The city last week held a meeting about the future of Honor Square at Five Points, a World War I monument located on a small concrete island in the middle of traffic coming from Cottman, Oxford and Rising Sun avenues.
At the Feb. 12 meeting, at Northeast High School, guests heard from Boy Scout Troop 160 assistant scoutmaster Sam Riccobono and senior patrol leader Dylan Mayer, who discussed the troop’s longtime commitment to caring for the monument.
A City Planning Commission representative said almost 4,000 cars pass the area daily in both the a.m. and p.m. rush hours.
The city is considering two concepts, one with low impact and another with medium impact. Possible changes include the addition of traffic lights and modifications to the portion of Rising Sun Avenue west of the monument.
Many details remain to be discussed, including overall safety, possible enlargement of the island, landscaping, handicapped accessibility, traffic delays, impact on properties and businesses, lighting and benches.
There were recommendations to move the monument, perhaps to the empty Bank of America site at Cottman and Oxford, but the city prefers to keep the monument where it is.
The city Department of Commerce is funding most of the project.
Meanwhile, Take Back Your Neighborhood member Pam Baranackie, who regularly cares for the monument, said state Rep. Jared Solomon has secured funding to beautify the site. One option is to add a Doughboy, the nickname for American World War I infantrymen, to the top of the monument.
PennDOT will soon weigh in with recommendations, and there will be another public meeting in May, when the preferred alternative will be announced. ••
