There are “too many goddamn dogs around here. It’s like every person needs a dog, like it protects you. . . . They [dogs] be everywhere. I love dogs, but why do every white person have to have a dog?” 

Thank you Naked! The process has been well-documented, open and public and has certainly come a long way since the days when CSX just wanted to close off access completely due to the safety hazard of crossing at-grade tracks without a bridge.

Let’s hope we don’t delay this anymore! Onward and upward!

[...] [...]

The claims that no one knew about the bridge is ridiculous. The first public meeting was in 2008. Inga Saffron has written about the public meetings. It’s been part of Schuylkill Banks’ master plan for years. They even had pictures of the proposed designs posted on billboards at the river side of the grade crossing since like 2008 or 2009. You have to have been living in a bubble not to know that this bridge was coming and that it would take most of the park out of commission during the construction phase.

And lastly, parks are for people, not dogs.

@Dude Solarsystem, I am very jealous that you got to quoting that before me, well done. 

These people are clearly very selfish, lazy, and completely lack common sense. It’s truly amazing how they are making such a stink (hurhur) about a project that is temporary and will actually improve their dog park in the end. I’m pretty sure the real problem for them is that they will actually have to take their dogs for walks while the bridge is getting built. And that would require much more effort than sitting down and letting their animals run around in their poo/pee for an hour. Boo freaking hoo, rich people. I am done with you!

(loooove dogs…people are dumb)

Why is it so hard to believe people didn’t know about this plan? We don’t live in the immediate area but utilize all areas of the park frequently. We’ve never seen anything posted or discussed about changes/construction to the park – we only learned about it all after walking over there this week and seeing the fencing (which resulted in us doing some online research). Are you sure these meetings were publicized outside the immediate Fitler Square area?

Sure the project is ”temporary” – but it is at least 15 months long. There’s nothing wrong with people who live in a city voicing frustration that a functioning open public space is to close for such a long time (why does it take 15 months to build a pedestrian bridge, anyway?). Also, why is the bridge being built there and not over the current crossing? Just curious.

I’m not going to protest to stop development but I’m shocked at the vitrol against people who have a differing opinion than you. 

One last note, last time I checked, dog parks ARE in fact, for dogs. Would you prefer they run around unleashed in other city parks? So odd, the anger towards dog owners.  

Well I knew about the plans and details of this project long ago and I live in the far northeast. The selected alternative was chosen years ago. Years. So yeah, it’s really ”hard to believe people didn’t know about this plan.”

Vitrol (if you want to call it that) is not reserved for those who merely “have a differing opinion.” It’s reserved for those who don’t pay attention to what’s going on around them and then swoop in at the last second (almost literally) to disrupt something that has been worked out to a consensus at great effort and difficult compromise over many years.

The overwhelming majority are, in fact happy (nay, thrilled) with the prospect of this bridge finally being constructed. Such a huge majority over a project like this is rarely seen in this town.

So either pay attention all along or get out of the way.

Again I’m curious how you knew about the project, especially not living in the area. Genuinely curious. Was it from something posted throughout the park over that past year that you would have seen by visiting it? How many years ago was it chosen, and if it was awhile, could that be the problem (i.e. a decision reached years ago, and then many people – myself included, who did not move to the area until late 2008 – would have never known about it if it was stalled due to funding, permits, any other red tape)?

The original post and the commenters on here and other sites are writing from the point that they have absolutely no idea how people didn’t know about this project - they are completely shocked and outraged and think that folks don’t “pay attention”. So I’m here to say that I’m a frequent park user who knew nothing about it until the chain link fences went up. I’m obviously not the only one, and I didn’t purposely ignore anything. So to prevent something like this from happening again, I’m curious as to how you knew about it for so long. I’m also trying to point out that the people who didn’t know about it aren’t dumb and there could be a very good reason that such a large contingent were so surprised.  

“very selfish, lazy” “complete lack of common sense” “boo hoo rich people” “people are dumb” “ridiculous” “get out of the way”, using all caps – and that’s just this one post about the project on this site, let alone any of the other blogs or sites that have been writing about it. The bigger sampling gets much harsher so yeah, I would say there is some vitrol around the whole situation…which is so useless, IMO. Wouldn’t it be much more productive to educate those who didn’t know, and figure out why?

