East and West Mt. AIry Should Remain Together
As a long time Mt. AIry resident (35 years) I was distressed to see that our vibrant, community-minded neighborhood will be split between two districts. As one who would live in the new 200th, including Roxborough, Manayunk, and Andorra, but no longer Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy, this seems ill-conceived. There is almost no interaction between our communities; we are connected by only two bridges many miles apart. Wissahickon Creek and the park function as a major barrier. This new map literally splits our vibrant Community of Interest in half. Mt. AIry/Chestnut HIll citizens share a newspaper, our food coops, and interconnected community organizations, none of which interface with their parallel Roxborough institutions. If I want to work on a local issue, I can literally think of dozens of 19118 and 19119 neighbors to contact. I barely know a single person who lives in Roxborough, Manayunk, or Andorra and would find this an immense hurdle when seeking common cause to take local action! Please leave our Chestnut Hill/Mt. AIry Community of Interest intact! Thanks.