Powell Funeral Home News About City Cutback Impact Highlights by Janet Powell powellservices.net 800-491-5205

Powell Funeral Home News About City Cutback Impact Highlights by Janet Powell powellservices.net 800-491-5205



Powell Funeral Home

CITY CUTBACK IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

Streets

Budget Reduction: $14.4 million
Positions Eliminated: approximately 300
Impact:

Trash pickup reduced to twice monthly
Stop mechanical cleaning and special event cleaning
City-owned litter baskets removed
Switch 1,000 traffic signals to flash
Remove bulbs from 4,000 street lights for arterial roadways
Stop alley light repairs
Reduce maintenance of street lights


By Early September:

Identify light bulbs to be removed and inform neighborhoods impacted
Notify citizens of reduced trash collection schedule
Identify traffic signals=2 0to be switched to flash



Libraries

Budget Reduction: $29.6 million
Positions Eliminated: 490
Impact: All 53 branch and Central Libraries cease operations including the following:

LEAP after school program for 80,000 children and teens
150 Books Aloud! programs
Partnerships with schools including librarian visits, Reading Olympics, Philadelphia scholarship program
15 Teen Author Series programs
27 Adult education programs presented by literacy organizations
Summer Reading for 55,000 children, teens and adults
Free computer classes
40 teen programs
10 Small business programs
Sundays on Stage
135 Author Events
One Book, One Philadelphia
Free Library Festival

Grant Programs including:

IMLS Growing Our Own Student Librarians
GlaxoSmithKline Science in the summer – 47 sessions, 1,400 youth participating
Claneil Books Aloud with PHA Sites
PNC Books Aloud with Head Starts and libraries
Merck science programs with LEAP
LSTA College and Career Prep with LEAP and at 5 branches across city
IMLS Media Mash Up national project

By Early September:

Stop 3 week book renewals
Cancel special collection loans and retrieve outside loans
Cancel Fall Author Series and all special programming for Fall
Begin to notify program providers, volunteers (including court-ordered volunteers) outside organizations using meeting spaces, special event and series’ sponsors, interns, work-study participants, parents, schools and others that all library functions cease October 2


Recreation

Budget Reduction: $30.8 million
Position Eliminated: 520
Impact: All 160 Recreation facilities and programs cease operation including:

96 After School programs serving 3000 children
13 Teen Centers serving 1100 teens
34 Tot –Recreation programs serving 1200 young children
6 Older Centers serving 180,000 meals for seniors and programs/activities
Maintenance to 73 Parks
Sports for 500 community groups using facilities
30 Sports programs serving 45,000 people
66 programs with public schools
110 programs with Catholic Youth Organization
262 baseball fields, 224 basket ball courts, 161 tennis courts, 142 sports fields, 120 school gyms, 56 other gyms


By Early September:

Prepare notification for parents with children in pre-school program suggesting they consider finding alternative day care services for their children
Prepare notification for parents with children in after school programs suggesting they consider finding alternative after school care



Fairmount Park

Budget Reduction: $11 million
Position Eliminated: 140
Impact: Operations cease throughout the system of 63 neighborhood parks, 115 athletic fields, 469 buildings and 13 fountains

No grass-cutting
No maintenance of restroom facilities
No maintenance of ball fields or trails
No trash removal
Limited tree removal
Horticulture Center and Lloyd Hall close to public
Permit holders for events may use permitted area but no services (electricity, cleanup, plumbing, security) provided


By Early September

Notify organizations with permits for special events from October until the end of the year (such as Dragon Boat Festival, Columbus Day Parade, AIDS Walk) that necessary services may not be available
Notify all organizations with meetings, events in Horticulture Center and Lloyd Hall of possible cancellations
Notify 136 athletic and youth organizations with=2 0field permits of potential disruption including Wissahickon AA and St. Joseph’s Prep


Police

Budget Reduction: $43.9
Positions Eliminated: 972
Impact: Lack of police presence will be felt all across the City. Support for various Specialized Districts and further erosion of the remaining specialized Response Units (Strike Force, Traffic Unit, and the Neighborhood Services Unit) will severely hamper crime fighting. Cuts to Anti-violence and anti-drug units, schools resource officers and community relations officers – combined to the massive cuts to services across the city – will only further damage the ability to provide public safety.

Fire

Budget Reduction: $16.7 million
Positions Eliminated: 36 officer, 120 firefighter and 40 paramedic positions
Impact: Deactivation of up to Six Engine Companies, Three Ladder Companies, Five Advanced Life Support Medic Units, affecting neighborhoods across the City.
This is just the tip of the devastation the failure of HB 1828 would have in Public Safety.


Health

Budget Reduction: $4.7 million
Positions Eliminated: 112
Impact: Two of the City’s Eight Health Centers will cease operations at a time when visits to the centers has increased by 5% in the last year

Wait times will increase by 25% at all 6 remaining health centers
Delay treatments for neonatal care, family planning, dental care, immunizations, diabetes, and vaccinations for H1N1


City Planning, Commerce and Historical Commission

Budget Reduction: $5.7 million
Positions Eliminated: 59
Impact:

The City will no longer be able to issue permits needed for the majority of construction or renovation projects in Philadelphia.
The City eliminate all tax credits for job creation and business expansion (?)