The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 15

Friday, Dec. 23, 1988 The Philadelphia Inquirer 3-B A SEPTA ride to a sealed station EDUCATIONAL NOMINATING PANEL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR NOMINATIONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia has appointed and convened the Educational Nominating Panel for the purpose of submitting to the Mayor the names of qualified persons in order to fill one (1) vacancy on the Board of Education of The School District of Philadelphia to complete a term which expires December, 1989. As required by the Charter, the Educational Nominating Panel does hereby invite business, civic, professional, labor and other organizations, as well as individuals; situated or resident within the top," said Green. "We were standing on a long slick of ice at the bottom of this littered hill. I couldn't see any way out.

There was no phone up on the platform. I thought, well, we'll just wait for the next train coming out and ride it to the next station. Then 1 remembered that the conductor said Tioga station should have stopped. And as for stopping at Nicetown, the crews and information personnel are required to be familiar with those bulletins. In this case, obviously they were not.

We plan to look further into this, and make sure that more effort is made to ensure that our personnel pay attention to the bulle tins." Green said, overall, the children still had a good time that day. "They even enjoyed the train ride," he said. "Until we got off, that is. Then the day went downhill. But we got home, thawed out, and the children fell asleep watching Cinderella on TV." the City of Philadelphia to submit for consideration by the Panel thej.

2 FINAL WEEK! "Tf JFOR 1 i I I names of persons qualified to serve as members of the Board. An- individual may submit his or her own name. The Charter requires that members of the Board shall be registered: voters of the City. To be eligible for consideration by the Panel the candidate must: be a bona fide resident of Philadelphia for one year be a registered voter be at least eighteen years of age not be an employee of the City or tne School District be of good moral character never have been removed from a position for malfeasance not have served more than two full six year terms on the Board not have been adjudicated bankrupt within the last five (5) years just in time for the holidays Buy any sponcoat, or stacks at the regular price and receive any second item ofetfuat or iesser mine for imam si.t: itkms vit im By Mark Bowden Inquirer Stall Writer About a half-million people used SEPTA on Dec. 10, a cold Saturday, and apart from the occasional problems that are unavoidable on a typical day of service for the nation's fourth-largest transit authority, all of them eventually got where they were going.

Then there was Kenneth Green. Green, 29, an auto worker, decided lhat Saturday to take his two children, Christina, 9, and Sherki. 4, and little cousin, James Harrison, 6, Lto Center City to see the Christmas 'displays at John Wanamaker. He thought it might be fun to take the children for a ride on the train. called SEPTA'S information -number that morning, and they were Zery helpful," said Green.

"The man told me to catch the 1:31 p.m. train at v.Tioga station, and then, coming back, ask down in Suburban Station for lhe next convenient train stopping Nicetown." cold weather was expected for the day. Undeterred, Green, who lives in the 3600 block of North 21st Street, bundled up the children and marched out to the Tioga station of the Regional Rail line. children were excited," he said. The 1:31 SEPTA train arrived right on time and kept right on going.

"It didn't even slow down," said Green. "The children were very disappointed." Green and his little winter-proofed walked five blocks and the bus, then took the into Center City. It was a good Iday. The children enjoyed Wanama-kers, and Green took them all to IBurger King for an early dinner. LAnd still, there was the train ride The Panel will be seeking candidates who exhibit, among other things, the suns.

ttSO -WS getOelnd hr( the trains don't stop at Nicetown anymore unless someone requests it!" Green paced, trying not to show his concern. He knew he could climb the fence, but the children couldn't. Should he go, leave them alone in the dark, and go for a phone to call the police to get them out? "I was walking back and forth literally holding my head, trying to figure out what to do," said Green. "Finally, I found a narrow opening, about six to eight inches, between the wall and the gate. First I sent the 6-year-old through.

Then the 9-year-old. Then I squeezed my 4-year-old through, and finally I was able to work my way through and we were free." The Nicetown station, Green learned later, has been closed since a fire damaged it Nov. 14. SEPTA'S schedules, printed in late October, still show regular stops at the location. Before the fire, according to SEPTA, the station was being used by an average of only one passenger a day.

SEPTA has no plans to reopen it. Despite a number-one priority listing on a systemwide bulletin to train crews and SEPTA'S information center, none of the transit authority employees Green encountered had steered him away from the fenced-in stop. "SEPTA is sorry," said Donna Alston, a SEPTA spokeswoman. "There is no excuse for this. The 1:31 train at Pip SPORTCOATS.

