At PSCA General Membership meeting on January 3, Board President Christine Knapp reminded attendees that they can still take advantage of a program run by EnergyWorks to make low-cost home energy assessments and reduced cost home energy efficiency improvements available to members of the Passsyunk Square Civic Association.

EnergyWorks brings together all available rebates, tax credits and low-interest financing for home energy improvements. Through the EnergyWorks Select Partnership neighborhood associations, civic groups, faith-based and community-based organizations can receive group discounts on home energy assessments, and in some cases the contracted work. Neighbors or group members come together and act as a buying group, thus bringing down the price and saving time and energy for everyone.

Since EnergyWorks has over one hundred registered building analysts and contractors, Select Partners get to choose from a preferred list of contractors and analysts that have demonstrated exceptional work, financial stability and who participate in a unique discount purchasing program offered through the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance which allows them to provide additional savings to the homeowner on energy efficiency materials and products.

PSCA has signed up for the EnergyWorks Select Partnership, and we have had a number of households sign up already. Those who would like to register their interest can do so through an online intake form here.

Under “How did you find out about us?” choose “Other” and enter Passyunk.org. For “Are you a member of a Home Owners Association?” choose yes and enter “Passyunk Square Civic Association” in the next field after that.

Please fill out the intake form online or come to the meeting to sign up and save money and energy in your home this winter!

The question was posed at the January General Membership meeting: What is the Passyunk Square Civic Association doing about vacant lots and abandoned properties in the neighborhood? Thankfully our area doesn’t have as much trouble with this issue as other neighborhoods. That doesn’t mean we’re completely free of them.

In order to even begin planning what we might do about this issue, we first need to get an idea of the scope of the problem. To do this we want to continue to get an inventory all the boarded up/vacant houses in the neighborhood. This is where you come in!

Some weeks ago we sent around a survey to allow neighbors to report suspected abandoned properties. (Unfortunately, there are some inhabited buildings that only look like they’re vacant.)

If you see a house that is boarded up/vacant  click here to fill out this short form and send us the address and cross streets. This will feed into the inventory we have been keeping.

Thank you for helping to make our neighborhood a better place.

Next meeting of Safe Streets, Healthy Neighborhoods will be at the Guerin Recreation Center at 1600 Jackson Street on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 6 PM to 8 PM.

At this meeting the Community Design Collaborative Design Team will be presenting preliminary designs for bike priority streets. These designs will include both short and long range plans for a typical residential block in South Philadelphia based on input they received from you in previous meetings. This is your last opportunity to provide input to guide the final plans.

Join members of the Combined South Philadelphia Civic Association Alliance in the auditorium of Saints John Neumann – Maria Goretti High School tonight at 6:30PM for a meeting and Q&A session with SEPTA senior management.

SEPTA Constituent Relations Coordinator Wendy Green-Harvey and Assistant Director of Transportation Michael Lyles will address issues relevant to schedules and ALL South Philadelphia routes. Mr. Lyles, along with many of his staff members, will field questions especially regarding pilot projects such as the 47 bus lines limited pick-ups.

Have you ever been walking down a street in the neighborhood and wondered what used to be there or what the buildings you’re seeing looked like 40, 50, 80 or 100 years ago? PhillyHistory.org lets you search locations throughout the city and see photos in their archive that have been arranged by location. We figured we’d start sharing some as we find them and see if anyone has memories to share about these locations. Our first one is a 1938 photo taken from 11th and Tasker looking northwest towards what is now 1540 Hardware:

Lots of aluminum siding hiding that exterior detail work now! Click here for Google Streetview’s shot of what this same view looks like today.