work of the Building and Grounds Committee on

this project, and are excited that these areas are

available for use by the residents during the late

summer and beautiful fall days ahead before the

flurries start to fly and we are talking about snow

removal.

Biddle Hall received a facelift with a total of 64

dormer windows, 12 clerestory

windows and 20 skylight

windows replaced.

Residents have also seen

dumpsters and supplies placed

along Admirals Way as the

Strickland HVAC closet

remodels are underway. The

Strickland Committee is hard

at work determining next steps

for new paint and carpeting in

their building.

The Board and management have been working

to address repairs to our historic wall along

Bainbridge Street, a section of which collapsed in

July. We appreciate your patience as we work

through the recovery process.

The Board wishes to acknowledge Molly

Murray’s promotion and is appreciative of her

dedication and service during her tenure here. We

wish her the best in her endeavors as new

community manager in the Philadelphia

region. Also, please join us in welcoming the new

assistant manager, Michele Giannakopoulos, to

Naval Square!

Lastly, the Naval Square Board of Directors

wishes our residents a great “rest of the summer”

and reminds everyone to use

our website for information

about the community and to

send comments to the Board.

The

Mid-Summer

Edition

of the

Naval Square

in this issue

Community Spotlight P.2

Resident Travel Experiences P.3

Coming to Your Neighborhood P.4

Dogs of Naval Square P.5

I S S U E

A u g u s t 2 0 1 6

47 News

Upcoming Events

Mark Your Calendars

SOSNA Triangles Summer Series

Continue Every Thursday 6—8 pm through September 8th

At the Pedestrian Triangles Join your neighbors for live

music and open-air enjoyment

Smooth Jazz Summer Nights Performances begin August 6 and continue every Friday evening throughout the month. The free shows start at 7:30 pm on the stage at the Great Plaza located at the end of Chestnut Street.

PECO Multicultural Summer Fest Events On the Great Plaza Continue Through September: September 18 – Mexican Independence Day September 25 – Brazilian

Day Festival The ethnic heritage festivals include music, food, and arts and crafts!

FROM THE BOARD

September is around the corner, and the

summer of 2016 is flying by!

The pool has been more popular than ever and

it’s been great to see all the families enjoying one

of our nicest amenities. We are pleased that this

year’s pool service included the pool cleaning

which relieved residents from the cleaning duties.

In prior years, the “Pool Crew”, a

small group of Naval Square

volunteers was dedicated to

keeping the pool clean on a

scheduled basis.

The Board and Management

have seen terrific progress in the

projects that were announced in

late spring and early summer.

The landscaping project in the

back of the community is

complete along with a new paver

path and plantings in the peanut garden at the

entrance area. The many improvements to our

irrigation system have helped the new plantings

thrive despite the high temperatures we’ve had for

the past several weeks. The updates to our security

system in the back of the community have also

been completed.

The new directional signs are installed and

we’ve received positive feedback from residents

and delivery personnel. There will be some subtle

changes made to the signs in the days ahead.

The installation of the new patios with pavers is

complete and tables and chairs have been placed at

the front of the community. The main reason for its

placement is the historical nature of the parade

ground and secondly, the location of the irrigation

system and family use. The new remote and quiet

patio space near 200 block of Commodore Court is

also complete and this area is now available for the

community enjoyment. We are grateful for the

Save the Date

Open Board Meeting

Tuesday, September 20 7 PM

Multi-purpose Room Fitness Center

Community Living

2

SPOTLIGHT ON NAVAL SQUARE, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

“Location, location, location.” That’s the

phrase everyone loves to use to describe the

perfect piece of real estate. When talking

about a commercial enterprise, one may find

even the slightest flaw at any location. That

is unless you are looking for a prime center

city home with a suburban feel. Naval

Square is a sprawling 20 plus acre gated

community with all the amenities you could

want in your community. There’s a mixture

of 619 townhomes and condominium style

units to fit any lifestyle which adds to the

variety of demographic within the walls of

these historic grounds. You can walk to

University City or Center City. For those

that don’t like walking or commute

regularly, parking is not an issue. Each unit

has parking in their personal garage,

underground garages, or a parking space that

you own. Hop in your car and go with

access to major highways within minutes of

your home. City residents know the value of

parking! Those that move into Philadelphia

soon learn that value as well.

