On the best days, parking is a bear in Fishtown. So imagine how bad it's gotten for the poor residents on the 400 block of Moyer St., which has lost about 20 parking spots because of this sinkhole.
It opened up on Feb. 4th, when two water main breaks sent water gushing into the neighborhood – and into the basement of at least one unlucky homeowner.
The hole was originally the length of an SUV. Now, it yawns from curb to curb, stretches the length of three house-fronts and plunges at least 20 feet deep. The initial breaks washed away all the dirt, grit and sand that used to hold up the street. Now, looking into it, you wonder what's holding up the houses alongside it.
Resident Alberta Bertolino tells me that the city has had a lot of workers at the site, but their presence is sporadic. She also says she was told the site wouldn’t be fully repaired until – get this – June.
By then, we should be smack dab into hot weather – you know, the kind that our kids won’t be able to counter with a nice dip in a public pool, since the city will be shutting so many of them this summer.
Since Fishtown’s pool is at risk for closure, here’s an outside-the-box idea: Why not fill this cavernous sinkhole with chlorinated water, stick a diving board at one end, a lifeguard at the other, and call it a Philly swimming-pool success story?
I know – stupid idea, right? But that’s the kind of stupid idea that stupid situations inspire.
When my phone rings here at the Daily News, nine times out of ten the caller begins the conversation with, “Yeah, so what happened was…”.
Because this is Philly, the caller doesn’t say, “My name is Bob” – or Mary – “and I wonder if I could have a moment of your time?” Philadelphians are too direct for that. They just say, “Yeah, so what happened was…”, and then tumble into a tale they think oughta be shared with a wider audience. I love getting these calls (even the ones where it becomes clear, after 30 seconds, where the caller sowed the seeds of his own misery), because they give me chance to connect with fellow citizens in a way that no other job allows. Well, okay, no other job for which I’m remotely qualified.
That’s why my blog is titled “So What Happened Was…”. To me, it’s the quintessentially Philly way of saying, “Once upon a time.” When I hear it, I know a good story is coming. And I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Ronnie Polaneczky has been an award-winning columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News since 1999, offering a front-steps perspective on every aspect of city life, from the sublime to the stupid. In her past life, she was the editor-in-chief of Atlantic City Magazine, associate editor at Philadelphia Magazine and a fulltime freelancer published in Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Reader's Digest, Men's Health, MarieClaire and others. She lives with her husband, daughter and various pets in the city's Fairmount section, where she dreams of one day singing The National Anthem at an Eagles game. In addition to her column and blog, you can enjoy Ronnie's musings in podcast form here.
Read more from Ronnie Polaneczky at Earth to Philly, the Daily News blog on anything and everything "Green
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