06-12-2007, 07:08 PM
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Cheesesteak GURU! Wiz with
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Cedar Park
Posts: 13,884
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Quote:
Originally Posted by romano
So you're saying she proposed having it moved to her district in the first place? Now she wants goodies to sweeten the deal? And it would be intruding on her councilmatic privelage to have it moved to a different council district? Is that what you're saying?
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Thats exactly what I am saying. It was Blackwell's idea to move it to West Philadelphia in the first place and her idea to rename it the Thurgood Marshal Study Center - which always struck me as a more appropriate name for the law library at Cheney University or something.
Actually according to this July 2004 Philadelphia Weekly article I just found, Blackwell first introduced the legislation for aquiring the land at 4601 Market (the back corner near 48th and Haverford) in fall of 2003. Wow this article is quite amazing in retrospect - it goes on at length about how the facility on the Parkway is dangerous and in disrepair, how hopeful everyone is that the project will break ground finally in the fall of 2004.
Quote:
For the first time in years the mayor's office of capital projects has brought evidence of progress to the public.
Last fall City Council passed a bill sponsored by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell allowing the city to begin the process of purchasing property for a new center. Last month the city signed a tentative agreement with the owners of a five-acre parcel at 4601 Market St. Contractors are now surveying the site. If it meets construction requirements, the city could formally purchase the plot in September.
Meanwhile, officials expect plans for programming at the center--from psychological services to schooling--to be complete within the next few weeks. If the project stays on schedule, the new center will open in four years. As with other city priorities, the detention center's continued progress has stalled amid debates over the new city budget.
Anne Marie Ambrose, the deputy commissioner for juvenile justice services at the Department of Human Services, says she'll be set to move as soon as the wrangling ends. She doesn't expect any changes to her budget, which in 2004 totaled $145.6 million, with $22.7 million, or nearly 16 percent, for the Youth Study Center.
"We're sort of ready and raring to go," Ambrose says. "We're as close as we've ever been."
Ambrose doesn't deny the deficiencies of the current detention center.
She says the facility's aging components require frequent repairs and replacement, adding there are winter days when the heat won't go on and blistering summer days when the air doesn't work. With just 200,100 square feet, there isn't enough room to run creative programs. Space and design also make it hard to bring outside groups safely into the facility.
There are practical problems.
The crackly sound system in the gymnasium makes most visiting speakers impossible to hear, and kids play half-court basketball in the too-small gym. The staff recently held its talent show outside.
Then there are security concerns.
Although the staff prides itself on keeping fights and other such incidents to a minimum, the twists and turns of five floors of hallways make it difficult to keep tabs on the movements of about 100 detainees. This is no Eastern State Penitentiary with clear lines of sight down straight spokes of hallways.
Schwartz stresses his appreciation for the city's efforts to cope with the situation.
"The current facility is not designed well for quality programming," he says. "They've done a terrific job of making the best of a bad building."
Chief among the accomplishments of Philadelphia's juvenile justice system, he says, are efforts to keep the center's population down by putting youth in alternative placements like community-based shelters and home detention.
(City officials provide only vague explanations for why a new center has been such a long time coming. The mayor's press office did not return a call for comment.)
"I think part of it was making sure we could come to an agreement on size. That has taken us some time," Ambrose says.
There's a sense that, having come so close to real progress, kvetching about past mistakes won't do any good. So Ambrose talks about what must happen to make the best of this opportunity.
One major necessity, she says, is "making sure there's no great community opposition. This is not going to be a popular program in most neighborhoods in Philadelphia."
The proposed location lies in the district of Councilwoman Blackwell, who has pledged to support the project. She hosted a public meeting to address community concerns two weeks ago.
Another hurdle: "Finding the money," Ambrose says.
Funding for the multimillion- dollar project will come from a non-ballot bond issue, which must receive Council's approval, says deputy managing director Jim Donaghy, who won't comment on the anticipated price tag.
As soon as planners complete the outline for programming services, the city will turn to the new center's design. Donaghy expects to hire a design consultant within the next few months. "Oh yes, it's months now rather than years," he says.
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http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=7469
Last edited by seand : 06-12-2007 at 07:29 PM.
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. But seriously, why do you suppose no one has stepped in yet?