Originally constructed in 1834 as the

Philadelphia Naval Asylum, Naval Square

also served as the first home of the United

States Naval Academy. In 1971, the grounds

were placed on the National Register of

Historic Places. Some of the first structures

to be constructed are still here.

The crowning features of the community

are historic Biddle Hall and two converted

Each month there is an event to get

residents together - holiday parties, happy

hours, even a Kentucky Derby party! The

Newsletter Committee produces an

informative monthly newsletter highlighting

the events of the month, spotlight articles,

and valuable tips on association living. The

Landscaping Committee is dedicated to an

enhanced curb appeal.

Ensuring all the pieces fall into place is

the executive board. Their commitment to

the community as volunteers is evident by

the progress and evolution of the community

over the years. Spanning almost 10 years

from declaration to the recent final unit sale,

Naval Square has been through the booms

and busts of the real estate market. They

have seen to the challenges of maintaining

such a varying and complicated

infrastructure. Having dedicated volunteers

throughout those formative years has helped

bond the residents though the unknown. The

bar has been set for the future generations of

residents at Naval Square.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Sytnik is the community manager at

Naval Square, a CAI recognized Gold Star

Community. Andrew is employed by

FirstService Residential Mid-Atlantic.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Andrew Sytnik is

the community manager at Naval Square, a

CAI recognized Gold Star Community.

Andrew is employed by FirstService

Naval Square received the Gold Star Community Award from the Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley Chapter of the Community Association Institute

(CAI). CAI’s Gold Star Community program recognizes those communities that work hard to develop and maintain standards, encourage community

participation, maintain fiscal stability and have a positive impact on the quality of life for residents. Andrew Sytnik, our community manager and CAI

member was asked to write an article featuring Naval Square for CAI’s Community Assets magazine. The digital magazine is published bi-monthly by the

Pennsylvania & Delaware Valley Chapter. We would like share the following Community Spotlight article that was published in the July/August 2016

edition of the Community Assets magazine.

mansions. Biddle Hall also features a unique

community room which is known as “The

Rotunda.” This round, domed room is 50

feet in diameter with an 80 foot dome ceiling

with skylights. Once you exit the Rotunda,

to the main steps of Biddle Hall, you get an

amazing view of the “Parade Grounds.” The

Parade Grounds are where families come

together to let the kids play, walk the dog,

and get a brisk walk. The northerly view

captures the skyline of center city. These

parade grounds are surrounded by a large

tree canopy from the many 120+ foot

London Plane trees. Each tree bears a

medallion and number registering each as

having historical significance.

Naval Square’s glory doesn’t lie just in

its past! There’s always something going on

at Naval Square. Active resident committees

and a proactive executive Board keep the

place clean, organized, informed, and

provide many events for residents to enjoy.

Resident Travel Experiences

ideas for an entertaining brochure to

introduce children to the Penn Museum.

A short train ride took us south and east to

Cremona, where music is the main theme.

This small, quiet city was home to the great

violin making families of the 16th to 18th

centuries: Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari. A

spacious modern museum of stringed

instruments gives music lovers the

opportunity to see and hear the beautiful

creations of skilled craftsmen over the

centuries. Cremona offers a music school,

workshops for makers of stringed

instruments, recitals and concerts, and a

warm, understated charm. It’s a comfortable

place: extended areas are reserved for

pedestrians and cyclists, and the cafe terraces

were open to local soccer fans watching

European Cup games. Cremona has an

impressive Duomo representing several

architectural styles, as well as a glorious

octagonal baptistery where the sun streams

through the dome onto a red marble font. A

day here was not enough.

A longer

train ride took

us further

south and east

to Ravenna, a

W o r l d

Heritage site

that’s justly

famous for its

magni f i cen t

m o s a i c s

dating from

the Roman,

O s t r o g o t h ,

and Byzantine

fifth to eighth

c e n t u r i e s .

A l t h o u g h

considerably

larger than Cremona, Ravenna has a calm,

intimate atmosphere; it’s a walkable city

where bicycles abound and public buses also

provide convenient service. Visiting the

churches of San Vitale and Sant Apollinare

Nuovo, the Arian Baptistery, and the

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia to bask in the

colorful beauty of the mosaic pictures on the

walls and ceilings was a privileged

experience. The poet Dante died in Ravenna

after contracting malaria in Venice, and his

tomb, nestled in a pretty park, is a popular

tourist draw. We took advantage of

Ravenna’s music festival to attend two

Milan, Cremona, Ravenna, Venice: not

the most conventional Italian itinerary but

one that brought balance, new and

surprising experiences, and remarkable

images to my impressions of the country.

