Special Services District unveiled in University City

University City District will be modeled after similar district in Center City and will provide improved cleaning, safety services. Continuing efforts "to put University City at the top of the list of places to live, study, work or spend leisure time," leaders representing local businesses, academic institutions, community and government agencies announced the creation of a special services district in West Philadelphia at a press conference last Wednesday. The University students, local residents and business owners who attended the unveiling of the University City District were treated to a spectacle which included choir music, jugglers, and blue, yellow and green balloons -- the official colors of the UCD. On August 15, volunteers will begin the enhancement of the UCD -- a 120-block area west of the Schuykill, extending from 30th to 48th streets and from Spring Garden Street to Woodland Avenue. Representatives of the community-service organization will remove graffiti, clean sidewalks and lots, increase security, plant trees and hang banners in order to establish the UCD as "a destination to work and to play," according to UCD Chairperson and University Executive Vice President John Fry. The project is estimated to cost approximately $4.5 million, but affiliated organizations have already raised 75 percent of the necessary funds in voluntary contributions. "University City will be to Center City Philadelphia what Cambridge is to Boston," Fry said. A similar special services district in Center City -- which has been in existence for six years and is composed of 100 blocks -- has celebrated much success in improving street cleaning and other urban services. Fry began to plan the UCD six months ago to improve the quality of life in University City -- an area which has been the sight of two murders and many armed robberies in the past year. The budget will be divided into four major categories, ranging from cleaning public areas and providing security specialists to increasing lighting and hiring professionals to oversee UCD projects. Philadelphia Director of Commerce Steven Mullen -- representing the vacationing Mayor Ed Rendell -- said city officials have "every confidence that the program will be a success." And Rendell had said earlier that "the Special Services District of University City, combined with the already significant ongoing and future investments of University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Amtrak and others, will make this area of the City a true attraction for visitors from around the Delaware Valley and throughout the nation." The University's role in the UCD will be one of both financial and community involvement. "[The project] is fundamental to our quest for excellence," University President Judith Rodin said. "If we are going to succeed, we are going to have to do it together." Rodin added that she hoped the University would be "a good neighbor with the community" as it moved forward with its future plans for renovation and academic pursuit. Other major participants in the UCD include Amtrak, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Seashore House, Drexel University, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, the United States Postal Service, the University City Community Council, the University City Science Center, the VA Medical Center and the West Philadelphia Partnership.