Do you throw up your hands helplessly every time your sink backs up or a fuse blows out? If so, West Philly Tool Library may have the solution for you! They want to transform you into a home fix-it type, or at the very least guide you along the way.

Last Thursday, The Tool Library ran the first of four 90-minute basic home repair classes in the basement of the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, located at 48th & Baltimore. “We want people to be able to speak knowledgeably about their house,” said Michael Froelich, Tool Library president, also the President of Cedar Park Neighbors.

Calvary Center

The first class focused on the safe use of power tools. (Cue the audio of a Tim the Toolman Taylor grunt). The following classes, Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and 14th, from 6 – 7:30 p.m., are scheduled to cover basic carpentry, plumbing and electricity. Instructors include the past facilities director of the Rosenbach Museum. If you’ve been waiting to rehab grandma’s old rocking chair or fix that darn leaky faucet, maybe now you can learn how. And for a yearly sliding scale fee of $20-$50, if so interested, you can become a Tool Library member and rent whatever tools as you need for a week at a time.

Inside the Tool Library

This is a strong example of both the kind of neighborhood organizations and the kind of programming provided by those organizations that develop character and create positive relationships in communities. And with groups like the Tool Library being awarded $25K State Farm grants to further their mission, we can hopefully expect more innovative and practical planning in the future.

–Lou Mancinelli