Making South Pittsburgh a Better Place Every Day
Every month, our South Pittsburgh newsletter highlights neighborhood news, project updates, and major developments. Much of our everyday work that goes into to bigger accomplishments goes untold. Here are just a few things City Council District 4 did in October!
- Councilwoman Rudiak's first meeting of October was with Jessica Durkin, the new AmeriCorps Fellow assigned to Economic Development South to resolve public safety issues in Carrick and Hilltop neighborhoods. Jessica will be gathering best practices from other community groups and working with community leaders to implement new ways of combating crime and blight. Other communities like Lawrenceville and East Liberty are doing this successfully, and we are very excited to have a full time working on public safety issues in the Brownsville Road corridor. Onward and upward!
- We attended the public meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA), where the board voted to preliminarily approve the City of Pittsburgh's 2017 Budget. For those of you who know the history with the ICA, a state appointed financial oversight board, their quick approval shows a refreshing willingness to work with the City.
- Councilwoman Rudiak spoke with State Representative Aaron Kaufer, a Republican in eastern Pennsylvania who introduced a number of bills in the state legislature around the heroin/opioid epidemic, and one regulating recovery homes in neighborhoods. Unfortunately none of his legislation was brought to the House floor before the expiration of the session. We will continue to call on the legislature to address the issue of recovery homes in the future.
- Ashleigh, our Chief of Staff, participated in a panel discussion about Carrick's Dairy District Market at this year's Blight Bootcamp. Blight Bootcamp is a two day event for residents to learn about resources and best practices for eliminating blight in communities. The event is organized by the City of Pittsburgh, Neighborhood Allies, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Design Center Pittsburgh, and other groups. You can view the full panel discussion here, on the City Channel's YouTube page!
- We also met with the City's new web developer about exciting changes to the whole City website, including the District 4 page. The goal is to create a more useful and straightforward format so people can easily access the tools and information they need. Find out more and provide your feedback here.
- Councilwoman Rudiak attended a summit of Pittsburgh Hospital Workers to support and encourage their fight for better wages and a healthcare system that puts patients, communities, and quality jobs ahead of profit.
- We attended the monthly board meeting of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, where the board approved the next steps for renovation of 1600-1602 and 1619 Broadway Avenue by Atlas Development. Learn more about their plans here.
- Councilwoman Rudiak proudly kicked off Beechview's Hell on Hills 5K with a Proclamation of Council. Over 200 runners braved Beechview's hills, bringing lots of positive attention and acclaim to the neighborhood. We can't wait for next year!
- Bethani in our office joined her neighbors at the Overbrook Community Garden clean-up day at the Accamando Center (the old firehouse) on Route 51 at Maytide. The garden is now freshly mulched, seeded, and ready for the winter.
- Our staff also attended Bites & Brews at the Dairy District Market. Neighbors came together for some delicious food and drink, and danced the night away to a live band! The outdoor event season is winding down, but keep an eye out on the Dairy District Facebook page for future fun.
- We attended the Fall Citywide Public Safety Meeting on the South Side, where we learned about block watch ideas, heat cameras used by the Firefighters, body cameras worn by our Police Officers, and chip readers our Animal Care & Control staff use to identify lost pets. We'll keep you updated about the next Citywide meeting when it's scheduled.
- Our staff toured the Steamfitters training facility on Woodruff Street. You can check out all their training opportunities here.
- Councilwoman Rudiak spoke to kids at Brookline Elementary for the Week of Non-Violence. The students participated in a poster contest around that theme.
- We volunteered at the Brookline Clean-Up Day with a bus load of Pitt Students, South Pittsburgh Development Corporation, and Brookline Teen Outreach.
- Councilwoman Rudiak attended the Lifespan Immigrant and Refugee Wellness Festival, where guests participated in healthy cooking demonstrations, workforce readiness activities, blood pressure screenings,and more. The Festival was organized and hosted by LifeSpan, Norther Area Multi Services, and the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh, with assistance from the Jefferson Regional Foundation.
- Councilwoman Rudiak was interviewed by a high school student about her school project, which focused on her home neighborhood, Brookline.
