The 2018 Historic Streets Restor

The 2018 Historic Streets Restoration Meeting

Monday, March 19^th, 6:30-8:30 PM at the Old Pine Community Center (401 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147)

RSVP: lynnlandes@earthlink.net or call 215-629-3553

You are invited to The 2018 Historical Streets Restoration Meeting. This is the latest in a series of meetings that have taken place over the past several years between The Philadelphia Society of Small Streets (PSSS), Councilman Mark Squilla’s office, the Streets Department, the Historical Commission, The Preservation Alliance, civic associations, and the public. The Philadelphia Society of Small Streets (PSSS) was founded in 2011. It is the only organization in the city that is solely dedicated to the restoration and maintenance of Philadelphia’s historic streets.

Please visit the PSSS website www.SmallStreetsPhilly.org for much more historical and technical information.

Join the PSSS meetup to keep up with the latest news:
https://www.meetup.com/The-Philadelphia-Society-of-Small-Streets-PSSS

AGENDA: The public will be invited to ask questions and comment at the end of each agenda item.

· FUNDING: The Historic Streets Restoration Program began in 1999 and for that PSSS thanks all past and present Philadelphia city officials and staff. However, with over 300 historically-certified streets, many in desperate need of repair, much more funding is needed.

·    PRIORITY LIST: This year the 300 block of Philip Street is designated for restoration. So, the discussion will be on the next streets on the list for restoration in 2019 and 2020. PSSS has strongly advocated for our own Priority List that includes the criteria below (LCCL). In addition, we have also recommended specific neighborhoods and streets for restoration. SEE http://www.smallstreetsphilly.org/PSSSresponse.htm So far, we have been successful in our efforts. However, the Streets Department continues to defer to their Priority List that was computer-generated and focuses on streets that we believe should not be at the top of the list.

PSSS’s Priority Criteria for historic street restoration: LCCL

Location:   Begin restorations within the center of the city and its historic districts and then radiate outwards.
Context:    Select streets that are lined with historic homes, not back alleys, side streets, and new construction.
Condition: Target streets that are in urgent need of repair and restoration.
Logistics:   Restore streets in geographic clusters, when at all possible

NOTE:  PSSS recommends that developers be required to restore onsite historic streets as part of their permit approval process. The neighborhood we have in mind specifically for this application is the 400 block of Reno Street, Orkney Street, and Leithgow Street, which are a cluster in Northern Liberties and on the Streets Department Top 10 Priority List.

For the next two years, PSSS recommends the following streets for restoration:

    200 block of Hutchinson-Bonaparte-Manning cluster
    200 block of Quince Street
    2400 block of Panama Street

· MAINTENANCE & LIABILITY (PLUMBERS' PATCHES): There is an urgent need for ‘plumbers patch’ legislation for speedy repairs in order to avoid creating hazardous conditions for the public and vehicles. Despite years of promises that the Streets Department would restore plumbers' patches in a timely manner, that is not occurring as the patches continue to increase at an alarming rate. An unfortunate example of this failed policy is the 200 block of Hutchinson Street, which is covered end-to-end with plumbers' patches. See http://www.smallstreetsphilly.org/PlumbersPatchPhotos.htm Therefore, PSSS renews our request for legislation to require the immediate restoration of our historic streets after excavation.

· CONSTRUCTION ISSUES:

Streets Department Standard gradient for curbs, sidewalks, and street during restoration: In 2017, American Street restoration was stopped twice in order to go back and correct the non-compliant gradient of sidewalks, curbs, and the street, although not all were brought into code. The Streets Department standard for sidewalks is 1/4 inch per foot. A proper gradient will be a critical issue for the Philip Street restoration, as it has severe problems in that regard. PSSS questions whether the resetting of the curbs (in order to meet the Streets Department standard) was part of the contract and, if not, we request that it be in all future contracts, and that the contracts be made publicly available prior to selecting a contractor.
Concrete Foundation vs Modified Aggregate or Pulverized Concrete: PSSS continues to strongly disagree with the Streets Department policy of requiring a concrete foundation. Our opposition is due to the hardship and risks to property owners, their building foundations, and nearby utilities, that will occur when a jackhammer is used to break through at least 8 inches of concrete in order to access utilities, etc.. Last year, one homeowner on Spruce Street had his gas lines broken due to a utility using a jackhammer near his house. Tiger-Stone, a Netherland’s manufacturer of brick laying equipment, recommends 15 inches of concrete debris (pulverized concrete) and on top 2 to 6 inches of sand of good quality.
Paver Spacing: PSSS believes that the street bricks and stones should be tightly set in order to make walking and biking as safe as possible. This cannot be accomplished as long as the Streets Department requires a concrete foundation and mortar, which necessitates considerable spacing between each brick or stone so that the mortar can harden properly.
Certification to work on historic streets: For contractors and the Streets Department crew, PSSS supports a training program that would be provided in order to assure the proper restoration of our historic streets.
Historic sidewalks: PSSS encourages all property owners on historic streets to use bricks on their sidewalks in order to complement our historic streets, and to avoid the damage to foundations and utilities that can result from jackhammers, which are often used to remove concrete sidewalks for repair or replacement.

· CAMAC “THE WOOD” STREET: PSSS understands from the point person on Camac Street that "no movement" has taken place regarding its restoration. We have strongly suggested that the concrete foundation be removed, otherwise any wood set down will decompose fairly quickly, as has happened at least twice in the past.

· SNOW REMOVAL: The small streets have unique needs when it comes to snow removal. For property owners on small streets measuring approximately 6.5 feet wide, PSSS asks that the CITY CODE be amended to direct those property owners to shovel snow from their half of the street (to the center line, approximately 3 1/4 feet) in front of their house, plus a 3 foot wide path to their doors, using the remainder of the sidewalk to store the snow. We also recommend that the Streets Department make public announcements during major snow events to this effect. Otherwise, our streets get buried in snow and become impassable, presenting a real safety hazard for the public and emergency vehicles.

· TRASH TRUCKS: Some of our historic streets have experienced "leaking" trash trucks. Councilman Squilla has said that a new truck is on order.

· Additional Public Comment: The public will also be invited to comment at the end of each agenda item.

We sincerely hope to see you at the March 19^th meeting. Thank you for your attention.

Lynn and Cliff Landes, Founders
The Philadelphia Society of Small Streets (PSSS)
www.SmallStreetsPhilly.org
lynnlandes@earthlink.net
215-629-3553 landline / 714-204-2690 cell