I flew to Milan late in June with a

college friend who’s more at home in China

than the Mediterranean world; we were

greeted on arrival by a local train strike!

After locating a bus to the center of town,

we taxied to our spacious, modern hotel and

began to explore.

Milan is a solid, prosperous city. The

beautiful Duomo (cathedral) with a Gothic

facade is adjacent to a handsome, barrel-

vaulted shopping arcade, both set on a lively

piazza. Our excellent tour guide, an

immigrant to Milan from Bulgaria, walked

us to the ducal castle, surrounded by

fortifications, before leading us to the

church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to gaze

at da Vinci’s Last Supper. We had time to

observe its subtleties and take photographs

to our hearts’ content. The staff of the

renowned La Scala opera house allowed us

to take a peek at its red and gold interior

during a suspended rehearsal and then

wander through the memorabilia preserved

in its museum. I thoroughly enjoyed a

special exhibit, housed on the Piazza

Duomo, of wooden models of inventions,

from portable bridges to flying machines,

sketched by Leonardo in his notebooks.

Milan’s archaeological museum, which

displays artifacts from the Roman era and

before in an historic venue, gave me some

concerts, one traditional, the other very

contemporary, ate lots of fish, and relaxed

in a spacious hotel room. Beaches on the

Adriatic are only six miles out of town, but

they’ll have to wait for a return trip. An

American woman I chatted with in the book

shop at San Vitale advised taking Italian

classes in Ravenna for a month to justify an

extended vacation there!

Then north to Venice on the longest train

ride of the trip. We rolled past vineyards;

fields of wheat, rice, and corn; old farm

houses and modern housing developments.

Arriving at the station in Venice in the dark

of night, we hopped into a water taxi on the

Grand Canal and were delivered to the back

entrance of our hotel, where the concierge

lowered a gangplank onto the boat and

escorted us safely ashore.

We followed the traditional tourist route,

visiting San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, and

the Bridge of Sighs. Again we were

fortunate in having enthusiastic, well

informed guides, who conveyed an

understanding of the strength the city

enjoyed for centuries, its wealth, power, and

independence. Left to our own devices, we

got lost countless times, even when armed

with maps, but eventually found our way

around the maze of canals, bridges, streets,

and campos. Sadly, Venice is not only

sinking but also steadily losing population.

Venice’s Jewish Ghetto, the oldest in

Europe, was established 500 years ago; this

anniversary is commemorated in a

fascinating exhibit of manuscripts, books,

maps, and art work. The Peggy

Guggenheim Foundation offers a

spectacular collection of modern painting

and sculpture in a handsome setting. The

Dorsoduro, Venice's Left Bank, is a

neighborhood of students, galleries, and

casual restaurants. We boarded a

“vaporetto* (water bus) to cruise to the

Lido, an island of lovely hotels and beaches,

and Murano, home to the craft of glass

making; there we watched a glass blower at

work and browsed in a museum featuring

beautiful jewelry, figurines, and many

varieties of glassware. The virtuoso

performance of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”

we attended at San Vidal, a medieval church

with an 18th century facade, still lingers in

my ears. Unquestionably, the highlight of

my stay in Venice was meeting my second

cousin, an immigrant from Croatia who’s a

Continued on page 4

3

On and Off the Beaten Track in Italy...

Nancy Naftulin, Cremona, Italy

Mosaic Ceiling, Ravenna

Around the Neighborhood

4

Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon

The wait is finally over. Center city has a

Target

Everywhere you look you will find

evidence that city living is on the rise. There

are new residential dwellings to replace

demolished structures popping up all over

the city. Along with the influx of city

residency comes the demand for new

businesses and significant revitalization of

retail after many years of decline. Attracting

new businesses is a key component of the

Department of Commerce’s economic

development strategy. New businesses such

as Target, the second-largest discount

retailer, will serve as a catalyst to attract

further development.