As I stated before, there has been tons of notifications.

I did a search of my e-mail and it turns out that the first public meeting about the bridge was in 2007! Notices of the meetings have been posted in the park and along Schuylkill Banks, specifically on their bullet board on the river side of the grade crossing. Inga Saffron has attended the public meetings and written about them. I’m on the Schuylkill River Park Alliance e-mail list and have received dozens of e-mails about the bridge since 2007. I’m Facebook friends with Friends of Schuylkill River Park and receive their quarterly newsletter — they’ve posted updates on the bridge on both Facebook and in their newsletter. It’s been part of Schuylkill Banks’ master plan since forever. And finally, Friends of Schuylkill River Park Dog Run have been involved in the design of the new dog run — they were the ones who pushed the City to put in AstroTurf instead of grass. What more do you want — the City to have sent a postcard to the home of every resident alerting them to the changes at the Park?

The fact that you some how managed to remain oblivious to the looming construction seems to tell me that you use the park, but have gone out of your way not get involved with any of the civic groups that support the park. Even if you had been on just one of their e-mail lists you would have known. I searched my inbox for “connector bridge” and have over 100 e-mails on the subject). And signs have been posted — you’ve just ignored them. With all due respect, it sounds like you didn’t want to be part of the community — participating in community group — and yet expected someone to call you up on the phone and tell you what was going on in the community.

So you’ve been using the park for how long, and you didn’t make even the slightest attempt to find out about how it’s doing, what plans may be in the works, what the hopes and aspirations are for others who are using it, etc. etc.?

Here’sa good example: [http://www.fsrp.org/npb.html]. At the link is a regularly updated page, but the Friends of Schuylkill River Park with post after post about the connector bridge project, GOING BACK TO 2007 (howz that for all caps?). Two thousand blasted seven. It even has all the considered alternatives.

I’m not knocking rich people. Not at all. Honestly. In fact, I hope to be one myself someday. What I am knocking is people who are incurious, not paying attention to what’s going on around them. It’s like the slow driver who never looks in their rear-view mirror and then is shocked by a line of cars honking their horns at them when they have an opportunity to pass.

Yes, if you haven’t been paying attention to the process that countless others have participated in on a monthly and weekly basis since at least 2007, don’t but in with a show-stopper now.

Politely ask questions, talk to someone on the side, but do not, repeat, DO NOT (more all caps) derail the process now, when all are so happy about it.

I utilize parks throughout the city and no, I don’t go home after each time I visit a park and look them up online. I think that is sort of an interesting practice, but maybe that’s what folks here in Philly do so that’s why I’m here asking questions and trying to find out.

I also should have been clearer – I don’t typically use the river walk path, so no, I don’t know anything about a bulletin board on the river side crossing. It does seem odd to me that since that isn’t the area being taken down that it would primarily be posted there – the two areas are for rather seperate uses IMO and it’s very plausible that if you aren’t a runner/biker/walker/jogger, you would still use the other parts of the park and not even go into that area. I use the large open green area, basketball courts, playground, and dog park. I knew all about the “astro turf” the dog park folks were testing out because information about it was posted on the dog park fence for quite some time. I even went to their website and voted on it…and no, I didn’t think “gee, maybe I will stick around this website and play around to see if they are going to demolish it any time soon.” Thanks to the super pleasant responses here though, now I know!

I’ve looked at the notices in the glass-encased dog park tack board a thousand times – they were always yellowed, frayed, and out-dated, so no, I haven’t read them in over a year. If that is where I was to learn about it, then yes, that is my mistake.  

Anyway, I came here to politely shed some light on where possibly things went awry and not in your favor, and get answers about the project that no one bothered with, but I’ll try some of the links suggested, thanks.

Oh and with all “due respect” – I prefer my community involvement with a little less holier-than-thou attitude, which makes me glad I do the work I do in my own neighborhood. Shame on me for being curious about another neighborhood!

In all seriousness, Happy 4th and I hope your project progresses as planned and turns out how you hoped, making the park better for all as it only improves the city for everyone. As I’ve stated from the very beginning, I’m not a protester of the project.

[...] meddling efforts from the less-than-well-informed Citizens for Saving Schuylkill River Park, it appears that construction for the Connector Bridge is finally underway. We don’t know how [...]