Dear Ms Jones: As a resident and business owner in West Philadelphia, I urge you to ignore the wailing of the people who value a few stretches of Belgian blocks -- many in a condition that the Historical Commission classifies as of "low integrity" anyway -- over the needs of the people of West Philadelphia. The blocks are hazards to safety when driving, as well as causes of damage to the springs and shock absorbers of automobiles that pass over them. More than this, as you know, SEPTA is in dire financial straits and owes it to the people who depend on public transit to upgrade its infrastructure in a manner that will minimize long-term maintenance costs. Preserving a stretch or two of Belgian blocks that is hardly a tourist attraction or a destination for middle-school field trips, notwithstanding Historical Commission designation as something (nobody ever heard of) called a Historic Pavement Thematic District, is too high a price to pay for the people who use the roads and -- especially -- the West Philadelphia trolleys.
Alan Krigman KRF Management 211 S 45th St, Phila PA 19104 215-349-6500, fax 215-349-6502 on-line bulletin board: _www.iconworldwide.com/krf/news_ (http://www.iconworldwide.com/krf/news) website: _www.iconworldwide.com/krf_ (http://www.iconworldwide.com/krf) ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com