Thank You from Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak

[City of Pittsburgh]

Published: 12.29.2017 Contact: Ashligh Deemer Chief of Staff - Office of Councilwoman Rudiak District 4 412-255-2131 ashleig...@pittsburghpa.gov>
Thank You from Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak Dear Neighbor,  I want to thank you for subscribing to my Council District 4 e-mail list and following our work. Since my first election in 2009, I have had the incredible honor of working with you and my Council colleagues on a variety of issues important to Pittsburgh’s security, resilience, health, and quality of life. Together, we have left Pittsburgh better than we found it. As a new Councilperson, I was faced with the dire reality of the City’s finances, and I was able to work with my Council colleagues to resist the sale of the City’s parking assets, and find a new way forward to fund our pensions and fulfill our solemn obligation to current and former City employees. Serving as Council’s Finance Chair for the last four years, I have passed bills requiring us to abide by nationally-recognized best practices, to ensure that the City remains fiscally responsible and solvent regardless of who is at the helm.  BEECHVIEW It’s been my absolute pleasure to work with passionate community advocates in Beechview for the last 8 years. Together, we have accomplished and built so much momentum for our Broadway Avenue business district. We have literally built new spaces to provide multi-generational programming and resources for residents, and we have fostered a renewed commitment to positive and inclusive neighborhood pride. Here are just as few of the things I’m most proud of:  We built a new $3.5 Million multi-generational community space and senior center on Broadway Avenue. The fully renovated and restored 100+ year old building is now a beautiful anchor in Beechview’s central business district, and will start to host teen programming in 2018.  “This has been a project that has been in the works for a long time,” Rudiak said. “It will be the first multimillion dollar investment in Beechview for as long as I can remember.”­ Tribune Review: City revives plans for $3M senior center in Beechview We worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and interested developers to lay the groundwork and fund the renovation and repurposing of vacant and dilapidated properties on Broadway Avenue, leading to new businesses and a new grocery store. I stood strong with the Friends of the Beechview Library, fought to keep the Beechview branch open, and was a City Council appointee on the Carnegie Library Board of Trustees. With your support, the City voted in favor of a referendum to fund libraries, leading to a $3M renovation of the Beechview branch. I provided and facilitated funding for a Beechview Business District Manager to help existing businesses, work with property owners, recruit new businesses, and organize the community around Beechview’s growth.  My staff worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to write a grant application that resulted in $600,000 in state funding for Broadway Avenue improvements such enhanced pedestrian safety and T-stop access, and I lobbied for almost $1m in City funding - efforts are currently in the planning phase.  BROOKLINE Over my time in office, it has been my privilege to work with organizations in Brookline including the Block Watch, South Pittsburgh Development Corporation, Casa San Jose, and Brookline Teen Outreach. We have led the community through major construction, we have collaborated on clean-ups and events, and we have watched and helped new organizations grow to meet the needs of all residents. I will miss having a table each year at the Brookline Breezefest, and supporting events like Taste of Brookline! Here are just a few of the things I’m most proud of accomplishing in Brookline:  I broke through the red tape, and pushed the Department of Public Works to complete the $5.3m Brookline Boulevard reconstruction. My staff worked with the engineers to get public feedback on the street design, and then worked with the contractors and neighborhood organizations to keep residents updated on the progress.  My staff and I budgeted for major improvements to Brookline parks and recreation centers, and worked with parents to target improvements to ballfields. I sponsored legislation to budget $250,000 for the renovation of the Brookline Recreation Center, which was completed in 2011. I dedicated a baseball field to our fallen hero, Officer Stephen Mayhle. And just last year, I budgeted nearly $300,000 for improvements to Moore Park, including sidewalk and stair repairs, ballfield renovations, and resurfacing the basketball court. For next year, I lobbied to get almost $250k in repairs to Brookline Memorial Park including new lighting, fence repairs, and ADA accessible bleachers. Over the years, I have also had the joy of making sure federal funds to go to our most vulnerable residents at the Brookline Christian Food Pantry, Brookline Meals on Wheels, and the Elizabeth Seton Center.  CARRICK I grew up and still live in Carrick today, so serving this neighborhood has meant a lot to me. This is also where I got my start in community work, serving on the board of the Carrick Community Council, and the 29th Ward of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Each neighborhood in South Pittsburgh is unique, and I have found that Carrick has many assets and many challenges. Here are a few of the things I’ve done to improve those assets and address the challenges in my 8 years in office:    Brownsville Road is 3 miles long from Mt. Oliver to Brentwood, so I have worked with Economic Development South and local leaders to better define its business districts and attract investments. We worked with Mayor Ravenstahl, the Design Center, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority to re-imagine Brownsville Road around East Meyers, capitalizing on the Colteryahn Dairy (now Turner) that has been there for 100 years. My office supported the applications for private funding from the Hillman Foundation and others to transform a vacant lot into a beautiful open air market space for the farmer’s market and other neighborhood events. More businesses are planning to move into the Dairy District in 2018.  