In the midst of on-campus improvements, North Broad Street is taking on a new look as well. This fall, 41 light fixtures were installed going down the median of Broad Street and some of the students around campus have taken notice, though few know their intended purpose.
“I actually don’t know anything about the lights. I literally thought they had something to do with the Pope weekend” said Temple sophomore Artina Nimpson, referring to the weekend Pope Francis visited Philadelphia.
There’s little known about the project because the organization behind the project, North Broad Renaissance is in its infant stages themselves. This non-profit organization was started in May of 2014 “will be in charge of community revitalization” as said by Executive Director Shalimar Thomas.
Thomas currently serves as the Executive Director of The African-American Chamber of PA, NJ and Delaware but will lose that title as North Broad Renaissance continues to develop. She said the organization would take on projects that are “representative and beneficial to the community” referring to the area that includes around Temple’s campus.
The lights were revealed to be more of an art inspired project, but Thomas didn’t rule out the possibility of utilizing the lights moving forward. One of the purposes could be coloring different colors for certain causes such as breast cancer awareness month.
There are no plans to install any more lights but Thomas says the organization plans to continue to take on new projects to continue to improve the North Broad Community.
“The next phase, we’re looking at safety and landscaping. Maybe placing some trees and some greenery in the area. Making sure it’s starting to look better, not just the lights but North Broad as a whole.”
Be the first to comment