The first of three new center city Target

stores opened on July 20, at 1128 Chestnut

Street, will be the smallest location to open

in Philadelphia. This middle of the block

store is 19,000 square feet can be entered

from either Chestnut or Sansom Street. Its

merchandise focuses on smaller items that

accommodate the downtown Philadelphia

community such as apparel, home, health

and beauty items, toys, sporting goods,

small tech items and fresh groceries,

including grab-and-go offerings. The

location also has a pharmacy and Starbucks.

The new stores are what the company

describes as "flexible format" locations,

which have slimmed-down designs and

emphasize order pickups from Target's

website. The new Target models are smaller

and more compact than the retail giant's

traditional box stores in suburban shopping

centers and cater to the urban customer.

The second flexible-format Target store

and the one closest to Naval Square is

located on 1900 Chestnut Street, two blocks

north of Rittenhouse Square, and is scheduled

to open on October 5th. This 19th Street corner

store will span approximately 21,000 square

feet over two floors. Besides the in-store

small item merchandise, it will offer Target

Mobile and order pickup and CVS Pharmacy

services.

A third Center City location planned for

2001 Pennsylvania Avenue is expected to

open in October 2017 in the space that is

currently is occupied by Whole Foods, on

Callowhill Street near the Philadelphia

Museum of Art. It is projected to open after

Whole Foods moves to Rodin Square.

Continued from page 3

practicing dentist in the city, and two of his

of his adult children. We shared a festive

dinner and forged family bonds.

Our final train ride was back to Milan’s

Malpensa Airport in early July: we spent our

last night in Italy in a comfortable Sheraton

hotel that opened directly into the airport’s

departure wing. Quite an adventure we’d

enjoyed! So much of the success of a travel

experience depends on accidentals: the

weather, the people you talk to at an

adjoining table, a pair of earrings that

catches your eye in a shop window.

Candide’s sage words are still very much on

the mark: “You learn a lot by traveling.”

A few observations for potential tourists:

Italians are friendly and helpful. They

like trying out their English and

frequently speak French.

Italian parents are very affectionate

towards their children.

Summer sales begin on July 1.

The two-hour lunch prevails. Don’t

expect to do your banking at midday.

The streets are clean.

Food is fresh, carefully prepared, and

not outrageously expensive. Seafood of

all stripes, tender veal scaloppini,

saffron risotto, and tart, fruit-flavored

gelato rank among my favorite choices.

Prosecco and “spritz” are very

refreshing on a warm summer evening.

Reserve seats in first class train cars if

possible. They cost little more than

coach tickets, and you're guaranteed

ample leg room, air conditioning, and

free snacks and drinks served from a

cart that rolls down the aisle!

—by Nancy Naftulin, Naval Square Traveler

The Fresh Grocer Since the closing of the local Pathmark in

January 2016, most of us have missed the

convenience and savings that come from a

large grocery chain located less than a mile

away. This impacted us greatly and residents

have no substantial options close by after its

closing. Once again the neighborhood has

become a ‘food desert’ with no major chains

to choose from in the area. We now have to

trek to grocery shop at the Acme or Shop Rite

in another part of the city.

Well, the wait may soon be over; the

Fresh Grocer is scheduled to replace the

shuttered Pathmark in the Grays Ferry

Shopping Center. The sign was officially

posted sometime within the last two weeks

and it appears that some property revocations

are underway.

The Fresh Grocer, part of the Wakefern

Family, is a supermarket chain specializing in

providing high quality perishables in urban

a n d s u b u r b a n e n v i r o n m e n t s

with stores operating in the (PA, DE, NJ). It

is a full-service supermarket, started in 1996,

with produce, meat, seafood, baked goods,

frozen foods, snacks and more.

Although no date has been published for

when the Fresh Grocer is scheduled to open,

the fact that we will once again have a larger

grocery store in our neighborhood is exciting

news. For more information about their

amenities go to their website: @

www.thefreshgrocer.com

“You learn a lot by traveling.”

