The Greater Bustleton Civic League tackled many issues at a relatively quiet virtual monthly meeting last week.
City Councilmember at large Derek Green spoke at this meeting following previous complaints about illegal ATVs and dirt bikes in the road. Green said this is an issue throughout the whole city and it will only get worse as the weather gets warmer. Green co-sponsored legislation introduced by Councilmember Mark Squilla that will allow police to group all illegal vehicles into the same classification and allow them to confiscate all illegal vehicles.
Green also said the city is looking into spaces such as the Wells Fargo Center to give riders a space off of the roads.
Capt. Robert Ritchie, commander of the 7th Police District, spoke about crimes in the area and said that catalytic converter thefts from vehicles are an ongoing issue in the neighborhood. He reminded everyone to call the police if they see something suspicious.
In other news, the association held its annual election, with president Jack O’Hara and vice president John McKeever swearing in for another year. Mike Herskovitz will take over as treasurer.
Members of the association were able to help remove a tenant at 9358 Old Bustleton Ave., property owned by PECO. The tenant littered the lot and built an illegal 8-foot fence around the property. The property still needs to be remediated. A squatter at 1813 Gregg St. was also ordered to vacate the property.
The second Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting concerning the UPS distribution center at 1 Red Lion Road is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15, at 10 a.m. O’Hara urged residents concerned about the project to reach out to their elected officials and voice those concerns.
The Bustleton Bengals are holding their engraved brick fundraiser. Upcoming activities include girls summer basketball beginning June 1 and summer dance camp running Monday nights starting June 14. Registration for football ages 5-13 is now open. Visit BustletonBengals.org.
O’Hara stressed that members of the GBCL should renew their membership if they haven’t already.
The GBCL meets the fourth Wednesday of every month. Next meeting will be held Wednesday, June 23, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The association will then take a break in July and August, reconvening in September.
