Category Archive: News Wire Services
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Condos planned for old East Liberty YMCA
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
By Mark Belko,
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteA subsidiary of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will provide $885,000 to an East Liberty agency to help convert the YMCA building and two houses into condominiums.
The loan from the Landmarks Community Capital Corp. will be part of a $1.1 million investment into the two projects, which are being advanced by East Liberty Development Inc. The city Urban Redevelopment Authority also has committed $250,000 to the work.
ELDI is working with MEIZ Development Co. LLC of Denver to convert the YMCA building into market-rate condos with retail on the first floor. Part of the Landmarks Community loan will be used to acquire the the YMCA Building. The $250,000 from the URA also will be used for that project.
The rest of the money will be used to rehabilitate two Queen Anne style houses dating to 1892 and located on Rippey Street into eight market rate condos. The houses are considered to be historically significant but are dilapidated.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle and representatives from the various agencies will hold an event in East Liberty tomorrow to discuss the projects.
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What would King do?
January 22, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteLandmarks Community Capital Corporation Chief Executive Officer Dr. Howard Slaughter, Jr. offers his thoughts about what Dr. Martin Luther King would do if he were alive today.
Click this link to see other videos from prominent Pittsburgers, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette…
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Streetscape project receives a boost
Thursday, January 17, 2008
By Carole Gilbert Brown
Pittsburgh Post GazetteU.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, is not giving up on his intent to revitalize sections of Carnegie, Heidelberg and Scott.
Though his bill to supply more than $2 million in federal transportation funds for a tri-community streetscape improvement project twice passed the House of Representatives but remains stalled in the Senate, Mr. Murphy earlier this month added two new sources of potential help and inspiration into the mix.
At a meeting in Carnegie attended by representatives from all three municipalities, Mr. Murphy brought along Arthur Ziegler Jr., president of the nonprofit Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and Dr. Howard B. Slaughter Jr., chief executive officer of Landmarks Community Capital Corp. of Pittsburgh, an arm of PHLF that provides funding for housing and economic development in Western Pennsylvania.
“The remarkable things about these towns is how they’ve come back after the [2004] flood,” Mr. Murphy said.
Dr. Slaughter was impressed by something else.
“I think it’s great that all of you have come together because many communities don’t do that,” he said, proceeding then to ask the representatives what their primary goals are.
Carnegie Council member Dorothy Kelly replied “business development.” Her colleague, Bob Kollar, expanded that theme, noting that the three communities are “perfectly located” between the airport and Downtown, with interstates on both sides and even a public busway.
“To me, it’s the central area of Western Pennsylvania. It should be booming,” he said.
Heidelberg Mayor Ken LaSota would like to see the areas become more “walkable,” which he believes would improve residents’ quality of life.
He pointed out that Heidelberg’s section of Route 50 once was a main street, but now it’s a four-lane highway similar to Carnegie’s Mansfield Boulevard/West Main Street.
Leigh White, executive director of the Carnegie Community Development Corp., said business development isn’t the only issue; work force development is critical, too.
Dr. Slaughter and Mr. Ziegler encouraged the local officials to look at the bigger picture and figure out what assets they want to showcase and build on. For example, a boat launch that spotlights Chartiers Creek could be built in Carnegie.
“We have resources all over that can help, but first we have to figure out the game plan,” Mr. Ziegler said.
Mayor LaSota suggested that streetscape improvements can be contagious, “If this goes, I have visions of it going all down Route 50 to South Fayette and Bridgeville,” he said.
The proposed $2 million streetscape program that is awaiting funding would affect Route 50 in Heidelberg from Third to First streets and Carothers Avenue in Glendale section of Scott, which extends to Third and West Main streets in Carnegie. The beautification project would include in part new lighting, benches, planters and trash receptacles.
Mr. Murphy extolled the architectural and historical heritage of the three towns.
“This isn’t a diamond-in-the-rough. It’s a diamond that’s just waiting for someone to polish it up,” he said.
Carole Gilbert Brown is a freelance writer.
First published on January 17, 2008 at 6:28 am -
Signs of past life
By Adam Brandolph
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 15, 2008Look up.
Faded advertisements flake off the sides of exposed brick buildings throughout the city. Remnants of a bygone era, these markers tell the story of our city’s rich history.
From companies like Otto Milk, formerly in the Strip District, to the German National Bank on Liberty Avenue, Downtown, and leisure activities like Penn Bowling Lanes, these reminders preserve a piece of how Pittsburghers used to live.
The ads often are pointed out to people on the public walking tours offered by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, executive director Louise Sturgess said. “These snapshots of history are wonderful,” Sturgess said.
But why do these signs remain after so many years? Even the Cathedral of Learning was cleaned last year.
“These signs remain because some building owners have no reason to remove them and are content to let them age along with the building,” Sturgess said. “The signs bring a layer of Pittsburgh history to life, and once you notice them, they are great conversation pieces, especially when you are with a Pittsburgher who remembers the business or product featured in the sign.”
While some signs are beaten and battered, the ones that grace the sides of Joe Mama’s, Uncle Sam’s and Fuel & Fuddle restaurants on Oakland Avenue in Oakland are comparatively new and shiny.
The sides of the stores feature three vintage-looking wall advertisements for Coca-Cola, despite none of them being more than 15 years-old, according to Michael Hanley, co-owner of all three stores.
