Elected Officials Responding to Our Letters

Thanks to the hundreds of letters send from this site and the hard work of our Coalition members, many key elected leaders are speaking out strongly in favor of grade level access to Schuylkill River Park.

City Council President Anna Verna, who represents the Filter Square area, met with our coalition coordinators and expressed her strong support for our position. She sent Governor Ed Rendell a letter requesting that he help pursuade CSX and the PUC to agree to Grade Crossings. Here's a snip from her letter:

"The Schuylkill River Park expansion represents a $14 million public investment...Though it has not yet officially opened, thousands of people are already beginning to enjoy the park as a premier recreation destination. Regrettably, the $14 million already invested is at risk because of a lack of appropriate access to the park". The full letter can be seen here: Download file

Thank You Council President Verna!

In addition, State Representative Babette Josephs wrote Michael Ward, the head of CSX, to register her support of our position and to request that CSX meet with our coalition. Her letter read in part:

"My constituents who are community leaders, parents, and responsible citizens cannot understand your behavor, and, frankly neither do I...The streets of Philadelphia are busy, polluted, and dangerous; children who want to play in a park or use the Schuylkill River Park's bike trail should not have to walk or bike through traffic and car exhaust for several blocks just to access the park." The full letter can be seen here: Download file

Great letter Representative Josephs!