DECEMBER, 2012

Dear Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Colleagues:

I hope you and your families had a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. We have much for which to be thankful over this past year as well as in our future. By now, most of you have probably heard the very good news for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. Recently, City Council approved a mid-year transfer of $2.6 million for the department’s FY2013 operating budget with emphasis on improving our maintenance capacity. We expect this transfer ordinance to be approved by City Council and signed by Mayor Nutter within the coming weeks. As this ordinance moves through City Council for the Mayor’s signature, we will work collaboratively to undertake a thoughtful and balanced approach that results in the best long-term impact for the department. I would like to thank Mayor Nutter, City Council, and our many friends and partners who worked to help advocate for these additional resources. Our Parks & Recreation staff provides great benefit to the city in the form of high-quality programming along with attentive care of our natural assets and hundreds of facilities. This new money is a timely investment in our department but it is also tangible recognition by the City Administration of your great work.

These new resources will allow us to make adjustments when and where needed, as I have promised throughout the merger process. Along this line of thought, I would also like to announce the following organizational changes designed to better meet our operational demands. These changes will be effective as of January 1, 2013.

The first change is that we are moving the Tree Crews’ reporting responsibility from the Urban Forestry & Ecosystems Management Unit to the Operations Unit. Sufficient resources will retained within the Urban Forestry & Ecosystems Management Unit to support contract management responsibilities related to contracted tree plantings, pruning, and removals as well as for TreePhilly and the natural lands work. This move will afford the tree crews more ready access to equipment, supplies, and materials already located in Operations Unit.

The second change is related to the organizational reporting structure for the Skilled Trades Unit. Skilled Trades will remain under First Deputy Commissioner Mark Focht’s directorate but as part of this shift, Frank Fabey will serve as Director of Facilities. Frank will provide daily leadership for the Skilled Trades Unit with Bob McDowell, Southern Building Maintenance Superintendent II and John Kalasunas, Acting Northern Building Maintenance Superintendent II.

As always, thank you for your continued hard work and dedication.

LOVE Your Park Fall Service Day

On November 17, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation hosted the LOVE Your Park Fall Service Day in parks across the city. The fall service day included 58 cleanup projects, with 1,700 residents raking fall leaves, planting bulbs and preparing their parks for winter. Volunteers also planted 15 new dogwood trees and 4,000 daffodil bulbs, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

The signature cleanup site was at Sedgley Woods in East Fairmount Park, which had over 150 volunteers. At both Sedgely Woods and Smith Memorial Playground volunteers replaced 150 fence rails, planted daffodil bulbs and trees, removed invasive species and cleaned various park trails.

Read the LOVE Your Park Fall Service Day press release

Featured PaRC Member: Nancy Goldenberg

Nancy Goldenberg has served as Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) since its founding in 2009. She is senior vice president of programs and planning for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, founder of the Philadelphia Outward Bound Center, and chair of Summer Search Philadelphia.

Nancy’s connection to the Department runs deep—she has taught classes about Fairmount Park; worked as Program Administrator for the Fairmount Park Commission; maintained and enhanced playgrounds, parks, and public spaces while employed by the Center City District; and served on the Fairmount Park Advisory Council, Friends of Carpenter’s Woods and Philadelphia Parks Alliance, among other accomplishments.

We called Nancy earlier this month to learn more about her work (and play) in our park and recreation system.

What is the most rewarding part of serving as Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission?

NG: Hearing from citizens of Philadelphia how important our parks, recreational facilities and programs are to them, their families and their communities. There’s a tremendous amount of passion and support for parks and recreation throughout every neighborhood in the city.

What are your goals for PaRC in the next year?

NG: We spent a full year identifying issues concerning safety, and we’ll be putting together our recommendations on that subject in the coming months. At the same time we’ll work with the department to focus our attention on programs, particularly out of school time programs, that we know are important to PPR leadership. We also have our first use of the land protection ordinance [Temple Boathouse] so we’ll be going through the process prescribed in that legislation for the first time.

How do you use our parks and recreation facilities?

