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South Philadelphia Business Association Oldest Business Association in South Philadelphia – Chartered in 1897
The South Philadelphia Public Record • Januray 13, 2011
To join as a member of the SPBA, please call: (215)-336-1108
1904 S. 30th Street • Philadelphia, PA 19145 (215)-336-1108 (215)-336-1149 (fax) Executive Board: PresidentDaniel Olivieri Secretary/Treasurer- Reggie Lozzi
Vice-President- Vince DeFino Esq. Past-President Louis Lozzi, Sr.
Board Members Denise D'Eletto Louis Galdo Dr. James Moylan
Marge Mariziani John Savarese Mark Rago
Electric Car Charging Station, City First (Cont. From Page 1) dealer in the Delaware Valley has a fleet of electric cars on its lots. “They will come,” Zarwin said in his office at the Liberty Plaza Gas Station on Columbus Boulevard near Tasker Street. “It might take a couple of years, but we are ready,” he said. The charging station at Liberty Plaza became Penn-
sylvania’s first public electricvehicle charging station last year. It still is the area’s first public-access plug-in station for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid plug-ins. One comfort Zarwin make take in his facility is if it does get a customer, it won’t be saying goodbye to him in a hurry. That’s because the ‘level two’ charging unit which Southport features
takes over four hours to top off a vehicle’s battery. A “level three” unit is being tested in other parts of the country; those could take just 7½ minutes to give a vehicle a full charge. “We are going to see the ‘level three’ unit very soon,” Zarwin said. “That is when we believe things will start to pick up.” “As soon as people under-
stand they can pull in and charge quickly and get from A to B; that’s when things will change. Right now, though, people are hesitant to look at electric vehicles because of the time it takes to charge them.” Zarwin said the current crop of hybrid vehicles are either charged by their internal system, or owners plug the car in and charge them at
All Aboard! Next Stop: SugarHouse Casino
www.phillyrecord.com
Jackie Fitzpatrick Vince Guisini Esq.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed a new sign, directly under the SEPTA C bus sign, on the southeast corner of Broad & Oregon Streets, that said, “Stop 1 for the Sugar Express, a free ride to the SugarHouse Casino.” This intrigued me, as I don’t drive and it’s always fun to get to new places without the hassle of asking for conveyance. I made plans on Monday to take the first bus of the day, the 2 p.m. Right on time, and with a friendly bus driver, who seemed to know all his patrons, I jumped aboard. As we stopped at Broad & Snyder and then 9th & Snyder, more folks got on and there was a lot of good cheer, as people turned to look at each other, discuss the Eagles game, and talk about what they did that week. The last two South Philly stops before we got uptown were 7th & South and 7th & Washington. By this time, we had about a half-carload. It took 45 minutes to get to SugarHouse, where we were met by a pleasant gentleman asking if we enjoyed the ride.
their home. Liberty Plaza does have the advantage of luring EVs to its charging dock; the Columbus Boulevard site is located a stone’s-throw away from the entrance and exit ramps of Interstate 95. Tony Bandiero, director of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program, says drivers of electric vehicles can browse stations like Liberty on the internet and on mobile application devices at chargepoint.net, to see where the next charging station is located along their planned route.
“There is a thing called ‘range anxiety’ — people get nervous that they don’t have a place to plug in. So these things are available online to find where they can plug in.” For the next four months, drivers can plug their electric vehicles in for free at the Liberty station in South Philadelphia. The price will be determined after usage of the new device is monitored in the Philadelphia market. “Give it a couple of years and we will see people who will come in their EVs,” Zarwin predicts. “We are ready.”
Southern HS Gets $4,500 For Theatre SUGARHOUSE (shown above) Express bus makes five stops in South Philadelphia. I’ve been to casinos all over the world, from Monte Carlo to Las Vegas and the SugarHouse has a pleasing, intimate atmosphere that was very entertaining and offered three dining options. Director of Communications Leigh Whitaker was on the floor and I asked her for a tour. As we walked through the place, she told me that the South Philly bus or the Green Route was started due to customer demand. “Our Center City line was such a huge success that we got several hundred feedbacks to expand to more neighborhoods,” Whittaker said. “We know it will take a few weeks for people to find out, but in
the meantime, we’re collecting data on what other stops along the route we might place.” The Sugar Express follows the SEPTA bus routes 43 and 25. “We like to keep it along streets that people know for safety. Also, you have to be 21 to board the bus, due to gambling codes.” Whitaker told me they sponsored the fireworks for New Years Eve and the crowd loved every minute of it. Let me emphasize that you don’t need to gamble to visit SugarHouse. The back of the casino is a glass wall with beautiful views. The Waterfront Promenade are spectacular. There is food
and beverages to consume. Many of the vendors at SugarHouse are from South Philly, including Isgro’s Pastries, Federal Pretzels (they make a special pretzel bowl for the chili served at the Refinery Restaurant), Bassett’s Ice Cream, Dietz & Watson cold cuts, and George Wells meats. Philadelphia Trolley Works runs the buses. If you go, keep it fun, cut loose a bit, and have a great time. For more information, including a detailed schedule of routes and departure times, please visit the SugarHouse website, www.sugarhousecasino.com/sugar-expr ess.
(Cont. From Page 1) school climate, unify the student body, and strengthen positive relationships among students of diverse backgrounds. “We wish we had three times the amount of money to award these well-deserving schools,” says former Picasso Project Coordinator Bonnie Raines. “Projects in Picasso schools help transform kids’ lives and often the entire school environment. It is testament to the importance and urgency of restoring opportunities for healthy arts experience to all our schools.” The multi-layered program will involve an afterschool artist-in-residency project; professional development for 9th-grade teachers in building positive and welcoming school culture; a series of expert-facilitated dialogues for 9th-grade stu-
dents and teachers; an invitation to all 9th graders to create and submit visual or performance art work addressing the question: “How does South Philly High welcome and support everyone?”; and a culminating event for 9th grade students, school faculty, and the general community. The school aims to create a multi-year partnership with Spiral Q to support positive school culture. “We like to brag about the changes in schools and communities that happen with great partnerships, such as Spiral Q Puppet Theater that is collaborating with two schools this year,” says Gretchen Walker, Picasso Project coordinator. “The arts projects can transform a child’s attitude, and make the school and community climate better.”