September 28, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

From our readers

Loving the Local

For the past several weeks I’ve been encouraged by signs that the Local was actually becoming a real newspaper, with real journalism, after a long hiatus. First came Pete Mazzacaro’s editorial stating that Chestnut Hill would not allow itself to be intimidated by large corporate bullies. (Nice, I thought. Does this mean that smaller, but equally insidious, neighborhood bullies will meet the same resistance?)

The next issue featured an article about the newly revitalized and determined-to-clean-this-town-up Aesthetics Committee. (Great, I thought. Does this mean they’ll broaden their horizons beyond quibbling over the relative merits of taupe versus tan, and start tackling more significant matters?)

Last week’s issue carried Len Lear’s editorial defending the publication of “non-sanitized news.” (Excellent, I thought — apart from the fact that no newspaper should ever have to justify itself for publishing facts.)

Now, with the Sept. 21 issue, supporters of a free press have reason to rejoice. With the front page article on the Bowman Properties’ spiteful signs, and Ed Feldman’s accurate, incisive and eloquent “Opinion: A Circle of Dominoes,” the Local has taken a giant step forward in becoming the serious, balanced, objective publication the community deserves — one that is not susceptible to the influence of either large corporations or individual property owners.

I hope this is the start of a new era for the Local and for everyone who lives in, works in, shops in, visits or simply cares about Chestnut Hill.

Kate Cassidy
Chestnut Hill

Re: Bowman Properties signs

Do the signs’ listings mean that pawn shops, tattoo parlors, OTB parlors, slot machines, massage parlors, escort services, cash-for-blood or transplantable body organs, fencing stolen goods, crack dens are “off the table”? Or were the signs not big enough to include these?

Just wondering.

Nicholas Langan, M.D.
Chestnut Hill

AbZOOlutely fabulous

The AbZOOlutely event last Saturday was fabulous. As I walked up and down the Avenue I saw crowds of people around each exhibit. Two television news vans were in evidence and the feel was lovely to a point. As I rounded Willow Grove Avenue, I was assaulted by big red and white signs on empty storefronts announcing “Available - Discount Retail, Dollar Store/Electronics, Convenience, Financial, Check Cashing — with the phone number 215-753-3308. The signs did not stop there, however; they followed me along Germantown Avenue. The Bowman Properties signs followed me along the way. I did call Bowman Properties and registered a complaint. It took 30 seconds. I’m hopeful Richard Snowden will come to his senses and take these eyesores down.

I live in Flourtown. What makes Chestnut Hill so unique is it’s quaint character and lack of dollar stores and discount retail. Please join me in lodging a complaint with Bowman Properties.

Barbara Sherf
Flourtown

Foster’s column: a conflict of interest?

While the Local struggles with its financial woes, there is a conflict of interest issue that should also be immediately addressed: either Jim Foster should resign from the CHCA board or you should stop publishing his byline (“Off Center”).

Your employer’s bylaws state that no Local employee can be a CHCA board member. The fact that Mr. Foster receives no financial compensation should not exclude him or you from honoring this bylaw. The truth is it would be laughable to think that the Local’s pay scale for stringers is an incentive to a successful Germantown businessman such as Mr. Foster. His real compensation is having a regular publishing outlet under his own byline.

One of the major issues of the Second Opinion Caucus, for whom Foster was the campaign chair, was the charge that too much conflict of interest was tolerated on the CHCA board. I’d be interested to know why the current board does not see this as a conflict of interest.

If this issue is not addressed, I believe you will not be exercising the independence that so many people anticipated when they supported the SOC. In addition, you will have created an argument for the reactivation of the Publisher’s Committee, and you will hurt your own credibility.

Your predecessor, Lea Stanley, turned down Mr. Forster’s byline request for this very reason. I believe that was the only possible decision for an editor of the Local.

