Letters: September 25

Posted 9/25/13

Thanks for support of fund-raiser

We wanted to thank our community for once again supporting our 3rd annual Make a Splash Fundraiser. The fundraiser was held at the Flourtown Country Club and …

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Letters: September 25

Posted

Thanks for support of fund-raiser

We wanted to thank our community for once again supporting our 3rd annual Make a Splash Fundraiser. The fundraiser was held at the Flourtown Country Club and was based on family fun.

In addition to basket raffles, a silent auction, and bubbles and tattoos for the kids, this year we also included a balloon-pop game, a photo booth, and a visit from the Philly Phanatic! It was wonderful to see everyone having so much fun!

All proceeds are being donated to the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) to help find a cure for progeria, the rare, premature-aging disorder with which our sons, Nathan and Bennett, have been diagnosed.

While we are thrilled that we raised nearly $20,000 for PRF, we are even more appreciative of the kindness and support that has been shown to us by our community. It means a great deal to us to see so many people volunteering their time and talents and coming out to our event. The kind words and friendship that they offer are very helpful!

Many of our local businesses repeatedly support our fund-raising, but what we appreciate even more is how they ask us how our boys are doing and greet all of our kids with friendly smiles. We are truly blessed to have your support!

The Falcone Family

Flourtown

 

SEPTA listens

As a result of my letter to the Local last week, considerable trimming has been done on the dead oak tree on West Evergreen Avenue at the edge of the SEPTA parking lot at the Chestnut Hill West train station.

Edward Wallace, deputy director of property management at SEPTA, called me on Thursday afternoon (9/19) and after some discussion agreed to have a crew come out on Sunday (9/22) ,(when no cars are parked in the lot) to trim off all the dead branches that posed considerable hazard to cars as well as pedestrians walking to and from the train station.

At 9 a.m. Sunday I was happy to hear the sounds of power saws and other machinery involved in the work. The trunk of the tree is still standing but it is quite solid. According to Mr. Wallace, that trunk will be taken down at a later date. The larger branches have been cut into logs–perfect size for a fireplace. They are stacked next to the embankment at the parking lot.

Mr. Wallace was very cooperative and was apologetic that my previous messages to SEPTA personnel had not been passed on to him.

Thanks to the Local for giving this matter public attention.

Meredith Sonderskov

Chestnut Hill

 

Good day for a Book Festival

The beautiful weather yesterday was just an added bonus to the group of authors who participated in the Fifth Annual Chestnut Hill Book Festival and the audiences who came to meet them.

We could do this because we have the support of Bowman Properties, the Chestnut Hill Community Fund, Musehouse-A Center for the Literary Arts, the Chestnut Hill Hotel, the Chestnut Grill and Sidewalk Cafe and the Chestnut Hill Business Association and most importantly lots of readers in the northwest section of the city and its bordering suburbs.

Pete Mazzacarro, our editor, led an interesting and amusing panel of inside information from news reporters and authors, John Baer and Al Hunter, Jr.

As head of a Behind the Scenes Restaurant panel, the Inquirer's Michael Klein drew some interesting kitchen tidbits but especially highlighted the knowledge Lynn Hoffman has of the growing industry of beer making and Al Paris very deep love he has of the restaurant business and really good food and it makes a dinner at Heirloom an even more delightful experience.

Authors who volunteered to share their writing experience and read from their books included Lori Tharps, Daniel Torday, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Don Lee, Beth Kephart, Joseph Minardi, Daniel Kaye, and James Hoch. We thank them very much and say when you "buy local" we hope you remember to buy the fabulous offerings of these local authors.

The Chestnut Hill Book Festival Committee

Kathy Bonanno, Hugh Gilmore, Marie Lachat, Kate O'Neill, Greg Welsh

 

Traffic a nightmare at Mt. Airy Fare

I told them and they dismissed me as an alarmist old lady. When you close Germantown Avenue from Sedgwick Street to Mt. Airy Avenue, you create a traffic problem which can be relieved by placing a cop at Chew and Sedgwick to move vehicles by nullifying the Stop signs.

Because no police person was there, traffic oozed down the street. Pedestrian traffic moved faster. The crawling prevented any accidents, but it slowed people driving home from work.

Also, it was scary: cars, ambulances and food delivery trucks from the Acme were bumper to bumper and when the 23 bus, which also had been rerouted, turned on to Sedgwick moving west, you held your breath.

The eastbound traffic could not move back to allow for a wide bus turn. Only after the first car traveling east moved out could the bus turn in. I didn't hear any car being hit, but the next day I swept up pieces of a side-view mirror from the corner of Sedgwick and Chew.

Fortunately no emergency vehicles had to get through. That was this year and last. But what about 2014? Mt. Airy is a lucky place to be, but luck isn't forever and courtesy is a byword here. Show it.

Maggie Wollman

Mt. Airy

 

Protect the clothes donated to charity

Several locations in the Northwest, such as Holy Cross Church in Mt. Airy and the Andorra Shopping Center in upper Roxborough, have large bins for people to put clothing in, and the clothing is then donated to charity. I have noticed lately, however, that the slots are narrow, and if people have large plastic bags of clothing, they will not fit into the slots. And sometimes the bins are full.

As a result, people will leave the plastic bags on the ground next to the bin. Since the bags are usually only picked up once a week, the bags will sit there, and if it rains, the clothing will most likely become mildewed and, therefore, ruined. I have observed this. In one case, I saw eight bags left on the ground. And it’s a real shame because the people who desperately need the clothing will not get it.

So I would like to urge people not to stuff so much clothing into their bags that they do not fit into the bins. And also not to leave the bags on the ground. If a bin is full, please take the clothing to the next one. Thank you.

Thomas Loughran

Olney

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