601 Pine Road.

Ballay noted that the condominiums are one- and two-bedroom units and have a nice view of Pennypack Park. Owners will also enjoy a 10-year property tax abatement.

The Villages is a joint project of the Bock Development Group and Holy Redeemer Health System.

For more information, call 215-745-9828 or visit www.thevillagesatpinevalley.com

¥ State Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-170th dist.) has just opened an office at 7215 Rising Sun Ave. The office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. A notary will be available three days a week.

The telephone number is 215-342-1700.

¥ Christine Houck, of the Burholme Business Association, showed members four proposed designs for banners that will hang along Rising Sun Avenue.

The "Welcome to Burholme" banners will be put up as soon as a final design is chosen.

¥ Al Taubenberger, president of the Town Watch and civic association, will get to serve as mayor after all.

Taubenberger, a Republican who lost the 2007 mayoral race to Democrat Michael Nutter, will play River City, Iowa, Mayor George Shinn in a production of The Music Man from July 17 to 19 at the Devon Theater for the Performing Arts.

¥ Taubenberger is also heading German American Day on Sunday, June 28, at the United German Hungarian Club, at 4666 Bristol Road, in Oakford, Bucks County.

The event starts at noon. The cost is $5, with proceeds benefiting the Steuben Parade on Saturday, Sept. 26, along Frankford Avenue. For more information, visit www.steubenparade.com/phila

¥ Burholme Community Town Watch and Civic Association will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at United Methodist Church of the Redeemer.

Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com