Mark Keintz
Former Chair, Chestnut Hill Local Management Committee

Len Lear’s defense of balanced obits

I just read Len Lear’s piece about reaction to my father’s obituary, and while I appreciate the passion of anyone who has my father’s best interest at heart, I remain confident that he would have been glad to have the unfairness of his firing made public. I’d also like to make something else about my father clear — he would have not wanted to hide my relationship with Kirstin.

My Dad never understood anti-gay prejudice and certainly never displayed any. From the time I came out to him, his sole concern was that I might be subject to the unfairness of bigotry because I am gay. My Dad also loved Kirstin, and welcomed her wholeheartedly into our family. He spoke at our commitment ceremony, came to the hospital for the birth of our twins, and made it clear that the only thing that mattered to him was my happiness. He would have reacted angrily if anyone suggested that my relationship with Kirstin was something to be hidden or ignored. This is just one more way that I feel privileged to have had him as my father.

Brita Dagmar Strandberg
Washington D.C.

I fully agree with Len Lear’s defense of factual news reportage, especially concerning the Local. In all media, including newspapers, we are seeing the diminution of hard news in favor of entertainment-as-news. The Local is well-balanced in this respect, but were it to become another Pollyanna paper, or worse yet, the lapdog of its owners, it would serve neither its readers nor its community. Think of the issues and excesses in government, industry, medicine, crime and other aspects of public life that would have gone undetected had journalists past and present been content to report only the good news.

For that matter, think of the issues and excesses in and around Chestnut Hill that might have gone unreported save for Local journalists.

Richard S. Lee
Flourtown

Too many details

I read the Chestnut Hill Local regularly. I agree with Linda Thomson’s letter, “Outraged in All the Right Places.” One other thing that concerns me is the amount of detail given when a crime is committed. Not only details about the perpetrator, when available, which are sketchy at best, but also the amount of detail about any witnesses.

For example — black male/female, wearing a dark sweatshirt and cap. Black males (and females) come in a variety of flavors: vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, dark chocolate. “Black” means nothing and gives me nothing to keep an eye out for, except all black males. I saw a black woman running down Germantown Avenue towards Evergreen last week. Was she the one who had robbed a couple of stores, or was she running to put coins in a meter before it expired or to catch a bus?

The details about the assault on the jogger told me what one of the witnesses drove, where the other lives, where he works, that he lives with his girlfriend and daughter and that they have a dog. I’m sure the kids they chased saw their faces as well; if they want to seek revenge, the Local certainly provided them enough details on where to find them.

While it’s nice to note that there are two 76ers dancers from Mt. Airy named Amber, do we need to know where Amber Rawls lives, that she’s a single mom of a 5-year old, and his name?

Please don’t assume that because you call it the Local, it is only read by local folks. Obviously, criminals are not dumb — or there wouldn’t be any.

The Local contributes to crime by publishing too much information. Please do some editing. Every piece of information you get is not fit for the paper.

S. Bailey
Chestnut Hill

Support the zoo?

I was very disappointed to see that the Chestnut Hill community was sponsoring a fundraiser for the Philadelphia Zoo. As a community of animal lovers, most of us wouldn’t think of confining our pets to a lifetime in cages, so how can we support that of wild animals? I look forward to the day when zoos, rodeos and the use of circus animals are outlawed. These venues only support the inhumane use of wild animals, who are often neglected and abused.

Perhaps our support would be better spent on supporting public education for the children of Philadelphia or some other worthy cause that would lead to a better quality of life for all Philadelphians.

Stacy Edmonds
Wyndmoor, PA

Happy about crosswalk signs

My neighbors and I — dwellers of the Lower Hill — were thrilled to see all the new pedestrian crosswalk signs put out on Germantown Avenue recently!! While you don’t have to have a phD in traffic engineering to figure out that a traffic light is desperately needed down here — which would not only contribute to a more favorable business climate but also prevent a serious pedestrian accident waiting to happen — we are nonetheless very thankful to all who have worked to make our crossings a little safer.

