Opinion Eyes on the Street

Germantown on the 4th | Hite to implement, not rethink | AVI’s odds | more drug rehab coming to Frankford?

PlanPhilly staff

July 5, 2012

(4th of July | Rob Lybeck, Eyes on the Street Flickr Group)

Hey Streeters. Hope you had a happy and safe Independence Day and found ways to stay cool. This beastly heat wave just won’t let up – we’ve had more than a week of excessive heat – and come Saturday it could hit 101˚ in Philly.

On the 4th of July, Germantown’s the place to be. The Daily News joined the largely local crowd cruising Historic Germantown on Wednesday, visiting its many Colonial and Revolutionary-era sites like Clivden and Stenton. Mount Airy resident Karen Ford told the DN she was drawn by the area’s authenticity. “This is living history,” she said.

New Superintendent William Hite is here to implement, not rethink, the radical reorganization plan for the city’s schools. Benjamin Herold sat down with Hite for a lengthy interview for the Notebook/NewsWorks to talk about the tough road ahead. One upside: Hite seems committed to finding funding wherever possible, and vowed to press the state for more money.

Will AVI actually happen next year? The Inquirer’s Troy Graham looks at the likelihood of AVI’s future. By delaying AVI by one year the city is buying time to set a reasonable millage rate and finalize property assessments, but it also brings the vote closer to what is expected to be a tough mayoral contest. So, will politics kill off property-tax reform? City Controller Alan Butkovitz thinks AVI will never happen.

Frankford residents don’t want to see yet another property converted into a drug rehab house. The property at 4834 N. Penn Street, one block from Frankford High School, was recently sold and Treatment Alternatives intends to convert it into a 36-bed facility for men in recovery. The Frankford Gazette reports that Frankford Civic Association was not consulted on the project because the conversion is allowed under the property’s current zoning. Frankford Civic will meet tonight to discuss the project. There is a petition on change.org in opposition to the rehab conversion.

The Buzz is Eyes on the Street’s morning news digest. Have a tip? Send it along.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.