I also attracted a developer and supported tax credit funding to transform the abandoned and blighted former Giant Eagle site into the Hillcrest Senior Residences-- a $15 M new development that meets the highest Passivhaus environmental standards and provides much-needed high quality housing for senior citizens. This is the largest ever investment on Brownsville Road in Carrick. As a Carnegie Library Trustee, I worked with Carrick residents to find a site for a brand new Carrick Library and I held public meetings to incorporate public feedback into the new building’s design. The new library is currently under construction, and it will also be Passivhaus certified, providing a clean, healthy, and environmentally friendly environment for people of all ages. It will be the greenest library in North America, right in our backyard. I have also focused on Carrick’s amenities, like Phillips Park. Over the years I have budgeted for and pushed projects to redesign a more welcoming and functional entryway at the Phillips Park Recreation Center, install new signage, improve and name trails at the park, and do important maintenance, like fixing sidewalks and replacing the recreation center HVAC system, all totalling over $1m, with more improvements coming in 2018. I started the Friends of Phillips Park group to guide, focus, and steward park amenities for years to come. I worked with the Department of Public Works and the Office of Public Art to improve pedestrian crossings at Brownsville Road and Parkfield-- an important intersection for people walking to the shopping center, Carrick High School, or Phillips Park. The City of Pittsburgh’s first permanent artist-designed crosswalk will be installed here, and the design reflects Carrick’s history.  My office worked with the Pittsburgh Police, the Carrick-Overbrook Block Watch, and the Mayor’s Office on a “Carrick Blitz” to target disruptive and negligent property owners, taking them to court and holding them accountable.  I have worked with the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh to help our newest neighbors get involved with civic activities and connect with services they need to put down roots and become Pittsburgh’s newest immigrant success story.  OVERBROOK In the last 8 years, I have worked with the Overbrook Community Council and Economic Development South to bring investment and a real community feel back to Overbrook. Alongside community advocates, I have fought for funding and planning resources that will help define the character of Overbrook, and maximize the neighborhood’s beneficial proximity to major travel arteries and the Port Authority T.  I pushed through the red tape to ensure that the interchange at Routes 51 and 88 was finally reconfigured, and facilitated an open line of communication between PennDOT and residents during a multi-year construction. My office found pro-bono legal help for residents and blocked the reopening of the “Butta Bing” strip club on Rt. 51, and got funds to demolish the condemned structure.  I amended the City capital budget to get over $40,000 to renovate the old Overbrook Fire House, which has been renamed the Accamando Center in honor of the late Overbrook advocate, Fran Accamando. The building now houses the Overbrook Community Council, the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society, and Pittsburgh Boxing. We helped get Fairhaven Church and the Accamando Center designated historic buildings, ensuring their viability for years to come.  I have worked with Economic Development South, the Saw Mill Run Watershed Association, Penn State Center, the Overbrook Community Council, and others to plan green infrastructure for Saw Mill Run Blvd that will absorb stormwater and help mitigate flooding. I have budgeted funds to make the bus and T- stops along Route 51 more accessible to residents, and communicated to the new Director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure the importance of transit accessibility for our convenience and increased home values.  Along with the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections, and Economic Development South, I have initiated a code sweep of Route 51 to make sure all property owners are in compliance with zoning code, occupancy permits, and encroachment laws. This code sweep is continuing into 2018 and will ensure a safer and more aesthetically pleasing Saw Mill Run Boulevard.  BON AIR Bon Air is a special, close-knit neighborhood, where I have enjoyed working with residents to maintain its charm, essential infrastructure, and fight blight.  Over time, I have organized a clean-up of Bon Air Parklet, replacing damaged play equipment, and ensuring that fixtures are replaced and painted as necessary.  I have collaborated with the Bon Air Civic Association and the Zone 3 Police to target enforcement and prevent vandalism in Bon Air Parklet.  I have helped residents access building inspectors and public works to enforce property maintenance code and clean up blighted properties. We worked hard to bridge the gap between the Bon Air and Beltzhoover communities through bringing investment to McKinley Park; our office was instrumental in gaining grant funding for the city’s first porous pavement parking lot in the park, and for crews from the Student Conservation Association to help clear trails in the park. We worked with community groups for a successful grant application for almost $500k in additional improvements to McKinley Park that are currently being implemented.   