- Councilwoman Rudiak read "The Bear Ate Your Sandwich" to kids at Our Lady of Loreto in Brookline as part of their bear-themed day.
- Councilwoman Rudiak and Ashleigh attended the Carrick Halloween Costume Contest at Phillips Park and the Brookline Halloween Parade on Brookline Blvd. The Councilwoman was a Ghostbuster and Ashleigh was Wonder Woman! We had such a fun time handing out candy. Happy Halloween!
- We also attended the Carrick-Overbrook Block Watch, the Brookline Block Watch, the South Pittsburgh Development Corporation, the Overbrook Community Council, the Beechview Areas Concerned Citizens, and so much more!
2017 Budget: Projects on Deck for Next Year!
The word "budget" doesn't sound very fun, but when it comes to policymaking and getting things done, Budget Season is a fun time of year. Every summer, the Mayor's staff works hard on draft budgets for Capital and Operating expenditures. Capital funds are used for "brick and mortar" projects, like paving, repairs to parks, new roofs for fire houses, and more. Operating funds are used for salaries and benefits for City employees, software, equipment, etc. This year, the Mayor's draft budget prioritizes fixing what we have over building new things. Here are a few highlights!
Citywide
- $15.1 million for street resurfacing, which will get us 60 miles of freshly paved streets across the City. Any paving done by utilities will be in addition to this mileage.
- $12.4 million for improvements to public safety facilities, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, recreation centers, and senior centers
- $7.4 million for neighborhood and community development projects
District 4
- Sidewalk repairs at Brookline Memorial Park
- A new roof and renovations at the Brookline and Beechview Fire Stations
- Over $300,000 of improvements to Moore Park, including new concrete stairs to the recreation center, sidewalk repairs, reseeding the soccer field, new fencing around the baseball field, and newly resurfaced basketball courts.
- A new play structure and soft safety surface at the Leolyn parklet in Carrick
- Sidewalk and court repairs at McKinley Park
- Sidewalk repairs, court repairs, and new HVAC at the Phillips Park Recreation Center in Carrick
- Ballfield renovations at Volunteer's Field in Carrick
- Design services for Broadway Avenue renovations and funds to finish out the Beechview Senior & Community Center reconstruction
As the Chair of the Finance and Law Committee, Councilwoman Rudiak will lead Council's review of the budget, discussion, and any needed amendments. The final budget will be passed by Council before the end of the year.
Be a Nebby Neighbor (in a good way) with Two New Tools
The City of Pittsburgh has launched two new tools—Building Eye and Burgh's Eye View—to help you get a broad view of things like Building Permits, Code Violations, 3-1-1 calls, arrests, and more in your neighborhood.
Building Eye
Building eye is a mapping tool that allows you to view all open and recently completed code violations, building permits, license applications, and zoning requests and changes. You can zoom into your neighborhood and click on cases to view more details. You can also set up alerts for areas you care about. So, for example, if you want to see every new building permit application in Brookline, you can set up an automatic alert! Easy. Check out Building Eye here:
https://pittsburghpa.buildingeye.com
Burgh's Eye View
Burgh's Eye View is another mapping tool that allows you to see 3-1-1 requests, police calls, arrests, citations, building permits, code violations and more. You can filter the information by Neighborhood, Council District, Police Zone, or Public Works Division, as well as the types of permits, violations, or requests. You can also view the raw data in table format, if you want. Here's more information on all the ways to use Burgh's Eye View:
http://analytics.pittsburghpa.gov/BurghsEyeView/. It's a great primer to read before getting started.
FREE PARKING for your Holiday Shopping
Good news! The Parking Authority board of directors recently authorized free parking days leading up to the December holidays to encourage people to shop in the City.
