By Shannon McDonald
A fire broke out at Bell’s Corner’s Dollar 99¢ Expo store on Bustleton Avenue around noon yesterday.
It began with an explosion in the basement, which quickly spread to the store’s first floor and burned for two hours. No injuries were reported, and the strip mall, which includes Bell’s Market, was evacuated. A Peco spokeswoman said faulty wires were to blame for the fire, and nearby gas service was temporarily shut down as a precaution.
Q: This summer, after 32 years, we are selling our Bustleton home. What do we need to do to get ready?
A: Start Packing! You’ll be moving anyway, so why not get a head start? You can accumulate a lot of stuff in 32 years. Pack up pictures, clutter and knickknacks. Pack your least-used items like out-of-season clothes, and bulky items like toys and exercise equipment. You want the buyer to look at your house, not your possessions. Think about renting a storage unit so your boxes don’t take up space, or find a way to neatly store them in the garage or basement.
It’s really important for a buyer to feel good about a house. Re-caulk the bathtub and clean the windows and carpets. Polish lighting fixtures and baseboards to make the house shine. Replace light bulbs with higher wattage bulbs to make rooms appear larger and the home seem brighter. Read the rest of this entry »
City Controller Alan Butkovitz at the Real Estate Taxation Conference held on Feb. 23, 2007 at Temple University. Photo Courtesy of Philadelphia Forward.
By Christopher Wink
This Thursday, NEastPhilly.com is co-hosting with WHYY a panel discussion among the three Democratic candidates for city controller — incumbent Alan Butkovitz and challengers John Braxton and Brett Mandel. Butkovitz and Mandel both have ties to the NEast, so we sat down with each. See the first with Butkovitz today and our interview with Mandel tomorrow.
Alan Butkovitz is likely among the best-known city controllers in the position’s half-century Philadelphia history. That might not be saying much for the usually quiet head of the city’s auditing department, a position created in 1951, but Butkovitz has taken to action.
When he’s not overseeing the city’s finances, the first-term city controller hangs his hat in Castor Gardens. Indeed, like one of his chief challengers in May’s Democratic primary, Brett Mandel, Butkovitz has deep ties to the Northeast. With two candidates for a citywide office holding ties to the Northeast, that makes it a story for NEastPhilly.com.
NEast Mag interviewed both Butkovitz and his opponent Mandel and will share their interviews here on NEastPhilly.com. The incumbent is first, as seen below. See our Q&A with Mandel tomorrow.
Courtesy of votemcelhatton.com
By Shannon McDonald
Dan McElhatton’s public office resume is almost as extensive as his ties to the Northeast. The 59-year-old candidate for District Attorney is a City Council alum, graduate of North Catholic, former Assistant District Attorney and Northwood little league coach.He spent two years working at Solly Playground, then represented that district 20 years later as a council member.
In an exclusive interview with NEastPhilly.com, Dan McElhatton talks about his connections with the Northeast and his plans for the next District Attorney.
There aren’t many candidates from the Northeast running for public office. Where abouts are you from?
I was raised in Juniata and moved to Northwood. I went to Holy Innocents as a kid, then onto North Catholic, as did my three brothers, my father and my son. Then I went to Villanova and Temple Law.
How did you spend your time growing up?
My brothers and I were active in the Juniata Park Boys Club. I played varsity baseball and jv basketball at North, then played American Legion baseball in college. I also worked at Solly Playground in Rhawnhurst for two years during the early ’70s.
When did you make the move from Juniata to Northwood?
I got married in 1971, lived in Juniata for three or four years, then moved to Northwood in 1975. My kids went to St. Martin of Tours, where my wife taught. My wife is from Holmesburg; she went to St. Dom’s and St. Hubert’s. My wife’s family still lives in same house on Rowland Avenue.
Continue reading for more on McElhatton’s ties to the Northeast and his objectives as District Attorney. Read the rest of this entry »
The Marsden Apartment complex, located at 8532-52 Marsden St. in Holmesburg was recently sold.
By Christopher Wink
Two multi-family apartment buildings with a total of 57 units in the Northeast were recently sold for $3.1 million, both brokered by Gebroe-Hammer Associates
Marsden-Palmer Management sold both its 32-unit Marsden Apartments for $1.85 million and its 25-unit Palmar Apartment complex for $1.25 million to a private investor, according to commercial real estate blog CREFeed.com.
The Marsden Apartment complex, located at 8532-52 Marsden St. off Torresdale Avenue in Holmesburg, has 32 two-bedroom units and is 95 percent occupied.
The Palmar Apartment complex with 25 units is located at 5926 Bustleton Ave. near where Penn and E. Comly streets intersect in Frankford, not in Bustleton as the blog inexplicably suggests.
By Shannon McDonald
Northeast Treatment Centers wants to open a methadone clinic 
at Grant and the Boulevard in Bustleton.
If all goes as planned, NET will open the clinic in April in the old MRI buliding, which will serve up to 300 meth addicts every day. City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez thinks the addicts – and the community – would be better served if those who needed help could get treatment in hospitals.
Many residents are concerned about the effects the clinic could have in the neighborhood, especially given the problems other neighborhood, like Frankford are battling.
NET members will hold a community meeting tonight at the Anne Frank School at Clark and Lott streets, during which time residents can voice their concerns.
By Donna Ward
This Turkish restaurant is located on 9825 Bustleton Ave. and specializes in bringing Mediterranean tastes to the NEast. Fish & Grill first opened its doors to the public in 1991, and is owned and operated by Gul and Riza Canca. This family-run eatery focuses on healthily preparation and food recipes. For example, olive oil is used for cooking rather than butter or margin.
Being located in a small strip mall makes parking difficult and sparse. Fish & Grill is very small and has a modest amount of décor ornamenting the walls. The menu consists of a minute but diverse amount of Mediterranean foods, and while the menu is geared more toward seafood lovers than meat eaters, Fish & Grill offers a few traditional-style meat specials. Shish kabobs and lamb chops are just two of the specialties available to satisfy your palate with flavorful meat cravings.
Police responded to a report of a vehicle theft at 8:41 a.m. Dec. 15. A passenger vehicle on the 9800 block of Northeast Boulevard was reported stolen.
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The Parent trap: better living through dentistry
21 04 2009My daughter’s dentist has three vehicles parked in his examining room. True, there is a wall of clear Plexiglas that separates the brightly colored ambulances from the rows of examining chairs, which all seem to be inhabited with young, cheerful technicians. I understand that the proprietor of this pediatric dental factory in Bustleton regularly takes one of the ambulances to local schools, promoting dental care.
Oh, and did I mention that they have neon? Bright neon signs adorn the entire room, sometimes advertising food products that, if eaten too much, could have an adverse effect on your teeth.
Before going any further, I want to reassure the dental community that this is not an anti-dentist story. Far from it – if my childhood dentist had anything like this place, I probably wouldn’t have avoided making an appointment for, oh, 15 years. Back then, the children went to the same dentist as their parents. Ours was an elderly gentleman with an office down the street from Our Lady of Calvary Church. He was a competent dentist – he fixed all four of my cavities – but he did not believe in any anesthesia or Novocain. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Bustleton, dentists, kids, Knights Road, Our Lady of Calvary, parenting, The Parent Trap
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