Finally! The possibility for a South Philly Co-op is upon us
and as community members we urge you all to click
here to learn more about the South Philly Food Co-op
and what it means to you and your neighborhood.

Philly is now picking up #3,4,5,6 and 7 plastics for recycling. 

EVERY TRASH DAY!

Pass it on!!!

The EPX Board of Directors wishes to acknowledge a grant of $150.00 from the Weccacoe CDC.  Weccacoe is the Community Development Corporation that has EPX, and many other civic associations, within their boundaries.  The State of Pennsylvania makes minor funds available to each CDC for the purpose of subsidizing limited administrative activity of civic associations. EPX will put this money towards postage. Special thanks to EPX Co-Chair Joseph F. Marino and Corresponding Secretary Melody Damis for following up on this opportunity.

This school year ended a little richer for several students film makes at Ss. John Neumann and Maria Goretti High School!

The third, and final, component of the EPXStories project, which started in the spring of 2009, came to a close with the awarding of the $500 prize this summer. The stories, written as film scripts, dealt with topics ranging from the closing of the Naval Ship Yard, to the colorful personalities from South Philly’s rakish past. But the winning entry had our burgeoning movie makers writing about the local celebrities from the area. Look to our web page, in the very near future, for a link to the full scripts including the winner.

EPX is proud to co-sponsor the S. Broad St. Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library’s Summer Reading Program’s Kick-Off FACE PAINTING Party!  Bring your children to the library on Wednesday June 23rd for free face painting at 12 noon followed by a magic show at 2:00 p.m! The South Broad Street Branch located at 1700 S. Broad St (Broad and Morris Streets) has recently re-established their Friends of the Free Library chapter and EPX has been a partner with them from the start. Please consider becoming a Friend of the Free Library, and know that EPX is excited to be co-sponsoring this Summer Reading event with this energized new group.

Neighbors, EPX is seeking your involvement and support in an exciting and ongoing project that we are undertaking in partnership with the East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District (EPABID) and a local city planning and consulting firm called Planning Collective to “Reclaim Concrete” at the intersection of Passyunk, 12th and Morris. Currently a confusing and somewhat chaotic intersection, the idea is to convert unused portions of the intersection into more attractive pedestrian space, while simultaneously making it easier for motorists to navigate.

Some of you may already be familiar with ‘Reclaim Concrete’ from last week’s Flavors of the Avenue festival, where Planning Collective members were out meeting neighbors, gathering early feedback, and sharing success stories from other cities that have re-imagined similar intersections. Once grant money is in hand, Planning Collective will facilitate a community design process to determine how to program the space and what elements the neighborhood would most like to see.

Before that happens, we need to win the grant, and this is where you come in. We are seeking $50,000 for the project through Pepsi’s online grant program Refresh Everything. Pepsi is giving away a total of $20 million in 2010 to good ideas through the voter-driven program. Each month, money is awarded based on public online voting open to all U.S. residents. Voting for the East Passyunk Avenue project starts May 1st and U.S. residents can vote once a day through May 31 here. Our idea must be within the top 10 in the $50k category to receive the grant.

There is a short video about the project on Planning Collective’s website which you can watch here. We’ll be in touch throughout the month of May with occasional updates, and Planning Collective staff will be attending our meeting this Monday 5/3 to answer questions to briefly explain the project concept, answer any questions you may have, and explain the ways you can help get the vote out. We hope you’re excited to imagine the possibilities at this intersection and help us win this necessary funding.

Happy Voting!

The EPX Grants/Finance committee has won their 15th consecutive grant! This time for our Clean & Green committee.

The Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group is a not-for-profit volunteer organization for gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic region. We encourage gardeners – from beginners to professionals – to learn more about horticulture and to share skills, knowledge, and plants with each other. 

http://www.hardyplant.org

The Hardy Plant Society has given a cash grant towards the purchase of plants for the new planters at the spruced-up gateway triangle of Passyunk and McKean! Congratulations to both the Grants/Finance committee and the Clean and Green committee for their work in this effort. Look for the evidence of this grant when the Spring plantings begin in earnest!