Where will your space be located for the 2013 East Falls Flea Market on June 15? 

Will you do best along heavily-traveled Midvale Avenue? Would you rather be front and center on Coulter Street—which will be closed again for leisurely strolling?  Maybe you’d like to be in the shade of McMichael Street? 

As in previous years, the center of McMichael Park will remain open for catching up with neighbors, showing off your treasures, and enjoying a delicious bite from one of our food vendors. 

More than 150 flea market vendors and, new this year, additional food vendors, are expected for what has become one of the City of Philadelphia's leading neighborhood one-day markets, attracting visitors from throughout the region.

A community-activist in Northern Liberties has five questionsneeding answers in order for Philadelphia residents to trust AVI (Actual Value Initiative) assessments. Matt Rubin posed these in an excellent piece printed at Philly.com in March. East Falls residents concerned with inequities in their assessments are urged to read it: http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20130419_5_questions_that_need_answers_for_us_to_trust_AVI_assessments.html

A fair and fairly administered tax system is fundamental to healthy and prosperous city. Unfortunately, the proposed revision to our property tax code is neither good nor fair. While AVI (Actual Value Initiative) may be a good idea when looked at in isolation, it is premised on a fundamentally unfair and unjust method of taxation. Moreover, it is a system in which assessments are based more on assumptions and estimates than on facts, and, in which accuracy in property values has been sacrificed in the name of expediency. The assessments, we are told, are “within industry standards.” This hides the fact that your assessment or mine could be off by as much as twenty per cent and still be ”within industry standards.” That’s assuming the assessment itself was based on accurate data. We simply have no assurance that this is so. Nor do we yet have a mechanism for helping those whose assessments go through the roof leaving them unable to pay their property taxes.

The gymnasium of Thomas Mifflin School was packed with happy and hungry guests for the East Falls Community Council’s 11th Annual Chili Cook-off on March 8th – a legendary Party with A Purpose!

More than 40 teams cooked some amazing chili and sides while hundreds enjoyed every bite! 500 people—give or take a few—from all walks of life came out on a blustery Friday night to support this East Falls Community Council fundraiser. From our newest Fallser at 4 weeks old to our most senior friends and neighbors, everyone had a great time and especially loved the antics of the Philly Phanatic!

Benefits East Falls organizations!
The $3,000 proceeds from ticket sales will go directly back to East Falls organizations. One-third will go to the Home & School Association at Thomas Mifflin School, one third to the EFCC, and one-third will be split among the five East Falls community organizations that competed in the dessert category – Friends of the Falls Library, East Falls Historical Society, Friends of Inn Yard Park, East Falls Town Watch, and East Falls Tree Tenders.

Spring is an exciting time for gardeners, including those of us in East Falls.  By now, our preparations are well underway; we have designed and redesigned this year’s garden, made copious notes in the various seed catalogs we received, ordered the seeds, cleared out the last of the winter plantings, began implementing our new designs, and started our seeds indoors.

And then we wait.

As much as spring is exciting, it is also frustrating.  When is the right time to plant?  Too early, and you stand to lose your plants to a late frost.  Too late, and your more tender plants may succumb to harsh summer heat.  Finding that decisive moment is just as important to planting as it is to life itself.

As individual gardeners, we have to exercise patience. The members of the East Falls Community Garden Committee have had to exercise patience, as well.  As a group, we identified potential garden sites and deliberated over them.  We talked to property owners, reached out to schools, and did research into the legalities and standards of community gardening. 

We educated ourselves and reached out to other garden groups.  And we did a lot of daydreaming about what we could do with a garden.  At times, it seemed as if the cogs were moving excruciatingly slowly, and the reality of a community garden was a long way off.

We are happy to report that our hard work and patience have paid off.  As of April, we will be turning the vacant lot on the corner of Ridge Avenue and Scotts Lane into a community garden.  Our plans include raised beds for individuals and families, as well as communal areas that will benefit everyone in East Falls. 

Please contact us if you are interested in applying for a raised bed, or even if you’d just like to hear about our upcoming activities:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it    

The City of Philadelphia has completed its Actual Value Initiative (AVI) to assess each property in the City at its true market value. (See explanation in AVI, What Is It? below.)

On the homefront, airwaves and ’net-waves have been spinning as City residents react to reassessment notices they’ve received.

One of hundreds of neighborhoods in the City, how did assessors determine East Falls’ property values? While many streets in the community are lined w/homes by same builder, in same time period, same style, assessments reflect that; others, however, are way off base.

Pictured are three properties on the same street, two are adjacent, one is two doors away; all are owned by the same couple who tell The Fallser that each is exactly the same—construction, number of rooms, amenities… So, why the difference in assessment? Is the storm door worth an additional $47,000?

If you think your property has been incorrectly accessed, you can appeal that assessment with the Board of Revision of Taxes, but you must do so within 30 days of receipt of assessment.

