How It Works

The Parks Department

In Queen Village, an array of agencies, nonprofits, and private companies keep our neighborhood public spaces clean and green.

By Noah Swistak

Ever find yourself wondering about a specific parcel in Queen Village— whether it be along Front Street, adjacent to I-95, or along Delaware Avenue—and thinking, “Who maintains that? Who’s responsible for that particular piece of land?” You’re not alone! A number of public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and contracted companies are responsible for upkeep throughout the eastern areas of the neighborhood. Let’s review a few of the different entities that provide vital services on some of Queen Village’s public parcels.

The publicly funded nonprofit Interstate Land Management Corporation (ILMC) maintains parcels along a stretch of I-95 between the Benjamin Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges. If a piece of land abuts or is located directly over or under the highway, it’s likely ILMC oversees its landscaping and upkeep. The organization coordinates with civic groups to identify potential improvements to lighting, painting, and sidewalks.

In Queen Village, ILMC’s work includes mowing and removing litter from green spaces on either side of the Queen Street tunnel and tending to vegetation along the east side of Front Street. Additionally, as is the case with other parking lots along the I-95 corridor, the group is the lessor of the QVNA Community Lot between Front Street and Water Street.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees major planning and construction projects involving the highway, including the long-planned cap of I-95 and subsequent park development near Penn’s Landing. Recent delays have pushed that project’s groundbreaking to 2023. While PennDOT owns the parcels adjacent to its highways, certain types of upkeep are contracted to ILMC. This model is not consistent statewide, and, in fact, it’s PennDOT personnel who mow grass and control vegetation alongside many Pennsylvania state highways.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) designs, develops, and manages projects along a six-mile stretch of the riverfront that includes Queen Village. The group is currently overseeing two projects with substantial direct impact to the neighborhood: the Delaware River Trail and the Washington Avenue Connector. Implementation has been underway on the former for some time now, with improvements already evident along Delaware Avenue.

When it comes to graffiti removal, the city’s Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) is often the most effective outlet for providing a prompt response. Citywide, CLIP’s Graffiti Abatement Team has removed graffiti from over one million properties and street fixtures and addresses most requests within three to four days.

QVNA advocates for neighbors by maintaining relationships with all of these organizations, including board member representation on the Community Coalition of Interstate Management (which works directly with ILMC) and the Central Delaware Advocacy Group (which advances implementation of DRWC’s Plan for the Central Delaware). We look forward to continued partnerships with these groups and more as we foster clean, safe, and enjoyable public spaces for residents of Queen Village. ■

The Delaware River Trail.

This year, John Amadio delivered 13,600 Criers to 93 other volunteers, who delivered each issue door-to-door! Photo by Don Finley What’s Halloween without pumpkin carving? QVNA volunteers gave 32 children finger-lickin’ fun. Photo by Catrina Johnston-Zimmerman Chris Mullen, Justin Fishman, and Duncan Spencer helped QVNA move into our new 5th Street office.

Four QVNA office moves since 2018? Yes! Moving the association from our 4th Street office, makes volunteer Ted Mader four for four. Volunteer Gail Chapman made a surprise appearance at Mario Lanza Park’s fall clean-up event. Who knew leaf bags could be so much fun?

Volunteers from the

Statue of Peace Plaza

Committee hosted The Bellevue Quartet to entertain neighbors at their summer concert series. This spring, Queen Village/Southwark Community Gardeners donated more than 50 canna lily bulbs to QVNA for free distribution to neighbors. By fall, Peter Miraglia was dwarfed by the cannas in full bloom.

Kathy, you made our world a better place.

On behalf of myself and my family, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude for the overwhelming support, which included hundreds of notes, phone calls, text messages, and sentiments received after our profound loss and during a challenging time for us.

Our Mom was a loving mother, grandmother, friend, and neighbor who cared for this neighborhood so much.

Although she will be sorely missed, and our hearts are broken, we are comforted in knowing that Mom is no longer suffering, and now a bright, beautiful light is shining in the universe for all of us to love.

-Pat

They whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before; they are now wherever we are.

Patrick Conway 215.266.1537 215.627.6005 215.440.8190 conwayteam.com conwayteam@gmail.com