June 23, 1966

Hospital groundbreaking ceremony marks start of building program

Ground was broken for Chestnut Hill Hospital’s new wing on June 16. Ceremonies on the hospital grounds, at 8835 Germantown Ave., marked the climax of a year-long drive to finance an ambitious building program. Alfred Steel, president of the hospital’s board of trustees, announced that $2,363,974 has been raised toward a goal which has risen from $2,565,000 to $3,300,000. Steel expressed satisfaction that sufficient funds were on hand to start construction. The structure, to be connected to the north side of the main building, will house a large, modern laboratory, expanded x-ray services, more spacious education facilities, conference rooms and office space.

June 24, 1976

English teacher learns about America

Although she had never visited the United States before, Eleanor Dawson, an exchange teacher from England, who has made her temporary home in Chestnut Hill, felt that coming to America was like coming home. Her father had emigrated to the U.S. in 1907 and had returned to England in 1923. As a child, Mrs. Dawson had delighted in hearing stories about the America her father loved and says she learned about Manhattan before she heard about Manchester. The English woman, who exchanged her teaching position at Western Comprehensive in South Shields, Durham County, for one held by a teacher in the Martin Luther King High School, gives an A+ rating to her year here. The math teacher, in a recent letter to her friends in England, described April in Philadelphia as “a breathtaking experience,” adding that “in the area where I live — Chestnut Hill — japonica, magnolia, cherry and dogwood blossoms are bursting forth in wild profusion.”

June 26, 1986

July 4 in Hill day for kids

The 70th annual Independence Day celebration takes place in Chestnut Hill at the Water Tower Recreation Center on July 4, rain or shine. Once again, the festivities — which are eagerly anticipated by local youngsters — are presented by the Chestnut Hill Bocce Club. In the event of rain, activities will be moved inside at the Water Tower as they were in 1981, the first year the Bocce Club sponsored the celebration. The program gets underway with the children’s decorated bicycle parade starting at 9 a.m. On the average, the parade has 100 decorated vehicles of all kinds. Youngsters, with perhaps some help from their parents, seem to have few problems in creating missiles, rocket ships, stagecoaches, tall ships, patriotic scenes from American history or examples of recent happenings. Later, at the end of the games and races, luncheon will be served. The Bocce Club is preparing to serve 1,800 people this year.

June 27, 1996

Summer solstice come and gone

The summer solstice has come and gone, and the number of parties seemed to be many fewer than last year. Compared to 1,000 years ago, there was no celebration at all. Perhaps summer nights have lost their magic to the lights of streets, malls and homes. There are no dark places near civilization where your imagination can take hold and soar into the darkness. The natural world goes on its way, paying no heed to our fate. For example, we now enter the hottest part of the year. The pace does slow. The bird singing is already greatly reduced and the insect chorus continues to build. Frogs and toads are having a banner year. The fireflies have been rather quiet but before too long, they will start the process of lighting the dark. But there is just too much heat and humidity to allow life to do anything but take a midday rest. Summer has arrived. The magic of the summer nights is upon us.

June 29, 2006

Local’s story on frolicking dogs unleashes gripes about Pastorius

The unleashed dogs at Pastorius Park cause some neighbors concern and others delight. Since a story on the issue ran in the June 8 Local, there has been a flood of letters and stories addressing the issue and bringing others to light. The other stories include a teenager being arrested in the park for possession of marijuana, reported gunshots, and calls to police to complain about other disturbances. Other complaints involve upkeep of the park’s benches and the pond/moat. The park facilities manager said his biggest headache in keeping Pastorius clean is the sticks people throw in the pond for their dogs that are never retrieved. The sticks clog the pumps and block the drains that are used to keep the water moving so it does not become stagnant. The pond used to be drained and scrubbed annually but now it has to be cleared of debris two or three times a week.

June 23, 2016

Neighbors look for skateboarding solution at Water Tower

Michael has no problem with skateboarding, but he does mind when it goes on illegally at all hours of the day and night behind his house at the Water Tower Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill. His house is no more than 100 yards away from a makeshift skate park, which is located on a concrete lot below the tennis courts on East Hartwell Lane. Ramps, bleachers, a rail and an orange police barricade currently sit on the lot. There are multiple signs posted on the tennis courts that point out that skateboarding is prohibited, yet there are skateboarders there on a daily basis. It carries on late into the night, after 10 p.m., especially when the lights surrounding the tennis courts are left on. Back in 2011, the city held a meeting to determine whether neighbors would like to see an official skate park built, but neighbors objected so the idea was ditched. Despite this, the skateboarding has continued.