On Wednesday, September 9th, the residents of Ross St held a meeting to discuss plans to make their block the first green street in the Awbury/Cliveden Neighborhood. The meeting started out with a brief presentation by Chris Metcalf from Urban Eco Electric. UEE is offering to lease solar panels to residents and reduce their energy bills.
Joanne Dahme of the Philadelphia Water Department presented information on the proposed green streets initiative and community members responded with a series of questions about how these changes were going to affect them. Questions ranged from the possibility of price increases in water bills to the creation of green jobs related to the installation of the green street.
Ross Street is the first street in this neighborhood slated to receive stormwater detainment features such as Tree Trenches and bump out gardens, which are designed to capture storm water at the source. The PWD estimates that each project with take 6-8 weeks and cost between $200,000 – $250,000. The money will come from government stimulus package as well as rate-payer dollars.
Overall the meeting was very positive. As one hesitant community member pointed out, “Change is scary.” While this can be true, this project is a very exciting new initiative. Another resident aptly stated that “It is not about the cost of the project, but the worth. This project is not only good for the current residents, but will help to protect the environment, and beautify the neighborhood for generations to come.”
A follow up meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on October 3rd where the structural designs will be presented. Please contact us for more information.
