Many of you may already have seen this and know about it, but I've been away from PB for a bit. This is truly another sign of hope in Frankford and a great example of where it can go:
Site was off of NCA-Pres thread, thank you NCA-Pres for sharing!
http://www.pappajohnwoodworking.com/...M_studios.h tml

I have been reunited with an old friend recently, named Owen Patch. We had been out of touch for the last four years.

Owen runs East Falls Glass Works. The whole area is just like Frankford. Old Stone Mill Buildings being rehabilitated and turned into studios and workshops.

I was blown away. They have a Bakery and studios, everything in a restored mill complex. It is just one developer that had the vision to save the old buildings and create something new.

The whole thing is beautiful. It gives one the feeling of "I want to be part of that."

I cannot describe it. You need to drive by there to see it for your selves. If you do you will feel like you are looking at Frankford in the Future.
http://www.eastfallsglass.com/bop.php

The Mills at East Falls, once a series of 19th century textile factories, is currently being crafted into a new community that promises to reinvent the concept of neighborhood.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Dobson Mills were the life-blood of East Falls. In the 1800's John Dobson purchased the mills on Scotts Lane and began to manufacture yarn. The buildings were destroyed by fire, rebuilt immediately, and were used to manufacture textiles until after the depression.

The Mills and its 17 acres have recently been rescued from years of neglect. http://www.themillsateastfalls.com/

The Bakery at East Falls
http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/u...reviewId=17779

How did this all happen?
Read: http://www.citypaper.net/articles/20...08/cover.shtml

I have great hope for Frankford. I believe that in finding new uses, Frankford’s mills and other treasures can be saved, but only if enough people care.

We have to refuse to let happen, what has been happening for far too long. That would be to allow the "people in charge" to continue demolishing Frankford's treasures to make way for more housing.

If "those people in charge" wanted to help prevent gentrification, they should start by sponsoring, creating or funding a program to rebuild and restoring the homes of the poor that already live in Frankford.

Restoration vs. Demolition, Progress and Development vs. Gentrification and Stagnation?

WE have to demand the Politicians to support the renaissance of Frankford as opposed to what we have been getting around Frankford thus far.

Thus far Frankford has become a dumping ground for every crappy failed social experiment that every other community refuses to accept.

It seems as if the whole city has been gentrified at the expense of Frankford.

Frankford has to stop being the “dumping ground” for the rest of the city.

Frankford gets drug rehabs and prisoners, intentional demolition through intentional neglect followed by blight reports on demand (possibly ordered by our Mayor and Councilman), condemnations, wrecking-balls, land banking, land grabs, justified by lies from the scamming thieves who run these programs.

In spit of it all, I think Frankford can be made into one of the best places within Philadelphia to live. I say that with the inclusion of the poor and middle class. All it takes is progressive forward thinking as opposed to poverty and welfare management by a FCDC and non-profit pseudo-churches whose congregations are nonexistent.

It will take all of that plus interested investor/developers, a new political régime within Philadelphia and ridding the Frankford Community Development Corporation of the same old incestuous core that have been way too long on “the Frankford gravy train.”

I have faith these things will happen.

Finally an inspirational post on Frankford. Tell me, though, NCA pres, what psedo-churches are you referring to? Just curious. I donate food and clothes and stuff to Frankford Group Ministry. I think they provide a lot of much needed help to many.

Would like your input.

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Many a woman has a past, but I am told she has at least a dozen, and that they all fit. - Oscar Wilde

No Problem.

You can and will donate food and clothes and stuff to any charity you wish.

But my question to you is, does this quote describe the Frankford Group Ministry?

Well, does it?

I'm not sure what "poverty and welfare management" means. I do know that that the FGM offers food for the hungry, clothes to those who need them and most endearingly, parenting seminars and groups for people trying to raise their childern in loving homes.

Not sure why you're asking me about your own quote.

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Many a woman has a past, but I am told she has at least a dozen, and that they all fit. - Oscar Wilde

Historically, and this is going back a few years, FGM was regarded by some civicly active people in the Frankford community as being in the poverty services business and was focused in maintaining and increasing demand for those services rather than working on strategies to build self-reliance and actually improve the neighborhood.

Now that seemed rather cynical to me, and some of it may have been sour grapes over FGM grabbing all funding coming into the neighborhood leaving nothing for any other organizations, but history over the last 10 years hasn't shown it to be false either.

While it is important to know and learn from history, the present and future are more important because they can be differernt. So forgetting FGM's past, what are they up to now? Are they maintaining the demand for their services or are they proactively working to put themselves out of business?

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"Things are starting to get interesting right about now"

All comments made by me on his board are given freely and probably worth what you paid for them.

Scoats, perfect wording. There seems to be a huge fault line that gets wider each year in Frankford. FGM has, no doubt, truly helped so many, many people. From LIHEAP programs to other social programs so desperately needed in the area to help senior citizens and families that live below the poverty line.
The problems seems to be, historically speaking, that maybe not so much FGM, but the association with providing these programs and being attached to business associated endeavors that are supposed to promote economic development. It's an oxymoron. And, yes, it would appear that improving the situations of many in the area by building self reliance would decrease funding for the organization.
It seems that the best thing to happen here is that non-profit organizations should stick to the business they know and small business owners and proprietors should have control of their own organizations.
In Frankford, non-profit organizations cannot seem to "get this". There seems to be a fear of "gentrification". If gentrification is going to be a "bad thing" and is in any way iminent in the area, it's a mystery to most people.
Bottom line. Non Profit organizations need their own associations. Civic Groups should have thier own associations and Maybe it's time that Frankford have like Center City - a Frankford Proprietors Association.
On occassion, maybe they could meet twice a year, but it's not working in this condition.