FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Joe DeFelice, Chairman
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Rebirth of the Mayfair Community Development Corporation (CDC) Thanks, in part, to Allegheny Iron and Metal Corporation.
Specifics of this partnership to be announced at the Mayfair Farmers Market on
Sunday, April 21, 2013 at Cottman and Frankford Aves. at 9AM
Philadelphia, PA, April 3, 2013 – The Mayfair Community Development Corporation (hereinafter “Mayfair CDC”) is excited to announce its new partnership with Allegheny Iron and Metal Corporation (hereinafter “Allegheny”) which will help facilitate the rebirth of the Mayfair CDC. This rebirth has been made possible via a program from the City of Philadelphia, of which the Mayfair CDC was one of five selected, with thanks to Jim Flaherty and Karen Fegely, (hereinafter “the City”) whereby the City chooses a partnership between a community development corporation (hereinafter “cdc”) and an area business which allows the business to send the cdc $85,000, of its Business Income and Receipts Tax, a year for a ten year period and allows that corporation to send a voucher to the City to satisfy its tax obligation. The Mayfair CDC has a long storied history of commitment to its community; unfortunately due to the economic downturn and other financial intangibles, the Mayfair CDC has been unable to live up to its name as a “community development corporation” for quite some time; nevertheless that is all about to change due to the commitment of the Leadership of Allegheny and its President Charles Dolaway.
Allegheny Iron and Metal Corporation is a lower Northeast Philadelphia Corporation that was founded in 1911, which focuses on scrap and recycling, and represents the hard work and blue collar nature that is synonymous with the people of Mayfair; their leadership had the foresight to see that community involvement is key to business development and are happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with the leadership of the Mayfair CDC. Bill McKeown, Allegheny Sales Manager, states, “We have heard about the great work of the Mayfair CDC for quite some time and are extremely happy to assist in the rebirth of this great organization. Tom Forkin, who serves as Vice-Chair of the Mayfair CDC stated, “Because of businesses like Allegheny, neighborhoods like ours have a chance to thrive; any type of business that has the staying power like Allegheny knows their way around the block and we are proud to have them as a partner. What is interesting here is that we are discussing a rebirth and such rebirth has been made possible by a recycling corporation.”
This partnership has given the Mayfair CDC the ability to expand its operations. Mayfair CDC Chairman, Joe DeFelice, believes “Our CDC was experiencing a bit of a ‘wind down’; grants were about to close, funds had dried up, a lawsuit, from which we were rightly dismissed, hanged over our heads; however this partnership has given us new life.” Some new items on the docket for this year are to reorganize the staff by eliminating the Executive Director position and replacing it with a Program Director/Office Manager and a Corridor Manager while retaining our Cleansweep Manager. Along with the reorganization, the Mayfair CDC will also shift its focus to more commercial oriented programs, by working with the Mayfair Business Association on such ideas as the development of a Frankford Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), increasing the amount of festivals and markets, and increasing the amount of foot traffic along Frankford Avenue while seeking new money in the form of grants. The Mayfair CDC will, nevertheless, maintain its footing in the residential arena through its Conservatorship program, which rehabs blighted homes, while also working closely with the Mayfair Civic Association and Townwatch and our local elected officials. Thanks to the progressive thinking and generosity of Allegheny, the Mayfair CDC will continue to make Mayfair a great place to live, work and play.