We drivers should do everything we can to make this program work to its fullest: Let’s STOP when we see pedestrians entering the crosswalk and let them cross. Won’t we all be the proud beneficiaries of this when we overhear someone say in the future: “Gee, I know this great area of Philadelphia where the drivers actually stop to let people cross the road — can you imagine!!??”

Alan Siegel
Chestnut Hill

Frustrated by fence fervor

We are all for following rules, which is why we are one of the only families we know in Chestnut Hill to have gone through proper, albeit at moments frustrating, channels to secure a variance to build our fence five years ago. But we must be clear that on Hillcrest Avenue, neighbors would be much more likely to complain about the dangers of accidents from speeding and reckless driving than we would about the aesthetics of a fence.

For our tax dollars, we would urge the CHCA to consider increasing the percentage of their time and collective talents into making our streets safer, as that will maintain the character of the community as much if not more than going after fence violators.

Tamar and Phil Stern
Chestnut Hill

Zoning pains

The following is an edited copy of a letter e-mailed to the full board of the CHCA.

At the August Executive Committee meeting, the proprietors of the Hill Tavern came before the committee asking that the committee support their request for a zoning variance. That request was summarily granted, by a unanimous vote, with one abstention, and the appropriate letter of approval was signed by Ron Recko and forwarded to the ZBA. The ZBA, as it almost always does when in receipt of a support letter from the Chestnut Hill Community Association, approved the variance.

This should be a matter of great concern for all CHCA board members, because although Hill Tavern has been refurbishing its building since April, its brief presentation to the August Executive Committee meeting was its first communication of any kind to the CHCA.

Hill Tavern’s documents asked for permission to refurbish an existing kitchen, although the tavern does not, in fact, have an existing kitchen, and intends to build a new kitchen in the basement of the building. Further, although the tavern has had a restaurant license for years, it has not been a functioning restaurant for years.

The DRC [Development and Review Committee] was never informed of the plans. Neighbors were never informed of the plans. The process we put our petitioners through — particularly restaurants, was completely avoided.

Our professional volunteers were denied any opportunity to discuss plans, which involve all matter of fire and safety concerns (basement kitchens, especially in old buildings, require special caution) and waste concerns (deep fat fryers produce an enormous amount of grease, restaurants generate an enormous amount of garbage). Near neighbors, of whom there are many, were denied any opportunity to discuss their concerns — among them: noise, hours, odors.

I’ve been told that technically, the executive committee is on solid ground because Hill Tavern was listed as an agenda item in the Local, and neighbors who missed that one line in the paper have only themselves to blame for not appearing at the meeting. This is nonsense, the equivalent of playing hide-and-seek or catch-us-if-you-can with our own community.

I’ve also been told that the committee’s behavior is acceptable because the executive committee has the duty, listed in the bylaws, to act on behalf of the board in August. And it is true that in a few instances, the executive committee has voted a final approval or rejection of a project in a month with no full board meeting, but only at the end of a process that started with committee review. In this case, the executive committee acted not just for the board, but for the entire zoning process, a process this community has come to rely on over the years. That process always starts at the Development Review Committee. The executive committee didn’t just act for the board, they acted for all the knowledgeable volunteers who work with zoning, safety, fire and public nuisance codes every day in their professional lives. And they acted without the participation of neighbors.

Given the fact that at the same August Executive Committee meeting, the committee voted to scrap the entire DRC, it’s pretty obvious that we need to have a serious discussion about our zoning process. VP Physical Susan Pizzano has assured me that the DRC proposal, scheduled for a full board vote at our upcoming September meeting, will be removed from the agenda as an action item, and replaced by an open discussion.

Would a workshop on our zoning process, for board members and community alike, be a good idea? I have no doubt we can improve the system. But we cannot abandon it, as the Executive Committee did in August.

I look forward to your suggestions.

Carol Cope
Chestnut Hill