Julian Abele ParkFall 2015 Julian Abele Park Newsletter
Fall 2015 Newsletter
State of the Park: We cannot thank enough our neighbors and volunteers who pitch in, every season, to shovel snow, pull weeds, plant flowers, weed, pick up trash, water and maintain Julian Abele Park. As we continue our efforts to make Julian Abele Park a center of our neighborhood’s social and recreational experience, we encourage you to join us in looking after our park.
President’s Report
We have achieved 501(c)3 status with the IRS and may now collect donations directly; please support us and our work by donating atwww.julianabelepark.org – look for the donate banner towards the bottom of the home page.
You might have noticed that our website looks different; over the summer several of our volunteers re-designed the site to make it easier to get updated information about what’s going on in the park. We’re still working on it, so come back frequently….
Our Farmer’s Market for 2015 suffered from rainy Tuesdays. We thank our friends at Highland Orchards http://highlandorchardsfarmmarket.com and Other Animal Coffee www.otheranimalcoffee.com for their perseverance and support of the market. Tell them you appreciate their coming.
Unfortunately, our plants, shrubs and trees suffered a lot this year. We lost at least a dozen of the border shrubs and many of our groundcover sedum have been overrun with weeds. At our October 2015 meeting we hope to share a more complete review of our plantings. Any time you can volunteer for upkeep would be appreciated during the remainder of 2015.
We participated in Philadelphia Parks and Recreations “Love Your Park” event in May and will participate in November- thank you to our volunteers and especially Joe Sinkus for his support of and guidance in our seasonal plantings and our spring bulbs.
Over the summer, we partnered with SOSNA for a “National Night Out” event in August and a “Summer Social” in July.
Our September 19th Julian Abele Park Sidewalk Sale, organized and run by our friends and neighbors was a nice success. We’d like to also thank “Little Italy” food truck @ 6th and Chestnut for their providing breakfast and lunch food items.
Our Treasurer, Phil Frank, has been supporting our efforts to create a budget and to pay off our outstanding debt. Secretary Jim Quinlan has been instrumental in the success of our 501(c)3 status.
Continuing Improvements and Future Plans
Behind the scenes, we have received approvals from the City of Philadelphia for the installation of public bike racks along 22nd Street. Purchase and installation of the racks is dependent upon raising the necessary funds.
We also have a quote to convert our park lighting to LED lamps/fixtures but do not have the funds to go ahead with that project.
Beginning this Fall and continuing over Winter we will be looking at how we can improve the gardens and replace dead shrubs and plant material.
Upcoming Events @ Julian Abele Park
Saturday October 10th- Southwest Center City Tree Pruning Club will be reviewing the trees at Julian Abele Park.
Saturday October 31st: Southwest Center City Run. We especially look forward to this every year….Julian Abele Park is the Start/End of the event.
Saturday November 14th, 10 AM-Noon “Love Your Park”
We’ll be planting bulbs, working on the lawn and preparing the park for winter.
Julian Abele Park
……is among the city’s newest designated parks. Located on 22nd Street between Montrose and Carpenter, it was formally dedicated in 2008. We’ve been working with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, PA Horticultural Society and you, our neighbors, to create a passive recreational park and public entertainment venue.
About Julian Abele
Julian Abele Park’s namesake was a distinguished architect whose projects included the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the campus of Duke University. Mr. Abele was raised here and lived his life nearby in Southwest Center City. He and some of his projects are depicted in the park’s mural.
Friends of Julian Abele Park
We are your friends and neighbors interested in improving our neighborhood by providing a peaceful green space for everyone to enjoy. We meet the first Tuesday of the month at the SOSNA office, 1901 Christian Street, at 7pm. We’re actively seeking new members and hope that you will join us!
Find Out More
Find out more at our website: www.julianabelepark.org
Keep up with park news at www.facebook.com/fojab (Friends of Julian Abele Park)
Follow us on Twitter: JulianAbelePark.