NG: I mostly “park and recreate” in the Wissahickon. I’m there every weekend, and I’d be there every day if I didn’t have to work! It’s one of the most beautiful places I know of in the entire world, and I get so much energy from spending time there. At the same time, I also do my best thinking when I’m running or hiking there. It brings clarity to everything I do.

Best Wishes to Lenora McNeely: 36 Years of City Service

The year was 1976 and America was celebrating its Bicentennial Birthday. Jimmy Carter was elected President to a country with a household median income of $12,686 and a first-class stamp was 13 cents. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won Best Picture at the Academy Awards with other blockbuster hits like Rocky, All the President’s Men and Taxi Driver on the silver screen. Captain and Tennile scored Record of the Year with their hit “Love Will Keep Us Together” and the Philadelphia Flyers lost the Stanley Cup to the Montreal Canadians (4-0).

And 1976 was also the year that Lenora McNeely was lucky enough to type 34 words per minute and land her first job with the City of Philadelphia, starting her career of 36 years of service.

Lenora was in her mid-twenties and was unemployed when she heard about a job opportunity through a program called CITA. If you could type 35 words per minute, you were guaranteed a job. Lenora and a few friends went down to the office and took the typing test. She scored 34 words per minute and the instructor told her that was “good enough”!

Her career with the City of Philadelphia had begun. Lenora was stationed at the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Health Riverview Home on State Road in Northeast Philadelphia.

In a few years she took and passed the Clerk/Typist exam and then was promoted to Clerk/Typist II. She started to climb the ladder to Payroll Clerk, then Supervisor and then Administrative where she now ends her career in the Parks and Recreation Human Resources Division.

“And I loved every minute of it,” said McNeely who has a military background of nine years of service in the Army Reserves. “It’s been a good education and I had great supervisors. I never had a slow day at work or was ever bored.”

Lenora said she wanted her job in Human Resources to be a good, positive experience for her fellow workers. “You have to like people and treat them like you want to be treated,” she said of her long standing success and reputation in her position. “I heard people talk about their own H.R. department and it was hard dealing with them, not a good experience, and I did not want to be in that environment. I always tried to find a solution and do my best in my job.”

McNeely’s office at 1515 Arch Street was welcoming and efficient for those seeking H.R. assistance, and one could not help but see the family photos adorning her office walls--she’s the proud mama of two sons and three grandchildren.

Lenora is a Philly girl, born and raised in North Philadelphia, who attended William Penn High School when it was an all-girls academy. She now resides in Northeast Philadelphia. Her retirement plans are simple: RELAX. Although she could never see herself leaving the City because she loves having “four seasons,” she plans to visit her extended family in North Carolina and Virginia and travel the United States.

Congratulations and best wishes to Lorena in her well deserved retirement after working for the City of Philadelphia for 36 years! We think it’s safe to say we’re the lucky ones that she passed that typing test back in 1976.

2012-2013 Girls Tumbling

All meets will be held at Gustine Recreation Center (4800 Ridge Avenue, 19129).

Tarken Reopening

On November 9 Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Parks & Recreation leadership and members of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation celebrated the grand reopening of the newly refurbished Tarken Ice Rink.

The completion of the Tarken Ice Rink project is the last in a series of four projects to fully enclose and renovate PPR ice rinks. The other rinks are: The Laura Sims Skatehouse in West Philadelphia (reopened on November 22, 2011), the Scanlon Ice Rink in Kensington (reopened on November 29, 2011), and the Simons Rink in West Oak Lane (reopened December 9, 2011).

All four ice rinks also feature newly constructed classrooms and learning labs that will now provide more than 35,000 hours of quality, year-round after school programming for children in these neighborhoods.

Read the official Tarken reopening press release

Hurricane Sandy Impact Update

2012 Growing the Neighborhood Grant Program

On November 17, as part of the Love Your Park Fall Service Day, the Fairmount Park Conservancy announced the 23 recipients of its Growing the Neighborhood grants.