DO (TO getlUJrut Jnr SLACKS MS -JUS 2nd (ashnwr Nfnd Mint WW in llalvll'S NfWJlWO) Camel Han Sport Coll NOWEJ90O Savings of 2S-50 on ENTIRE Sportswear and Haberdashery Yes. You can mix and match. free gift trapping available Holiday Hntirfc: If Ipm Smurday lil All TOKcartnff3d following qualities: demonstrated high moral character, intellectual ability, sound judgment and sincere concern for public education demonstrated experience in public, business, labor or professional affairs" demonstrated capability of dealing with issues facing a multi-million dollar enterprise educational experience through high school demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationship with a variety of groups understand management principles related to establishment and implementation of policy. Previous experience on policy-making boards is, desirable. All submissions shall be in writing, on the Nomination Form supplied by the Panel.

Copies of the Form can be obtained at any branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Nomination must be submitted no later than January 15, 1989.f. Submissions should be mailed to: Educational Nominating Panel Post Office Box 58186 Philadelphia. Pennsylvania 19102-8186 DEVON (202) (Gateway Shp. Or.) 293-1013 JENKINTOWN (Fox Pavilion) 576-0647 -imMmmj i 1 to look forward to.

As instructed, Green asked at the information desk at the center of -Suburban Station for the next train. He was directed to the 6:11 p.m. R8 train to Fox Chase. The R8 train arrived right on time. Green herded the children aboard and told the conductor that he was unused to riding the train.

"He was very nice," Green called. "He told me they no longer "stopped at Nicetown unless asked." The conductor said it would be an-nounced when the train was coming 'into Nicetown. "And, sure enough, 'When we approached the station there was an announcement over the and the conductor came over and tapped me on the shoulder. 'The next stop is he said." With the help of the conductor, Green got all three children down on the platform and the train pulled away. turned to leave," he said, "and there was no way off the platform.

It an elevated platform, and so far as -I could see, there was no staircase or ramp or anything." Green decided they would have to cross the tracks to the other side in order to exit. He had lectured the children about playing on the tracks, and they were frightened. His little cousin worried that they might get electrocuted. (The power lines are actually suspended above, safely out of reach.) "I knew we didn't have to worry bout being electrocuted, but was mh the to jjj trigntened, said ureen. it was dark, and from what the conductor had told me I knew that any oncom Wr "A lascae ing trains werent going to slow down and stop." Finding an opening in the gate between the tracks, Green and the it i i i eMJ i Jtf ii children crossed over, only to dis Uj llffiftFV IFm-tffl towmo cover that the staircase on that side of the track was completely blocked off, cemented shut.

There was a fence around the platform. There was no telephone. felt panicky," said Green. "Finally, I found a small opening at the end of the fence on the opposite end of the platform. I squeezed the children through one at a time, and then, holding their hands, we worked our way down a steep hill littered with garbage, bricks, tree stumps and God knows all what else, until we got to the bottom." At the bottom of the hill was a 10-foot steel fence "the kind where Steel mesh ends in sharp points at Coleco I jS ltfk lf 'SD0F2ELDA--- I CABBAGE PATCH tIl fof id golf KIDS TODDLERS I 1 SlJiJ rSS I Bright faces, soft, huggable bodies and I vLAlia I I adorable Toddler outfits.

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turn Li 8 activities! Ages 2-5 lliJ' available tor your home! BmW v-i jJ wa wwwin "ci-" jjjl 5' Ftsrer-Pric rOf- FISHING KIT 21 left homeless after W. Phila. building fire By Thomas J. Gibbons Jr. inquirer Stall Writer Twenty-one people were left homeless yesterday afternoon after a Ihree-alarm fire erupted in an apartment house at 4204 Parkside officials said.

There were no IVHSSSWSS tSsJS. 17S9 Parter Brothers NERF FENCING GAME Learn how to fence in safety1 Foils made of team. Ages 7-up. 1233 ESr2Z4sa Egar- ip3syc.r"'lUaar I According to a me la.iuhcih spokesman, the fire was reported at 2:29 p.m. on the upper floors of the three-story brick building located across the street from Fairmount Park and Memorial Hall in the Park-side section of West Philadelphia.

Before it was brought under control by more than 90 firefighters at 3 14 p.m., the blaze had badly daro- -aged the upper rear floors of the apartment house. Barbara Fountain. 51. who lives in in apanment next door to the damaged building, said the fire started about the time she was talking on the telephone to a friend who lives in a third floor rear apartment at 4204 "She said. t)h Barbara, there's smfke and it seems like it's coming through the Fountain said.

telling hr friend to flee. Fountain said, she hung tip and telephoned the Fire Department. Fire officials said most residents of the sis apartments in the building wer at work during the blaze and -eturned yesterday evening to find he damage. 1 PORT RICH MONO (Conw ei Aiwtfngo Oanol Sa PHILADELPHIA (Nwt WMMwn Na Shopp. Ctr.) NEW JERSEY CHERRY HtU.

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