PHILADELPHIA – Today, the City of Philadelphia and Conrail signed an agreement to clean and secure the Conrail property in the Fairhill-Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The agreement stipulates that Conrail and the City will begin the cleanup work as soon as possible and no later than the end of July. Conrail will remove the vegetation to create clear sight lines from street level; remove the trash and debris; and secure the railroad property to deter trespassing and illegal dumping. In addition to facilitating Conrail’s clean-up operations, the City will provide housing and drug-addiction services to those living in the encampment, as well additional services to address ongoing quality of life issues to the surrounding neighborhood. A copy of the signed agreement is available HERE.
At a press conference held this morning, Mayor Kenney spoke about the residents of Kensington-Fairhill community, saying “I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that, for them, this announcement is long overdue. They deserved faster action from all of us standing up here today. Over the years, thousands of addicts and drug dealers have used this property as an open-air drug market, and the community has been subjected to the public health problems, crime and negative impact to quality of life. That said, I am glad that we are here, and that we can take this very important first step towards helping the community take back their neighborhood.”
A community meeting will be held to discuss this agreement and next steps with area residents on June 20, at 5:30 PM, at the Iglesias del Barrio, 240 E Cambria Street. In the last year, the City has launched a coordinated interdepartmental effort to address the serious quality of life issues facing the neighborhood. L&I has spent upwards of $600,000 to demolish and seal dozens of vacant buildings in the neighborhood. The Streets Department has invested over $230,000 upgrading street lighting in the surrounding neighborhood. CLIP abated 21 vacant lots, facilitated over a dozen beautification projects, and cleaned thousands of graffiti tags. The City also removed 30 to 40 tons of illegally dumped trash from the areas near the railroad on a monthly basis.
Managing Mike DiBerardinis also spoke this morning about the resources that would be provided to those who have been living or frequenting the encampment on the Conrail property, “While Conrail works to clean, secure and maintain its property, we are going to be focused on helping the individuals who frequent the area along those tracks get into treatment and supportive housing. For too long, lives were unnecessarily lost along those tracks.”
In preparation of this cleanup effort, Health and Human Services outreach efforts in this area were increased in early May to five days a week. The City is committed to making drug treatment available to anyone who is willing to accept it, and the City is substantially increasing funding to expand capacity for supportive housing. In addition to all of the resources that had previously been available, the City’s FY18 budget contains a $250K increase for supportive housing resources to serve the area.
“This is an important milestone in making progress on an intractable societal challenge,” said Jonathan Broder, Conrail VP and General Counsel. “Conrail wants to do its part, and we’ll be working closely with our partners to make a real difference to the communities we work in every day.”
At today’s press conference, the Managing Director also thanked the legislators and community advocates who were critical to achieving this deal and who have served this community over many years, including Congressman Brady, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and the Salvation Army among many others.
“I am pleased today that an agreement was reached that will end what really has been a drug hell that has lasted too long in a city neighborhood,” said Congressman Brady. “In the end, it’s about cooperation and putting heads together to find a solution. Mayor Kenney and Conrail have worked around the clock to come up with a plan to remove and clean up the dangerous drug debris that has fouled this half mile strip of land in Kensington for far too long.”
“This agreement is a significant step forward. I have worked for years with community members who fight this crisis every day, and I am grateful Mayor Kenney has recognized and prioritized the need for action,” said Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez. “Continued partnership between Conrail and the City, along with federal and state officials, law enforcement, and community stakeholders, will vastly improve conditions in Kensington and Fairhill and provide our neighbors, and those suffering from addiction, with the relief and support they need and deserve.”
“The Salvation is committed to work with Conrail, the City and the community to clean up and maintain safe environment and it is our hope that this measure will help eradicate the epidemic.” Said Rev. Bonnie Camarda.