Growing the Neighborhood is designed to empower Philadelphia residents to improve their local parks by matching them with corporate support and volunteers. Since 2004, Growing the Neighborhood has revitalized 14 of Philadelphia’s neighborhood parks through citizen-initiated improvements. Building on eight years of success, Growing the Neighborhood now includes a grant program for Park Friend Groups citywide.

Park groups were invited to plan and submit ideas for improvement projects in their neighborhood parks to the Fairmount Park Conservancy, who selected several projects for implementation. Through this process, the Conservancy is able to work directly with Park Friend Groups across the city to transform our neighborhood parks into safer and cleaner green spaces through visible and sustainable improvements, while fostering strong partnerships between stewardship groups and city agencies to ensure effective collaboration.

The Park Friend Groups who received the program grants are: Campbell Square, Chew Playground, Cianfrani Park, Cliveden Park, Cobbs Creek Park, Dickinson Square Park, Fairhill Square, FDR Park, Fisher Park, Fotterall Square, Hawthorne Park, Louis I. Kahn Park, Malcolm X Park, Marconi Park, McMichael Park, Mifflin Square, Penn Treaty Park, Starr Garden and Vernon Park.

Seven Park Friend Groups were awarded project grants, totaling $48,000. Barkan Park in West Philadelphia received $3,000 to create four creative, colorful banners for park light poles and Cianfrani Park in Queens Village also received $3,000 to replace the current park bulletin board to be used for events and community announcements. Cliveden Park in East Mt. Airy received $6,000 to create signage to promote the park and the Inn Yard Park of East Falls also received $3,000 to install a new park entrance sign. Hawthorne Park in Bella Vista received $3,000 to build a weather proof bulletin board to promote the new park’s community news and events. The LOVE Your Park Fall Service Day signature site and Philadelphia’s only disc golf course, Sedgley Woods, received $10,000 to install new fencing, a new picnic table and bench, welcome signage, 27 new tee signs and conduct tree work and maintenance. The largest project grant of $20,000 was awarded to Pennsport’s Manton Street Park to conduct a total design and installation of the new pocket park.

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Video: TreePhilly Gives Away Trees

Erica Smith Fichman, Tree Campaign Manager (Urban Forestry & Ecosystem Management), speaks about the goals of TreePhilly and the specifics of the Fall 2012 Yard Tree Giveaway. During the weekends of October 27 & 28 and November 3 & 4,774 people took home 1,323 trees from seven pick-up sites.

Sixers Neighborhood Basketball League

The Sixers Neighborhood Basketball League (SNBL) is a youth recreation league conducted by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. SNBL offers girls and boys an opportunity to participate in an organized basketball league at one of 20 Parks & Recreation facilities throughout Philadelphia.

Each season more than 4,000 youth, ages 6 to 18, compete in over 60 leagues from December to April. Each player receives an official SNBL T-shirt, and participants are recognized at a 76ers home game. In addition, SNBL participants have the opportunity to play on the 76ers home court prior to a game and at halftime.

Bob Nix Receives F. Eugene Dixon, Jr. Award

On October 18th, the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust held its annual benefit event at the Horticulture Center. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the prestigious F. Eugene Dixon, Jr. Award to Robert N.C. Nix III, former President of the Fairmount Park Commission. Mayor Nutter and over 200 guests attended, helping to honor Mr. Nix and raise money for the Trust's mission to preserve Fairmount Park's historic buildings and landscapes.

Pegasus Riding Therapy at the Pennypack Park

When Michael DiBerardinis began his new role as Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, he toured a number of park and recreation sites. I manage the Trust Funds for the parks and fortunately was able to tag along on one of these tours. One site we visited was the Pegasus Riding Academy on Bustleton Avenue, located in Pennypack Park. Pegasus provides therapeutic riding exercise to people, focusing on their abilities rather than their disabilities. It is the only one of its kind in the City of Philadelphia. Immediately enamored with the organization, I began volunteering each Sunday. I found it to be a great way to get outdoors, meet new people, and enjoy horses once again.