Actual Value Initiative (“AVI”) is Philadelphia’s City-wide reassessment undertaken by the Office of Property Assessment (“OPA”). This reassessment has been completed and the OPA is mailing reassessment notices which contain the new market value for 2014 to each property owner. The reassessment was a daunting task as there are more than 579,000 separate tax parcels in Philadelphia.

The OPA used what is referred to as Mass Appraisal to determine the market value of each property. Mass Appraisal involves valuing a group of properties as of a given date using common data, standardized methods and statistical testing. OPA uses Mass Appraisal to identify properties that are similar in terms of size, age, condition, use and location to assign similar values. Mass Appraisal is used because the cost to perform individual appraisals on every property in the City is cost prohibitive. Mass Appraisal also does not require the OPA to individually inspect every property in the City.

AVI was implemented because similarly situated properties in Philadelphia often have significantly different values, making the present system unfair. AVI addresses this issue by taxing similarly situated properties at similar rates. In addition to correcting inequities in value, AVI will make paying taxes simpler. The market value will be multiplied by the tax rate to determine the tax.

Sign up now for the 2013 baseball season in East Falls!  League play occurs at McDevitt fields on Scotts Lane for residents as well as non-residents.  Registration is open for boys and girls, ages 4 through 12, in four separate age group programs:

• Tee Ball: Age 4, plays Saturday mornings
• Rookie Instructional: Ages 5-6, plays Saturday mornings
• Minor League: Ages 7-9, plays weeknights and Saturdays, schedule TBD
• Major League: Ages 10-12, plays weeknights and Saturdays, schedule TBD
• Minor and Major leagues will have tryouts at the end of March for team assignments.
  

Registration at McDevitt Field:
Friday, March 1st, 7-8:30pm
Saturday, March 2nd, 10am-12 noon
Friday, March 8th, 7-8pm

For information on how to register, please visit www.efsasports.com. Registration deadline is March 10, 2013. Any additional questions can be directed to Anne Lauer, President of East Falls Sports Association, 267-808-9224, or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This year, teams will have business sponsor names on the back of all players’ jerseys. Sponsorship of a team is $250 per team. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Anne Lauer.

The East Falls Sports Association will hold a Beef and Beer fundraiser in the spring to raise money for continued improvements for the league. More information to follow next month.

Opening Day
Your participation will make this season another great one. Opening Day is Saturday, April 20th.  All age level players partake in the player parade around the field and watch the honorary Opening Pitch(es). There will be activities for children and players’ games following the festivities. Please plan on attending.

The 11th Annual East Falls Chili Cook-off is scheduled for March 8th. Already, the neighborhood rivalry is heating up! 

Can you beat the ‘foodies’ of the “Kick in the Beans” team?  Will the new Brown’s ShopRite win the Professional category?  Will Falls Flowers defend its coveted title of People’s Choice Overall Champion? 

The Chili Cook-off is presented by the East Falls Community Council.  Proceeds benefit The EFCC, Mifflin Elementary School, and each of our East Falls Community Organizations (who will provide dessert!)

New Site
Did you make a terrific chili for the Superbowl?  Enter the Cook-off and make certain your friends and neighbors vote for you on March 8 at Mifflin Elementary School!  Applications are available at the Falls of Schuylkill Library, across the street from Mifflin.

Mark Saturday March 2 on your calendars.  The Friends of Falls of Schuylkill Library will be holding its popular Winter Interlude party, an important library fundraiser, from 7:30-9:30pm; the entire community is invited.

Take a break from the winter doldrums to join friends and neighbors at our neighborhood library for lively conversation, wine and champagne, elegant desserts, live music by Richard Harner Jazz and—a silent auction of unique items.

You may make a reservation by dropping off a check, payable to Friends of Falls Library, at the library (no ticket will be issued) or by mailing your check to Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Avenue, 19129 (be certain to list the names of all attendees). Admission is $15 per person if purchased by 5pm, Thursday, February 28; $20 per person at the door.

In the early morning of December 15th, a car speeding North on Henry Avenue at a very high rate crashed into a light pole with such force that it uprooted the pole—foundation and all. Miraculously, the driver crawled out and walked away from the wreckage. He left behind a burning car and debris scattered for yards around.

Although Police believe they know who he is, as of this writing, he has not been seen by his family or police. In an ironic twist, this crash occurred just beyond the flashing "Buckle Up-Drive Safely" sign by the Walnut Lane Golf Course.

We sent information about this latest Henry Avenue crash to the PennDOT engineer in charge of the ongoing study to devise a plan to make Henry Avenue safer.

Streets Commissioner Clarena I.W. Tolson has announced that the Residential Christmas Tree Recycling Program will run from Monday, January 7 through Saturday, January 19. The 25-year old program was developed by the Streets Department’s Sanitation Division to provide citizens with an environmentally safe alternative for the disposal of used trees.

