Departure of strong community organization questions validity of UCCC

The withdrawal of the Spruce Hill Community Association from the University City Community Council last week may not have been a surprise to some area residents, but it has nonetheless managed to shake up what used to be a strong and stable organization. And even more importantly, it has raised concern over how much power the UCCC deserves. Spruce Hill -- one of the six community groups that made up the UCCC's voting membership -- decided to separate itself from the umbrella organization last week because of what Spruce Hill President Barry Grossbach called a "philosophical difference" over what the UCCC's role should be. Since the separation, several of the community groups have met individually, but there have been no major developments since Spruce Hill's withdrawal. The rift began when Spruce Hill voiced its opposition to the UCCC's position on a catchment area for the new Penn-assisted school to be built at 42nd and Spruce streets. Grossbach's organization did not agree with the UCCC's call for a lottery-determined catchment area and instead advocated a defined boundary for the attendance zone. But in a five-to-one vote, the other council members overrode Spruce Hill's objection and put the UCCC's support behind the catchment lottery. However, by endorsing a position that did not have universal approval, Grossbach says the UCCC overstepped its bounds and misrepresented the community. "The actions of some of the voting members of the council have become increasingly dismissive of the community as a whole," a prepared statement by Spruce Hill's Executive Committee said last week. "The council has become non-consultative." But not everyone agrees with Grossbach's claims. Amy Williams, vice president of the Squirrel Hill Community Association, contends that the council's very purpose is to give a louder voice to University City neighborhoods -- even if that voice is not completely unanimous. "No one is held to a UCCC position," she said. "But once a position is voted on, it is the job of the UCCC to move forward with it." And Melani Lamond, one of the founders of the three-year-old UCCC, agreed that the council's purpose should be to strengthen the political power of University City by bringing together the smaller community groups. "It was supposed to be an advocacy group," she said. "It's not developing policy, it's advocating for what the community associations want to do." But in that effort, Lamond said, the council cannot limit itself only to the topics that receive unanimous approval. If it does, then it will have to stay silent on some of the most important ones. And remaining silent on issues like the new Penn-assisted school is not something Lamond is willing to do. "Taking a stand has consequences," she said. "But not taking a stand has consequences, too.... While the community organizations may be an imperfect voice, they're the best voice we have."

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