The natural choice
Earlier this month, the executive committee of the Chestnut Hill Community Association voted unanimously to support the efforts of Chestnut Hill College to buy the Sugarloaf property at Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road. Returned by Temple University to the Greenfield Foundation in January, the future of the 32-acre estate abutting Fairmount Park hangs in the balance, as it was learned last week that the college is the only institutional bidder in a field of seven. The rest are developers.
“The overwhelming feeling is that this is a win-win situation,” states a letter of support from CHCA president Maxine Dornemann to college president Sister Carol Jean Vale. “The College wins by acquiring needed property to house its students and more teaching space. The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation wins by remaining true to its mission of education. The entire community of Chestnut Hill wins because the College is committed to being a good steward of the property and maintaining the green space with which we are so familiar.”
Strong support for the college’s proposal has also come from the Friends of the Wissahickon. Executive director Tom Pelikan wrote in the Local last month that it is “vital” that the environmentally sensitive property “go into the hands of an institution dedicated to its proper stewardship and protection.” Chestnut Hill Historical Society executive director George Lyons concurred in a letter on Aug. 25, noting the college’s “interest in preserving significant historic resources and open space.” The Woodmere Art Museum and many near neighbors have also publicly supported the college.
There can be no doubt that the college’s proposal represents the best possible option for developing this last remaining large swath of privately-owned open land in Chestnut Hill. According to plans announced in June, the college’s campus expansion would affect only 25 percent of the property, leaving the rest available for a planned preserve, forest restoration project and woodland buffer. Development would be concentrated in the center of the parcel, preserving current sight lines and the feel of this “gateway” area. Site access would be drawn away from the busy Bell’s Mill Road intersection, and a safe and convenient pedestrian and bike path is planned in order to link the campuses across the Wissahickon Creek.
The Greenfield Foundation has said that it intends to “consider the best balanced interests of the community [and] the environment” in selecting a bid. The Chestnut Hill community has spoken regarding what it feels would be in its best interest. Given the foundation’s mission of education, community building and environmentalism, including combating deforestation, accepting the Chestnut Hill College proposal seems the only clear choice.
James Sturdivant
Commentary: Trails are the new ‘linear parks’
by SUSAN CRANE
As reported in last week’s Chestnut Hill Local, work is moving along quickly on the section of the Green Ribbon trail that runs along Northwestern Avenue by the entrance to the Morris Arboretum. The trail, which will connect Forbidden Drive with the extensive Montgomery County trails system, is a very positive development for many reasons, some very obvious and some less so.
In recent years, trails have taken on a new significance in local and regional recreation, park use and open space preservation. Throughout the region, especially in highly developed areas, trails present a critical opportunity to connect people, places, landmarks, neighborhoods, and civic and cultural amenities. Large open parcels of land suitable for new public parks are becoming scarce and expensive to acquire, especially in heavily populated areas, plus traffic congestion and development pressure often makes getting to the park frustrating and time consuming.
As a result, trails are becoming an efficient and cost-effective alternative for bringing the benefits of the park to the people. Trails are the new “linear parks.” They offer an unusually large return in public benefit for a relatively small public investment of money and land area. Further, a major bonus of trail recreation is that it provides a safe environment for activities that might otherwise take place on busy roads.
Trails provide many types of public benefits. In heavily populated areas like Montgomery County, these benefits touch almost everyone in some way. One of the goals of Montgomery County’s open space system is to develop a countywide network of interconnected trails that enable all residents of the county to benefit through easy access to the trail system.
Trails foster conservation and protect the environment by connecting corridors of conserved land and open space. The trail gives continuous connections to otherwise isolated areas, and gives the public the opportunity to enjoy these preservation areas in a way that actually guides public access to appropriate areas. By making more people aware of the special qualities of open space, the trails foster a stewardship ethic and promote support for additional conservation.
Trails are also shown to provide economic benefits to the communities where they are developed. Recreational amenities and links to a wide variety of destinations along the trail attract new business investment, enhance property values, and tend to revitalize older and urban areas by connecting people with a diversity of entertainment and community resources. Developers regularly market new and resale properties as especially desirable because of their proximity to trails. High tech companies often seek out local amenities, like trails, that appeal to more active, younger employees.
Because of the Lower Wissahickon Green Ribbon Trail, Chestnut Hill will have a chance to showcase our wonderful resources, like the Morris Arboretum, and to invite bicyclists and hikers from Center City and between to enjoy what we have in our backyard.
Susan Crane is a resident of Wyndmoor.
Local perspectives
Strength in survival, hope for a cure power dragon boat team
by DALE PARENTI
As we begin October and the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to share a story of a group of amazing women, all breast cancer survivors, and their dragon boat team, Hope Afloat.
If you’re not familiar with dragon boats, they are similar to very long canoes with 20 paddlers, seated two abreast in 10 seats. They are decorated with a dragon head and tail, and include a drummer in the bow and steerer in the stern.