CITY-WIDE Along with the Women’s Caucus on Council, I have ushered in an unprecedented investment of Early Childhood Initiatives in this City. Why? Because we know that hundreds of children are placed on waiting lists each year in Pittsburgh, simply because their families cannot afford high-quality early childhood programs. We know that at-risk children who don’t receive a high-quality early-childhood education are 25 percent more likely to drop out of school, 50 percent more likely to be placed in special education, 60 percent more likely to never attend college and 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime. For every $1 we invest in Pre-K, we can see as much as $17 in savings and economic benefits. The City has hired our first Early Childhood manager, put together a task force to find a path to implementa tion of universal, accessible, affordable early childhood education, and funded the increase of quality of programs through the city. This will benefit society for generations to come. I have formed the South Pittsburgh Opioid Action Coalition- also known as SPOAC - a group of citizens, educators, law enforcement officials, faith-based and business leaders to come together to end overdose in our southern neighborhoods. To date, we have held a community resource event where active addicts and their families came for help, and we have applied for a state grant to form teams to connect with individuals who overdose in the days after the event to connect them with a range of services; including treatment, needle exchange, primary care, and other needed social services. We are doing everything to create a culture of compassion in our communities. But make no mistake: overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50 and this opioid epidemic is taking a toll on our fatigued first responders.  It affects every sector of city living, from crime to quality of life. We as a city and a council need to do more to leverage county, state, and f ederal resources to ease the burden on the families and first responders. Together we’ve blazed a trail and raised the bar for workplace standards and talent retention - I’ve sponsored and passed the City’s first paid family leave laws, and sponsored and passed the city’s first domestic violence policy to educate city employees on how to address concerns about domestic violence with their coworkers, and to provide counseling resources for employees who are themselves victims of domestic violence. I have called out UPMC’s non-profit tax exempt status and put forth information to educate the public about the low wages UPMC pays their workers while they themselves don’t pay taxes, and how these practices impact the local economy and the city’s ability to provide essential public services. I have continued to press for appropriate assessments and the need to get stronger payment-in-lieu of tax agreements from our mega-non-profits.  In 2010, I led the City Council Task Force on Emergency Operations and Snow Preparedness, issuing a laundry list of recommendations to help improve the City’s response to major snowstorms, most of which, such as emergency routes and GPS tracking of snowplows, have since been implemented.  I promoted bringing the public closer to important government financial decisions by sponsoring and passing the Neighborhoods First Capital Budget Reform Act, which requires the administration to establish a six-year capital plan and seek citizen input on capital budget expenditures. It also requires the City to include details about line items within the capital budget - details like where the money will be spent and the timeline for the project - important information that shine a light on the distribution of funds throughout city neighborhoods. In 2012 I sponsored a billboard tax which has been expected to raise $2-4 million annually. Lamar, the City’s biggest billboard advertising company, sued the City and this issue is finally going to court in March.  In 2014 I sponsored and passed open data legislation to make the city’s information more open and accessible to the public. The legislation proactively releases city data via an online portal. This has resulted in handy websites like Burgh’s Eye View and the Western Pennyslvania Regional Data Center - http://www.wprdc.org which help researchers, software developers, and average citizens find out about everything from crime to open 311 complaints.  In Pittsburgh 77% of families living in poverty are headed by single mothers. Allegheny County has the highest domestic violence homicide rate in Pennsylvania. The infant mortality rate in the Pittsburgh metro area was 17% percent higher than the national rate. We accept these things as normal, and just facts of life. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Everyone deserves a life free of violence and poverty. The fact of the matter is that women experience life differently than men. I started a city-wide Gender Equity Commission to equalize the playing field in Pittsburgh, and focus on areas of public safety, education, and economic development.  A similar Commission in San Francisco was credited for the elimination of domestic homicides for a record 44 months in a row. We hope to replicate these results here.  As the Chair of the Committee on Finance and Law, I sponsored legislation to codify best practices in public finance, such as having City Council vote on a 5 year plan and requiring a commitment on pension funding that exceeds state requirements. The current 5 year financial plan makes an unprecedented commitment to our City’s pension, meaning that by 2028, it could be more than 80% funded and out of distressed status.This years’ $554 million dollar Operating Budget expenditure plan and $104 Million Dollar capital budget puts the City on a solid footing as we exit the Act 47 distressed status. The 5-year plan as currently stated invests an unprecedented $356 Million in City operating and bond funds and hundreds of millions more in match federal and private sources.  Together we have accomplished so much. It has been a pleasure and a privilege serving you all these past 8 years. Eight years ago, I was elected to represent the residents of City Council District 4 and to bring much needed attention to our South Pittsburgh neighborhoods. So many of you helped me along the way, developing main streets, implementing major public works projects, expanding educational opportunities, leveling the playing field for women and girls, and ultimately, changing the way this city does business. My legacy is our legacy and I look forward to seeing our city’s continued positive transformation.  Warmly,  Natalia Rudiak
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LaptopCupGreenMarker

[Maryann Street]

You are doing a fine

Job.   Hop you will run for a bigger job.  I do not like the currant Mayer’s stance

On

Illegible imgrants

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 29, 2017, at 3:47 PM, City of Pittsburgh <no-...@pittsburghpa.gov> wrote:

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LaptopCupGreenMarker

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