Initially my interest was to reconnect with horses – there are 13 at Pegasus. It quickly became clear that I was getting much more than a horse connection. It is a pleasure to walk with and get to know the individual riders, mostly kids of varying ages and abilities. Whatever challenge they face, as we walked together and I got to know them and their families, an appreciation and fondness grew. It’s satisfying to see the smiles and get “high fives” as they improve skills or just enjoy the ride.

Working with the volunteers and instructors is another unexpected benefit. Jamie Smith, Barn Manager and Interim Program Director, manages the operation. She is the perfect mix of equestrian, teacher, caretaker and drill sergeant to keep the place running safely and effectively. It is a volunteer-run organization, and they come in all shapes and sizes including every-day people, seniors, and college and high school students. It’s hard to say goodbye to the dedicated high school students when they graduate, often leaving the area for college. Tim is one of these graduates; he is inspirational and will be sorely missed. Tim contributed virtually all of his free time during high school to Pegasus, then left for the University of Nebraska to pursue a doctoral program in physical therapy. For some, therapy or equestrian fields will become their life’s work.

And, of course, there are the horses. We feed them, brush and exercise them, clean and oil their gear, pick their hooves (ranging in size from a small orange to dinner plate), blanket them in the winter and hose them down in the summer. These are special animals, all geldings (fixed boys), carefully selected, gentle and beautiful. Clyde the pony seems to be the favorite of most teenage girls. Mason, a beautiful Appaloosa Draft cross, was loaned to us by a veterinary student from Penn. And my personal favorite, Gus, is a huge Belgian Draft gelding once part of the mounted police. Initially intimidating, he is really a gentle giant.

Donations of your time or money are appreciated by the Pegasus Riding Academy. This money helps fund riding scholarships and operating costs. You may “Buy a Bale” for your favorite horse by donating $10 for each bale. Please see http://www.pegasusridingacademy.com for more information on how to donate or volunteer. You will also find pictures and background information for each horse. And mark your calendar for our always fun annual fundraiser on Saturday evening, April 6, 2013 at Yards Brewing Company on Columbus Avenue!

Jim Marino: Recipient of the Students Run Philly Style 2012 Extra Mile Award

On November 8, 2012, PPR’s own Jim Marino was honored by Students Run Philly Style as the organization presented him with its “2012 Extra Mile Award” at TRUST Restaurant in Old City.

Marino, Director of Blue Cross Broad Street Run, was called, “a tireless advocate for youth in the greater Philadelphia area” as he was presented with the award.

Through his work with Students Run Philly Style, Jim has touched the lives of hundreds of young men and women across the city by helping to connect them with strong adult mentors who teach them how to set, work toward, and achieve goals they never thought possible, including the completion of a marathon.

“Because Mr. Marino embodies the three defining pillars of Students Run Philly Style—courage, effort and respect—he is our 2012 Extra Mile Award honoree,” the organization explained.

Students Run Philly Style is the only program in Philadelphia that offers marathon training to help youth succeed in life. Since 2004, Students Run Philly Style has served over 2,500 students, ages 12-18, from neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

Through the leadership of over 200 adult mentors, called Running Leaders, over 50 schools, recreation centers and community leaders will host Students Run Philly Style teams this year. Students train side-by-side with their mentors three days a week from March to November. Along the way, they complete eight road races and engage in leadership and character development.

Congratulations to our own Jim Marino who has always championed not only the world famous Broad Street Run for the City of Philadelphia but also goes the “extra mile” for Parks and Recreation every day.

Video: The Hunting Park Revitalization Project

The Fairmount Park Conservancy was one of 25 Philadelphia nonprofits selected to participate in the Philly DoGooder Awards Hackathon where it was paired with filmmaker Aidan Un, who had only 10 days to create a film about the organization.

Public voting starts on December 17th.

Public Meetings

Wissahickon Gateway: Parks & Recreation hosted a public meeting to announce preliminary findings from an engineering study on a proposed trail that would connect Kelly Drive to the Ridge Avenue Bridge, which connects Philadelphia to Lower Merion. The new trail will be named “The Wissahickon Gateway.” The study was conducted over the past 18 months. The meeting took place on November 1.

