The CPN Board and CPN Zoning Committee have launched a petition in support of the Apple Lofts development project at 780 S. 52nd St.  Although there have been several community meetings on this issue, we feel that the voices of neighbors in  support of the project have not been heard in these meetings.

We usually do not use a petition strategy.  However, this is an important development opportunity affecting our community.  We feel that our Councilwoman needs to know the level of support that exists.

We invite you to help us collect signatures in support.  You can print the attached petition and return by Friday, February 24th to CPN at the address noted.  Note that we are asking for signers who live within the Cedar Park boundaries (46th -52nd, Larchwood Ave. – Kingsessing Ave east of the railroad and/or 52nd – 54th Sts, Cedar Ave. – Springfield Ave.)

The on-line petition is available by clicking here.

A paper petition that you can download, print, sign, and circulate is available by clicking here.

The 5th Annual Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship Fundraiser supporting local West Philadelphia youth’s pursuit of higher education will occur on Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 4-6pm at Dock Street Brewery (50th & Baltimore.)

Join us for free beer and pizza, a silent auction, and live music by Wayside Shakeup.

Tickets are $40 and are available using the button below.

Questions?  Email us at scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org

Walking into a yoga class for the first time can be an intimidating experience. You may feel you’re not flexible enough, not strong enough, or not calm enough to make it through an entire class. This series has been created just for YOU! An embracing environment awaits in which you can engage your mind and body in a study of yourself, discovering breath and movement in a non-competitive and nurturing environment.

You will be introduced to the 8-limbed path of Yoga, and we will focus on breath and movement. The series will be progressive, layering one class on top of the next, so that your experience and understanding of yoga continues to deepen. At the end of the series, you will feel empowered to attend any class at Wake Up Yoga with confidence, armed with appropriate variations to protect yourself from injury and get the most out of the class.

Upon completion of the series, students receive a 10% discount on first class card!

Teacher: Monica Kriso

Location: 4916 Baltimore Ave

8 consecutive Thursday nights, 7:45 – 9:15 p.m. January 19th – March 8th

Contribution: $108 for the 8-week series

Pre-registration is required.

Please call the studio at 215-235-1228,

or enroll online at www.WakeUpYoga.com

Sorry, no refunds or make-up classes.

Construction has begun on the Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) at  310 S. 48th Street (the site of the former Food Rite store). When completed in July 2012, this project will be one of the nation’s most comprehensive commercial kitchen centers, designed to be an engine for creating food-related jobs and businesses, and to provide resources to emerging food entre­preneurs. The CCE is a 13,000+ square-foot project, including three state-of-the-art commercial kitchens for rent to culinary entrepreneurs, a youth-run training restaurant, the eKitchen Multimedia Learning Center, and two additional retail spaces. It will renovate a long-vacant eyesore and bring new restaurants to the community.

The project is being developed by The Enter­prise Center CDC. The general contractor is Perryman Building and Construction Services Inc., a West Philadelphia-based, certified minority-owned business. The architect is Friday Architects/Planners. The project is supported by a number of government and private funders, including major investments from the City of Philadelphia and U.S. Eco­nomic Development Administration. While the capital project is funded and underway, we are now looking for individuals and organizations from the community to step up as partners, and help support the project’s year-one operations. You can find more information and become a supporter at www.philafood.org.

It has been exciting to see Mariposa Food Co-op expand into their new location at 4824-26 Baltimore Avenue, as they move forward with speed, energy and local support. A fresh food market was the number one priority identified by local residents in last year’s Baltimore Avenue Conversation.

Pleased that the expansion was not just about size but also about outreach to more households and that the variety of membership categories would allow for greater access to the market for the general public, CPN has provided tangible support to the effort. To achieve these goals for the community, the CPN Board voted to invest in Mariposa in the form of a 3% loan in the amount of $10,000 over a 10-year period. We are excited to see this project take shape and look forward to celebrating the Grand Opening in the new year.

CPN is pleased to share the following updates provide by Chakka Reeves, the new Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for Mariposa.

Construction on the new store at 4824 Baltimore Avenue started on September 6th. The store is on track to open January 2012.

The new store will be open to everyone, but members will still receive discounts and other benefits.

Mariposa Food Co-op reached 1,000 members on September 27th 2011! They are extremely excited that the expansion allows them to welcome so many new members. They hope to reach 1,300 members by Grand Opening.

This summer Mariposa Food Co-op introduced a non-working member option, for members who want to be involved in Mariposa but are unable to contribute work hours. For more information on joining, visit or stop by the current store at 4726 Baltimore Avenue.

For any additional questions, please contact Mariposa Food Co-op’s new Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Chakka Reeves at chakka@mariposa.coop.