A mural inside the new Chestnut Street

Target, Washington Square West

Community Living

Newsletter Committee Naval Square Executive Board / Committees Jeanette Litts, President Laura Thomas, Secretary Maria Cianfrani, Treasurer Gary Gladstone, Board Member Tim Labrie, Board Member

Buildings and Grounds Committee - Jack Smyth, Jr Communications Committee - Deborah Lyons Finance Committee - Maria Cianfrani Internal Dispute Resolution - Ron Levine Landscape - Ginny Minehart/Doug Linneman Rules & Regs Committee - Margaret Moran Social Committee - Margie Renzi Transition Committee - Wendy Wiesmiller

Debra Homich Aisha O’Connor Jessica Leon Nancy Stinson Deborah Lyons Wendy Steesy Nancy Naftulin Openings Available Send all articles, suggestions and feedback to: NavalSquareNewsletter@yahoo.com

5

Jack Russell Terriers are famous for

their boundless energy. Their intensity

comes in handy when hunting foxes, the job

they were bred for. To learn how all that

translates around Naval Square, you must

meet Oscar, but you can call him Oskie.

Oscar — the half rough-/half smooth-

coated little fella — celebrated his first

birthday a few months ago. And if you

know Jack Russells, you’d also like to know

that he’s the long-legged, not short-legged

type. That’s all the more leg for running

around!

Going for “small with a big personality,”

Aisha O’Connor and Tim Fratus decided to

look for a spunky pup to fill the void left by

the loss of their Anatolian Shepherd. Having

once had an Irish Terrier in the family, they

thought that a Jack Russell would fit the bill

perfectly.

Once Aisha and Tim had their sights set,

Aisha set out to find a small, responsible

breeder. Her search area encompassed the

entire East Coast, but it happened that there

was one right in Pennsylvania who had

three male puppies. Two were being kept to

show, but the third didn’t have show-quality

traits, so he was available for adoption.

Aisha and Tim met Oscar (or Murphy, as

he was originally named), at a Jack Russell

Terrier Dog Show in northern New Jersey,

which after a two-hour drive, put them

smack-dab in the middle of Jack Russell

Terrier heaven. Dogs were everywhere:

Dogs of Naval Square: Meet Oscar

some were doing agility (think American Ninja

Warrior for dogs), and others were hanging

with their owners. Yet, among all of the action,

the breeder’s five-year-old son grew quite

concerned when it came time to say goodbye to

Oscar. He’d grown attached to this little puppy,

and was the one who had named him Murphy,

after all.

At first, Oscar was a bit shy and quiet in his

new home. It was very different from the one

he left behind, which was a farm with horses

and several other Jack Russell Terriers.

And he had also never been on a leash

before, so there was a lot for him to get

used to. Over the last year, he’s learned a

lot at doggie daycare, Z Dog Walkers.

They tire him out during the day, so that

he’s ready to chill at night with mama

Aisha. As it turns out, Oscar is a master

snuggler, but a smuggler, too. The family

used to have to keep their eyes on their

snacks, even when placed up high, because

Oscar could jump up onto the dining room

table. He has since been reformed.

Oscar is a nature lover and bird

watcher, so long walks around the parade

grounds and the neighborhood suit him,

but when it’s time to let loose, Oscar takes

to the dog park where he enjoys running

and playing with leash-less abandon.

There’s another Jack Russell Terrier here

at Naval Square that Oscar likes to

exchange barks with, whenever possible,

and he has a special place in his heart for

Board Member Laura Thomas’ yellow lab.

At 13 months, he hasn’t gotten it all

figured out yet, but he’s getting there.

Behaving as a gentle-pup should, while on

leash, is still a work in progress, as is

controlling his enthusiasm around children.

We just need to give him a little more time.

He’s got a lot of natural moxie to manage! If you would like your dog featured, please send us an email: NavalSquareNewsletter@yahoo.com

Proper Naval Square Gate Usage Residents should be aware that the vehicular gates are for vehicles only. Do you get tired of the gates breaking down and becoming a huge inconvenience? Most of the time when the gates break down, it's because bicycle riders use the vehicle gate to enter/exit. Each gate has a metal detector which tells the gate that a vehicle is exiting/entering. This detector is designed to pick up a vehicle, not a bicycle or pedestrian. When the gate is activated via your clicker, and the sensor doesn't pick up that a vehicle is in fact present, it can cause malfunctions in the computer system. This causes the gates to be stuck open or closed. As of July 31, Naval Square has spent approximately $16,000 or $25 per owner for gate repairs. Please be a good neighbor and help prevent an increase in your condo fees due to repair costs!

From the Management Office . . .

Oskie - 12 weeks old