Bartram’s Mile: Parks & Recreation, working with its primary partners the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) and the John Bartram Association (JBA), is leading a process to re-imagine one mile of currently vacant river frontage along the western banks of the Tidal Schuylkill between Grays Ferry Avenue and 58th Street. The re-imagined parcel of land will be named “Bartram’s Mile.”

Over the course of two weekends (Nov. 3rd & 4th and Nov. 10th & 11th), community members were invited to participate in one or more of the following: a design workshop, walking tour, bicycle tour and a dinner conversation.

Photos: Glow in the Park

Want to see something cool? View Facebook photos of the Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Glow in the Park event in FDR Park on October 25 and read a recap of the evening.

Hunting Park Orchard

On November 17 leaders from Parks & Recreation, Hunting Park Community Garden, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Orchard Project and the Junior League of Philadelphia broke ground for an orchard of fruit and nut trees in Hunting Park. Volunteers planted fig, peach, apple, cherry and pear trees as part of the fall LOVE Your Park service day.

This planting was the first of two phases of planting for the orchard. In the spring of 2013 there will be a second round, including various species of shrubs, vines, perennials and groundcover. Produce from the orchard will be distributed within the neighborhood by the community gardeners, along with the fruit and perennials from the adjacent community garden, planted in 2011.

Philly’s Next Big Chef: Parks & Rec’s Mike D!

Julia Child has her Beef Bourguignon, Emeril has his Veal Marcelle and Michael DiBernardinis has his Italian Peasant Chicken.

Because if this First Deputy Mayor thing doesn’t work out, maybe our fearless leader could be the next great Philadelphia chef…

It was back in April when the Fairmount Park Conservancy hosted its 5th Annual Centennial Celebration at The Horticulture Center in East Fairmount Park with a huge gala reception and silent auction honoring such park advocates like Phillies First Baseman Ryan Howard and the Ryan Howard Family Foundation and Vanguard Crew for their stewardship in our park system.

The event also had a silent auction with one of the top prizes being a fully catered meal prepared and served by First Deputy Mayor Michael DiBernandinis. The lucky winner was South Philly realtor and Friends of FDR Park activist Barbara Capozzi, who opened her kitchen to Mike D and his cooking crew on a Friday night in November for what some in attendance described as “Iron Chef: Philly Style.”

On the menu? Italian Peasant Chicken a.k.a. Pollo Contadino. Chef D can be found almost every Sunday at the Italian Market on 9th Street, scouting out the stands for his vegetables and then stopping at Esposito’s Meats for his butcher wish list. He knew he wanted to make Italian Peasant Chicken, a comfort food for everyone’s palette. So he headed off to 9th Street and bought enough chicken to feed his party of ten and then some.

“You use every part of the chicken in this dish,” he said. “The wing and thigh meat is so tender and is perfect in this dish.” The accompaniment was fresh rosemary and potatoes.

After appetizers of antipasto and seeded bread, there was Italian bean soup, followed by the main entrée, and then the insalata course to cleanse the palette.

Of course, Chianti and Sambuca were flowing, thanks to bartender John Binswanger who did his best Tom Cruise Cocktail impression behind the bar with help from his wife and family.

The Italian equivalent of what one might call Peasant Food in English is Cucina Povera, i.e. poor (or frugal) cooking. It's a revisitation of what the rural Italian farmers ate and cooked back in the “old country,” using whatever they could grow, harvest and raise on their own farmlands. The Italian farmer’s wife used every part of the chicken, throwing nothing out.

“Peasant Cooking” was the norm for millions of Italian immigrants when they came to America and lived through the hard times of The Great Depression. The Italian housewife grew her own herbs and vegetables in a window box of her cramped tenement apartment and used everything she could in her cucina to stretch the meals and feed her family. Polenta, dandelions, stale breads and poultry were staples in the family diet. It wasn’t until the economic boom of the 1950’s when the Italian American meals we know as spaghetti and meatballs, chicken parm and yes, pizza pie became part of the American dinner table menu.