By Amara Rocker

West Philly Coalition for Neigh­borhood Schools (WPCNS) is a grassroots group that aims to bring the vibrance of our community and all of its resources into our local neighborhood public schools, with a focus on Lea Elementary. The Lea Visual Arts program, a collaborative effort to improve school climate through innovative interior design and visual art throughout the school’s hallways and stairwells, is a recipient of a 2011 Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts grant in the amount of $1,999. Many thanks to WPCNS member Justin McDaniel for his grant writing assistance with Lea Visual Arts program founder, Yvette Almaguer.

The Greening Lea Committee, led by WPCNS members Julie Scott, David Hincher and Jen Martel, has successfully applied for a Commu­nity Design Collab­orative planning grant to green the Lea schoolyard, with the Enterprise Center CDC serving as the fiscal sponsor. The Collaborative proposed that the Lea project, along with another school, John B. Kelly, be part of a design charette exploring urban school sites next spring.

The West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC)’s Open Books, Open Minds program and its volunteer librarians have transformed the Lea Library! Additions include a giant teddy bear surrounded by bear-related stories, a plush reading rug, a tiny rocking chair reading nook with reading lamp, and a book display about the ocean, complete with sea shells. The piece de resistance is a book display about caterpillars and butterflies, complete with a butterfly net and a terrarium containing butterfly eggs that have hatched into caterpillars and spun cocoons (though every student knows the proper term for cocoon is “chrysalis”). More important than the cosmetic changes are the stellar library services, brought to Lea by the volunteer librarians in collaboration with Lea’s teachers. We-PAC has quickly become one of the most popular and beloved programs at Lea.

Dear Cedar Park Neighbors,

Thank you so much for awarding me this scholarship. My first year at Bryn Mawr College has been amazing beyond belief. I did not know it until I started here, but I love this school and I love college. I have already learned so much. My interest in food production and agriculture policy used to be a hobby, something I would only read books about. Thanks to Bryn Mawr, now I know it’s something you can actually study. Although I’m still unsure of my major, I have decided that to pursue my interest in food, I would like to minor in Environmental Studies.

This first year would not have been possible without your support, financial and otherwise. The care package was so thoughtful; I cannot tell you how much it meant to me in the final weeks before winter break.

I thought you might like to know where your money went. There are three books I was able to purchase this year thanks to the Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship and that I highly recommend:

Book: My Soul is Rested by Howell Raines

Class: The Long 1960’s

This book is an incredible compilation of interviews of those involved in the civil rights movement from 1955 to 1968. The story of the civil rights movement comes through clearly in the voices of those who were involved.

Book: Homefront by Catherine Lutz

Class: Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies

An interesting look at the interconnections between the military town Fayette­ville, North Carolina, and its military base, Fort Bragg. More generally, it explores the connection between the military and the home front, and the unexpected toll this relationship takes on those at home.

Book: A River and Its City by Ari Kelman

Class: American Environmental History

American Environmental History was absolutely my favorite class this year. It is American history, but it pays close attention to the interaction between people and land, the ways people think about land, and the effect this has on human choice and historical events. A River and Its City is a study of the complex relationship between New Orleans and the Mississippi River.

I am so grateful for all of your help. It has been an amazing first year, and I could not have done it without you!

Thank you, Miranda Siddall

By Laurie Friedman and Melissa St. Pierre, Co-Chairs

Greetings from the Scholarship Committee! We’ve had a wonderfully productive and successful year. Once again, our fundraising efforts paid off in a big way; through the generous support and donations of our neighbors, we were able to award eight students $800 each in scholarships. As you can tell by reading Miranda Siddall’s letter of thanks on page 5 of this newsletter, our student recipients are greatly appreciative.

We’ve also added a mentoring component to our efforts, whereby a committee member checks in periodically with one of our scholarship winners during each semester. As a committee, we’ve gained a few new members (although we are always looking for more!). Finally, we are asking our scholarship recipients to commit to giving back to our community, as a way to “pay it forward” and thank this amazing neighborhood called Cedar Park. As part of their award, they’ve agreed to participate in some CPN-­sponsored activity during the year.

But with all the work we’ve done, there’s always more to come. As our scholarship winners approach finals, the committee will be shipping them care packages filled with school supplies and home-baked goods. We are reviewing our application process, and in the next few months, will begin recruiting for next year’s applicants. The application will be posted on the Cedar Park website by February of 2012. And early in the new year, we will begin our planning for next year’s annual fundraising event at Dock Street Brewery.

Lastly, the committee would like to send a special thank you to Laura Tate-McHugh, who served as chair of the committee for many years. Her dedication to the work we do has truly been an inspiration. We are thankful for her organization and attention to detail that makes filling her large shoes a bit less daunting.

We look forward to another exciting year and once again, thank you all for your support and contributions. Questions or comments about the scholarship committee can be sent to: scholarships@cedarparkneighbors.org.