GU News

Germantown United CDC is excited to share that we were selected to participate in PHL Taking Care of Business (TCB), a citywide corridor cleaning program.

It was confirmed late last week that the Philadelphia Department of Commerce has awarded GU $153,000 per annum to remove litter, trash, and debris in the area around Germantown & Chelten Avenues within the Central Germantown business corridor – our neighborhood’s primary commercial artery.

Until now, GU’s corridor revitalization work has been limited to providing direct assistance to merchants and facilitating local access to supportive business programs. We are ready, willing, and able to expand our services to include corridor cleaning and will build upon efforts to make our business and shopping environment clean, safe and accessible.

In addition to Central Germantown, there are three other areas in the neighborhood that will see regular corridor cleaning! Please join us in congratulating fellow community-based organizations SoLo/Germantown Civic Association (RCO) and Trades for A Difference, two other local organizations that will manage cleaning programs. Thanks to their initiative ALL of the areas in our community that were eligible for funding will be covered! 

This is a major win for Germantown! Special thanks to the Department of Commerce for administering this important program and providing us with the opportunity to serve our community. Thanks to Philadelphia City Council who approved funding for the program in November 2019.

Central Germantown

The area Germantown United CDC will focus on is Central Germantown. The list of blocks that make up this area and map below show the cleaning boundaries.

It is expected that our program will launch in the fall, after our contract is fully executed. There is a program orientation for all participants at the end of August 2020. Our initial contract is for one year, running through June 30, 2021.

Stay tuned for the more detailed action plan. 

Lastly, a reminder to all: This assistance is not a substitute for personal responsibility 🙂 Business/commercial property owners must sweep and pickup to ensure the sidewalk in front of their building is free of trash and litter. In addition to reestablishing the daily sidewalk sweeping operation, GU will continue to engage and educate merchants/property owners about their responsibilities and  advocate for greater community participation.

Cleaning Areas

Included below is an overview of all the areas in Germantown that will be cleaned under the PHL Taking Care of Business program.

Workforce Training and the Role of Cleaning Ambassadors

All TCB Cleaning Ambassadors will earn a $15 hourly wage. The Workforce Training component of the TCB initiative, which was inspired and initiated by Councilwoman Cherelle L. Parker, is designed to invest in Philadelphia residents and job seekers, specifically those who are often overlooked by employers and have difficulty connecting to employment that pays a living wage. All Philadelphians deserve to work in positions that pay a living wage and where they can contribute their skills and talents while also developing themselves professionally. 

Cleaning Ambassadors will engage with business owners and residents in a positive manner to share the importance of community beautification. Ambassadors will use push brooms, shovels, hands, trash bags, and other tools and equipment to:

• clean sidewalks from the building/property line to the curb; at least 18 inches from curb to street
• clean interior and exterior of planters and tree pits, removing all litter, debris, and weeds
• ensure that weeds grow no higher than 8 inches on all sidewalks along each route
• remove posters, stickers, and other debris from street fixtures including parking and traffic signs
• clean out cigarette butts and other debris from cracks in the sidewalks as well as the tree pits
• clean traffic islands owned by the City of Philadelphia within the commercial corridor area
• clean between newspaper distribution boxes and neatly rearrange these boxes at each intersection
• inform supervisor of graffiti, illegal dumping and sanitation violations to notify CLIP and/or Philly 311
• clean all four corners of the intersection located at the end of the assigned cleaning route(s)
• clean at least twenty feet in along any secondary side streets intersecting with commercial area
• share helpful information with business owners, residents, and the general public to reduce short dumping and litter and engage in conversations about theTaking Care of Business initiative and benefits of community beautification

Community Participation

We are not the only organization working to cleanup Germantown. Hundreds of volunteers have participated in community-driven corridor clean-up efforts this year alone.

Shout-out to all-star community stewards like Keith Schenck with Friends of Germantown/NW for his relentless advocacy, beautification efforts, and #CleanItUpMakeItSafe campaign. Thanks also to Rep. Stephen Kinsey for spearheading several recent corridor cleanups in the aftermath of civil unrest, in response to the trash pileup, and overall declining conditions. Neighbors – both organized and spontaneously – have been doing pop-up cleanups, showing up where they see the need. Recent examples include a targeted clean-up in Southwest, a joint effort by Marlene Pryor with Concerned Neighbors of Greater Germantown and Attic Brewing Co.; resident Jill Saull and friends cleaning and weeding around the vacant Germantown Town Hall. Two thumbs up to all the other groups that have been working to improve the commercial area including (but not limited to!) The 7G’s, Matthew George and Bria Howard with ILOVETHYHOOD, Friends of Vernon Park, and every other active citizen that has organized and participated in a Germantown cleanup. This is by no means a comprehensive list!

By cleaning our business and shopping area on a consistent basis, we can set an example and give hope. This will be a collaborative effort, all ideas and suggestions are welcome. Email [email protected] to get started. We will be circulating a survey, look for that and more soon!

Community Participation

We acknowledge this is a strange time to prioritize street cleaning. Many of our neighbors are struggling to survive a global pandemic that is disproportionately effecting black and brown Americans. On top of the coronavirus, the outrage and grief over police violence and the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others has compounded the sense of injustice and magnified the systemic racial inequalities that persist in the United States. Know that our ultimate goal is to create more economic opportunity for the people who live here – not just improvements to the physical environment. We haven’t forgotten the broader economic issues, such as job creation, that influence the shape of overburdened communities like Germantown. Stay strong, Germantown.