Neighborhood group could go national
Friday, June 19th, 2009
By: Tom MacDonald
tmacdonald@whyy.org
The revitalization of a West Philadelphia neighborhood could be a model for the city and the nation, and a Pennsylvania Senator has been asked to take that message to Washington.
The Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation has redone about 40 homes in West Oak Lane and the surrounding neighborhoods, as part of an effort to drastically reduce the number of vacant homes in the community. Jack Kitchen is president of ORC. He says their revitalization work can be replicated anywhere using mostly recycled materials.
Kitchen: The outside facia board is all recycled PVC, the second floor siding is a recycled concrete product pressed into siding boards. The floors we saved the original floors in the proprety refinished them they recycled pretty well. The kitchen flooring is bamboo, which is quick growth product.
Senator Arlen Specter toured the revitalized neighborhood. He has agreed to take the ideas back to Washington for use as a possible nationwide model.