Parking is FREE in Authority-owned garages on the following dates:
- Friday, November 25th (Black Friday)
- Saturday, November 26th
- Saturday, December 3rd
- Saturday, December 10th
- Saturday December 17th
- Saturday, December 24th
Here are the eligible garages:
- Third Avenue, Downtown
- Ninth & Penn, Downtown
- Smithfield & Liberty, Downtown
- Oliver, Downtown
- Ft. Duquesne & Sixth, Downtown
- Wood Street and Blvd of the Allies, Downtown
- Mellon Square, Downtown
- Grant Street Transportation Center, Downtown
- First Avenue Garage & T Station, Downtown
- Forbes and Semple, Oakland
- Shadyside Garage, Shadyside
There will also be FREE PARKING at all authority-owned neighborhood lots and on-street meters for Small Business Saturday, which is Saturday, November 26th.
A Thanksgiving Tradition: Get Stuffed with Love
Each year, the Pittsburgh Police team up with Rotary Clubs, churches, and community volunteers to cook and deliver Thanksgiving meals to those in need. This year, they expect to feed approximately 3,500 residents in the City of Pittsburgh.
If you're in need of a meal, contact your Community Resource Officer in your Police Zone:
Zone 3 (Carrick, Overbrook, Bon Air): Officer Christine Luffey,
412-488-8425 Zone 6 (Beechview, Brookline): Officers Ken Stevwing or Tiffany Kline-Costa,
412-937-3051
If you'd like to volunteer or donate, please contact Heather Dieckmann at
412-310-1308 Community Discussion about Discrimination
The Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations will be holding a Deliberative Forum at 6 PM on Monday, November 7th. The Commission on Human Relations investigates complaints of alleged discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations within the City of Pittsburgh. They are tasked with investigating civil rights violations and any conditions having a n adverse effect on relations in the City. The Commission also conducts community education programs in schools, community groups, businesses, professional organizations, and City departments to promote equal rights and opportunities for all who work in, live in, or visit our city!
Share your opinions and experiences with discrimination in your community, and learn what can be done about it.
Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations Community Meeting
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 6:00 PM
CCAC Homewood-Brushton Center
701 North Homewood Avenue
Plant Trees Along Saw Mill Run!
This Saturday, November 5th at 9:00 AM, the Saw Mill Run Watershed Association and Tree Pittsburgh will be planting new trees in the Seldom Seen Greenway and at Ansonia Place along Rt. 51. The goal is to stabilize the banks of Saw Mill Run, and over time, absorb more stormwater to reduce flooding.
Volunteers will be provided gloves, safety vests, and tools. The event will be rain or shine, so dress for the weather. Waders may be helpful for some locations! Sign up online,
here.
Pittsburgh Public Schools' Community Meeting at Concord
Since his appointment as the new Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Dr. Anthony Hamlet held community meetings across the City to collect community feedback about the issues and challenges facing the district. He and the school district will now embark upon a strategic planning process to map a path forward. As part of this work, Dr. Hamlet will be holding another community feedback meeting at Concord Elementary school on November 17th. All are welcome to attend, whether you have kids in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, or you're a concerned citizen.
Community Feedback Meeting
Thursday, November 17th
Concord Elementary School gym (2350 Brownsville Road)
You can read more about the Pittsburgh Public Schools strategic planning process
here.
Community Calendar
Beechview Area Concerned Citizens
Thursday, 11/3 at 7:00 PM at Beechview United Presbyterian Church
Carrick-Overbrook Block Watch
Monday, 11/7 at 7:00 PM at Concord Elementary School
ELECTION DAY! Don't forget to vote!
Tuesday, 11/8 7 AM to 8 PM
Find your polling place
here
Veteran's Day-- City Offices Closed
Friday, 11/11
Carrick Community Council
Monday, 11/14 at 7:00 PM at Concord Elementary School
Beechview Penn State Landscape Architecture Studio Open House
Thursday, 11/17 at 5:30 PM at the Beechview branch of the Carnegie Library
Beechview Community Garden Meeting
Saturday, 11/19 at 2:00 PM at the Beechview branch of the Carnegie Library
South Pittsburgh Development Corporation
Monday, 11/21 at 7:00 PM at the Brookline Blvd United Presbyterian Church
Overbrook Community Council
Tuesday, 11/22 at 7:00 PM at the Fairhaven United Methodist Church
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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