WHAT: As part of the Philadelphia Resilience Project, the City will undertake a large-scale cleanup on Kensington Avenue. The four hour event will engage multiple city agencies and community volunteers to accomplish the goal of the Resilience Project’s Mission Area 4, reducing trash and litter.
WHO: Mayor Jim Kenney
Managing Director Mike DiBerardinis
Deputy Managing Director Brian Abernathy
Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez
WHEN: Thursday, November 1, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Kickoff and speaking portion: Allegheny Market-Frankford Line Station sidewalk, East Allegheny Avenue
Cleanup area: Kensington Avenue from Allegheny Avenue to Lehigh Avenue and two blocks east and west on Lehigh and Allegheny Avenues. For a map of the cleanup area, click here.
DETAILS: Hundreds of city personnel and volunteers will be deployed along the cleanup route. The City’s Community Life improvement Program (CLIP) is leading the cleanup effort and will coordinate City departments and community groups to deploy volunteers. CLIP will also be painting doors and windows of abandoned properties along the route. The Philadelphia Streets Department will provide blowers and mechanical brooms for sweeping the street. SEPTA will cleanup at transit stops along the route. Mural Arts Porch Light program will operate at 2774 Kensington Avenue. Philadelphia Water Department will clean stormwater inlets. Licenses and Inspections will clean and seal properties in the area and inspect open properties. Parks and Recreation will focus cleaning efforts on McPherson Square. To focus energy and efforts on the 2900 Block of Kensington Avenue, the daily Philadelphia Resilience Project meetings held at the Emergency Operations Center will be suspended on cleanup day.
Kensington Initiative for Needle Disposal (KIND) is officially launching on November 1. This is a collaborative effort between IMPACT services and Prevention Point Philadelphia (with funding from the Philadelphia Health Department) to 1) provide clean-up of drug paraphernalia and other litter, overdose response and training, and the distribution of naloxone and information about local resources, and 2) create a source of income for community members. KIND will have four field staff dedicated to this effort.