For Italian chefs yearning for food and memories from the “Old Country,” peasant cooking and recipes bring back that rustic, simple yet hearty meal, and can now be found on menus in countless restaurants and… the stovetop of Chef Mike D.

Mike D’s culinary escapades are once again up for auction, this time to benefit the Philadelphia Parks Alliance at their December 2 Celebration at the Fairmount Water Works. Mangia! Mangia to whoever wins that auction bid.

City Email

Good news: We’re upgrading our email system from the current Domino platform (Lotus Notes/ iNotes) to MS Exchange - Outlook Web Application (OWA).

For our department the advantages of MS Exchange over Domino are:

• It standardizes the email platform that everyone uses. All PPR employees will use the same interface to access their mail.
• Your email will able to be accessed from any computer that has Internet access and whose computer meets the correct specifications.
• During the migration, 60 PPR staff members will receive phila.gov email accounts that currently do not have one.
• Mail can be accessed from smart devices.

For dates, details and more, please download the following documents:

Exchange Implementation Overview

How to Archive Your Lotus Notes Inbox

Outlook Web App Frequently Asked Questions

Tot Rec Conference: Philadelphia First

On November 3, nearly 80 Tot Recreation Program teachers gathered at Pelbano Recreation Center for a professional development day.

In a nod to election fever, this year’s theme was Philadelphia First, with plenty of red, white and blue to lend to the patriotic feel. Presenters included the Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent and PPR’s Environmental Education team. The annual training provided six of the eight hours of training required of tot rec teachers per year.

While participants enjoyed all of the presentations, many remarked that their favorite part of the day was engaging in conversation with other teachers. Therefore, the February training will be an “idea swap,” with teachers exchanging favorite lessons tied to the theme of “Spring.”

The Tot Recreation Program operates on weekday mornings several days per week. Children between the ages of 2-and-a-half up to 5-years-old are welcome at more than 30 Parks & Recreation facilities throughout the city.

Dell Music Center Holiday Discount Offer

Now through December 7, 2012 the Dell Music Center is offering a special deal to those who buy season tickets: Order your 2013 season tickets online and save $50 off premium seats only. FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Holiday Gift and Invitation Reminder

This holiday season please remember that accepting gifts from people or businesses who deal with you only as a city employee would violate the Mayor's Executive Order 03-11. The Executive Order prohibits accepting gifts, gratuities or tokens of appreciation (this includes invitations to holiday parties) offered to you by someone whose relationship with you is based on your City employment. It exists to ensure that all vendors, potential vendors and citizens are treated alike, with no favoritism or perceived favoritism. Therefore, you may not accept gifts, gratuities or tokens of appreciation from vendors or citizens whom you serve.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you have any questions, please email integrity@phila.gov or call 215-686-2178.

2013 Wellness Program

2014 Incentive

• $400 annual reduction in benefit contributions.

• Eligible for $0.00 benefit contributions throughout the year (via raffle) Starting January 1, 2013 and running through October 31, 2013, the requirements to receive an incentive for 2014 are outlined below. Detailed information will be mailed to you in early December 2012.

To receive an incentive in 2014, log onto the MyActiveHealth website: www.myactivehealth.com/city and complete the following four action steps between 1/1/13 and 10/31/13:

Required

1. Complete (or update) an online health assessment.

 

2. Enter your most recent personal health levels for a) Blood Glucose, b) Blood Pressure and c) Total Cholesterol‐HDL/LDL (It is required that the levels are from the most recent 12-month period.)

 

3. Register with Active Health (the City’s health management vendor) for at least one online or telephonic consultation at: www.myactivehealth.com/city or by calling 1-866-795-2970.

 

AND CHOOSE 1 OF THE FOLLOWING THREE OPTIONS:

4a. Contact an Active Health coach (three times from January to October) or

4b. Office visit to a Registered Dietician (two times from January to October) or

4c. Complete Flex Fitness Gym Log (90 visits from January to October)

Privacy Notice

The City receives information about which employees have met the participation requirements of the program. At no time does the City receive the personal health information of a member in connection with the health management program.