Citizens who wish to drop off their trees to be recycled may take it to the Streets Department Sanitation Convenience Centers located at 3033 S. 63rd Street, Domino Lane & Umbria Street and State Road & Ashburner Street during the two-week program.  The Sanitation Convenience Centers are open 8:00 am to 6:00 pm from Monday through Saturday. Streets Commissioner Tolson urges citizens to follow these tips for a successful recycling program:

Trees brought to the site to be recycled should be free of all decorations and untied. Christmas trees with decorations cannot be recycled and will be placed with rubbish.

Trees should not be brought to the site in plastic bags.

Join friends and neighbors for an Old-Fashioned Tradition on Wednesday, De­cember 12th --  East Falls Community Council’s annual Carol Sing.

Caroling begins at 6:45pmin McMichael Park, Mid­vale and Henry Avenues.The park will be aglow with lumi­naries lighting your way to our gathering spot. Bring a flash­light if you wish. Carol songsheets and candles will be pro­vided. In the event of rain, the carol sing will be held at East Falls Presbyterian Church, Midvale Avenue and Vaux Street,

At 7:30pm, we will continue caroling while walking to East Falls Presbyterian Church, for hot cider and holiday cookies. (Donations of cookies are gratefully accepted. Cookies can be left at the church anytime on the day of the Carol Sing.)

A surprise visitor (in a bright red suit) will make an appearance at the reception.

This is East Falls’ 27th annual Holiday Sing! It is sponsored by the East Falls Community Council, Friends of the Falls of Schuylkill Library, East Falls Presbyterian Church, K. Group, Inc. and East Falls Brownie Troop #91397.

For more infor­mation call 215-848-6232.

See you in the Park!

Mrs. Edwards’ class at Thomas Mifflin School visited Philadelphia University on November 2nd.

The students enjoyed lunch in the Ravenhill Dining Hall where each received a toque from the University’s Chef.

The boys and girls then met with PhilaU students questioning them about college life, their majors, what plans they had following graduation, and why they chose Philadelphia University.

The PhilaU students Mrs. Edwards’ class chatted with are majoring in Fashion Design, Graphic Design and Engineering. They were impressed with the questions the 3rd graders asked and were delighted to answer them.

With hurricane-force winds a north-bound storm was racing up from the Caribbean some 80+ miles out in the Atlantic Ocean in late September. By the evening of September 29th, east coast governors and mayors anticipated the worst. They rallied disaster relief workers and issued warnings to residents. School and transit authorities as well most businesses announced closings.

As predicted, deemed a hurricane, “Sandy” turned westward and whirled across several northeastern states, wreaking havoc at every turn.

Anticipating forceful winds, East Coast residents brought plants indoors, stashed outdoor furniture into garages and basements and replenished food supplies and batteries.

Then, they hunkered down – and waited.

Whether you were one of the lucky ones who attended the PA Ballet rehearsal of Giselle, one of the hundreds who visited local homes on the annual House Tour, created your own glass pumpkin, heard the wonderful concert at Falls Library, visited the many locations significant to the Kelly Family, decorated a pumpkin at Inn Yard Park, or simply enjoyed a discount at one of our local restaurants, we hope you had a great time in East Falls in October!

For further information on any of the programs, don’t hesitate to email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   More photos are posted on the East Falls Community Council website (www.eastfallscommunity.org)

Coming on December 12, the largest outdoor Carol Sing in the City -- back by popular demand!

About 9am on Monday, October 22, 2012 there was a terrible accident in East Falls involving an automobile and motorcycle. Tragically, it resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Philadelphia University student.

According to published reports, this accident occurred on School House Lane near Cherry Lane and in proximity to the campuses of both Philadelphia University and William Penn Charter School.  

The motorcyclist, Matthew Glass, a second year School of Business Administration student at the University, was traveling eastbound on School House Lane when an automobile pulled out of a driveway and struck his motorcycle. The young man was thrown from his seat and suffered fatal injuries.

Both Philadelphia University’s president, Dr. Stephen Spinelli, and Penn Charter’s Head of School, Darryl J. Ford, issued statements mourning the tragedy and the loss of a young man’s life.

East Falls’ 2nd Annual Dance on the Falls Bridge in September was a wonderful evening. Although a little hiccup from rain bumped the event a week later than planned, the evening of September 15th was fabulous! Attendees  had a great time dancing and enjoying the exquisite views of the river—so calm and majestic—with music, food and fun.

So many thank you’s are in order. An event of this magnitude takes months of planning thrugh the enthusiasm and dedication of a committee charged with tackling the details. These are local business people who have volunteered their time. Nancy Karahuta of East River Bank and Peicha Chang of Falls Flowers chaired the committee. Actively engaged were Jim Williamson of Slices Pizza and Ronan Gill of Ronan Gill LLC. National Penn Bank was represented by Mike Laing and then Dawn Swope-Kreiser iin addition to Julie Camburn of the East Falls Business Association and The Fallser. Kathy Zapp volunteered on behalf the Montgomery Media group, while Noemi Armstrong of the EFDC worked hard on many of the small details to make event go smoothly.