Dragon boat racing is a sport that began in China 2,000 years ago. In modern times it has become an organized sport governed by national and international federations. Races and festivals are held during the racing season of May through October.
The Philadelphia Dragon Boat Festival is scheduled for Oct. 1 on the Schuylkill. Philadelphia has emerged as one of the leaders in this growing sport and is home to many of the most prestigious and successful dragon boat teams.
What does dragon boating have to do with breast cancer? Ten years ago, Dr. Don McKenzie, a sports medicine doctor in Vancouver, where dragon boating is immensely popular, challenged the standard protocol of the time that recommended limited upper body activity for women following a mastectomy. McKenzie believed that strenuous upper body exercise would actually be beneficial for his patients in their recovery and help to minimize side effects. He encouraged the formation of the first breast cancer survivor (BCS) dragon boat team. As word of the tremendous success and obvious benefits for the women involved spread, BCS teams began forming across Canada, the United States and around the world.
In 2001, Philadelphia was host to the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships, which included a breast cancer survivor division. Shortly thereafter, a group of women got together to form Philadelphia’s first dragon boat team for breast cancer survivors, Hope Afloat. The only criteria for membership is a history of breast cancer; age, race, size, athletic ability and paddling experience are not factors in team membership.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2005, I entered a whole new world that included surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. Through the whirlwind of doctor’s appointments and information overload, I remembered the inspiration of the dragon boat teams of breast cancer survivors. I asked my surgeon, Dr. Patricia Bailey of Northwest Surgical Associates of Chestnut Hill Hospital, if she had any connections to any dragon boat teams. Luckily she did and put me in touch with a nurse at Chestnut Hill Hospital, Pat Hertach, who is an active member of Hope Afloat.
I casually browsed the Web site she referred me to, www.hopeafloatusa.org, obtained the required doctor’s permission for paddling while still undergoing treatment, and headed down to the dock. I had no idea what to expect when I stepped on the boat that first time. I thought of myself as fairly athletic and in decent shape, had done a bit of canoeing in my past, and guessed there would be many women a fair bit older than I. Well, it was humbling. The women were strong and determined. I was going to have to work hard. But they were also very friendly, welcoming and understanding of everything I was going through medically, and knew how to have fun! I’m not sure if I was hooked after that first day, since my arms felt as if they might fall off, but each practice felt better and I knew that I had found a new sport and a unique support group at the same time.
I had been warned that many patients will experience fatigue during the radiation treatments, which in my case were five times a week for seven weeks, and I kept waiting for it to hit me. Sometimes I left work feeling drained — that was true even before radiation began — but the anticipation of being at dragon boat practice on the Schuylkill always stirred the enthusiasm and I found the practices to be actually energizing.
The team was preparing for a big race in Vancouver in mid-June, a race that had been in the planning for quite some time. It was to be the tenth anniversary of the founding of that first Canadian team and BCS teams from all over the world were headed to Vancouver. It’s funny, but I found myself wishing I had gotten cancer a little sooner just so I could have gone on that trip. The team was focused and took the training seriously, but no one left for Canada with any expectations other than to have fun and enjoy the experience.
There were 62 teams in Vancouver representing eight countries — all BCS teams, nearly 1,600 survivors. There was an immediate bond created by the sisterhood of survival — competitors on the water, but comrades on land. The city was awash in pink, the universal color associated with raising breast cancer awareness, and my team wore their pink proudly, if a little flamboyantly. I am told there were thousands of people cheering during the races, a rare experience for most of us who came from places where dragon boat racing is pretty much unknown. How proud we were of our youngest member, Regina Buchofer, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33, as she carried the U.S. flag at the opening ceremonies.
Amazingly, Hope Afloat finished first in its first two heats, then first in its semifinal heat, putting us in fifth place overall. We placed third in the finals, which qualified us for the big trophy event — the Scotia Cup race. When we crossed the finish line in second place, silver medalists, the team was ecstatic. We are now the number one BCS team in the United States and number two in the world!
I completed my treatments in June, just after the team returned from Canada, and we celebrated both victories on the banks of the Schuylkill. In August we were recognized with a full-page picture in Philadelphia Magazine’s Best of Philly issue as the Best Team in Philly. Subsequently, we successfully defended our number one status at races in Princeton. N.J. and the North American Club Crew Championships in Welland, Ontario. And this time I was in the boat, proud to be a member of this fantastic team.
Currently, Hope Afloat has 44 members ranging in age from mid-30s to mid-70s. Among the ranks are nurses, teachers, engineers, retirees, accountants, small business owners, comptrollers, bankers, programmers, waitresses, florists, administrators, journalists and managers. Statistically, one in seven women will develop breast cancer across all occupations, social and ethnic groups. Members come from all around the tri-state area to paddle. Surprisingly, though, few are from the Northwest part of the city. I would like to share my positive experience with other women who have faced the challenge of breast cancer and encourage them to “Awaken the Dragon” within them and give this sport a try.
Dale Parenti is a resident of Mt. Airy.