Hanley said the themes of the restaurants are kind of old-school, so the handpainted ads make sense. “Coke adds to the timelessness,” he said, “and an older aesthetic helps convey our message.”
Adam Brandolph can be reached at abrandolph@tribweb.com or 412-320-7936
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A future built on Tarentum’s past
By Tom Yerace,
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Thursday, January 10, 2008Holding on to some of the borough’s past to help it move into the future will be the subject of a public workshop on Jan. 16.The Key Issue Workshop concerning architecture and design in the business district, including the preservation of historic buildings, will be discussed.
It is the first of three workshops held in conjunction with the Allegheny Together program established by Allegheny County.
“This is for the Allegheny Together program, which is basically focused on revitalizing the downtown business district, but they want the whole community’s input on what it would like to see,” said Tarentum Manager Bill Rossey. “They just want some feedback here.”
The program — in which Tarentum is one of only four pilot communities — complements a broader revitalization effort that the borough has started.
Rossey said this workshop should be of particular interest to residents who believe in preserving the borough’s history through its buildings.
“We’ve lost too many valuable buildings already that can’t be replaced, and I wouldn’t want to lose any more,” Rossey said.
The workshop will be conducted by Town Center Associates, a consulting firm working through a contract with the county, and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
“This program is focused purely on central business district revitalization,” said Mark Peluso, Town Center’s executive director. “Any planning activities that are going on related to the downtown come into play.”
Peluso said this workshop and two more that will follow, are designed to encourage input about how the community feels on key issues related to the downtown business district. He said the program is basically meant to provide a long-term commitment and a long-term strategy in reviving such districts.
“This is a very difficult issue for our communities that have experienced an economic downturn in downtown business districts,” Peluso said. “It’s really a pretty exciting opportunity for Tarentum to be connected to this.
“It’s a really rare opportunity. Most towns have to wrestle around for years to get the kind of support needed to get this kind of effort under way.”
Part of that support is input from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
“We are putting a lot of time and effort into Tarentum, and the reason is simple: we think there is a solid foundation already in place,” said Ethan Raup, a foundation representative. “The historic fabric is strong.”
“The connection to the river and the riverfront park is strong. These are things that a lot of towns would love to have.”
He said Tarentum seems to have people in the business community and local government who are committed to making an investment in the revitalization effort.
Raup estimates that Tarentum has 20 to 25 buildings in the business district that display historic architecture that should be preserved. He said it is an important aspect in keeping the downtown districts economically viable now and into the future.
“The way these older downtowns compete is to offer quality services, small mom-and-pop stores that care about details and offer an overall experience such that you want to be there,” he said. “The quality of the architecture is as important as anything to that whole overall experience.”
“I think that differentiates from going to Pittsburgh Mills for example,” Raup added. “The architecture is part of the experience. The people living in the upper floors bring a vitality to the town that you won’t find in business parks.”
Rossey said he hopes that residents demonstrate their commitment to the county, by turning out in force to participate in the workshop.
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East Enders, city officials to talk about doomed trees
By Tim Puko
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 8, 2008The city is offering an olive branch to dozens of East End residents running a grassroots effort to preserve thousands of neighborhood trees.
Public works officials and the executive director of a Pittsburgh environmental group will attend a community meeting Thursday in Squirrel Hill to discuss a plan to trim the city’s tree population. A contractor took a tree inventory in 2005 and the city followed its recommendations by removing about 1,000 dead and defective trees last year, said Public Works Director Guy Costa.
Several Squirrel Hill residents have tried since November to press the city for more information and delay more removals. The city plans to remove 3,075 street-side trees, more than 500 of them in Squirrel Hill and other 14th Ward neighborhoods, this year.
“We’re concerned for the city, not just for our block,” said Francesca Savoia, a University of Pittsburgh professor and Monitor Street resident. “We think this massive elimination of trees may have a devastating impact on the quality of the air, especially if there is no clear plan, no money to replace them.”
Savoia and about two dozen neighbors started meeting and contacting city officials and local community groups after the city sent out postcards alerting them to upcoming tree removals. In addition to air quality, they’re concerned about a potential drop in property values, insufficient money to replace the trees and a lack of honesty from officials, Savoia said.
The 14th Ward has the most trees in the city — 5,993, according to a database created by Davey Resource Group, the Ohio contractor that did the 2005 study.
Savoia is hopeful the meeting at The Children’s Institute in Squirrel Hill will attract 70 people. Costa said he and Deputy Director Mike Gable will be there.
“I’m not against cutting down all the trees that are dead, that definitely represent a risk … but I would like to understand if all of these trees need to be felled,” Savoia said.
They do, according to the city, the environmental group Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest, and Davey Resource Group. The trees to be removed are dead, small, poorly formed, have damage that costs too much to fix or come from an “undesirable or inferior species” such as the tree-of-heaven or white mulberry, as determined by Davey.
The city has allocated $2.3 million for their removal. Some of the trees are among the city’s oldest and have branches vulnerable to breaking during storms, said Danielle Crumrine, executive director of Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest.
“There’s a risk that they will fall down and injure somebody,” Costa said. “Now we know they’re a liability for the city, so we need to be proactive and have them removed.”
City Councilman Doug Shields, who represents much of the 14th Ward, said residents likely don’t recall a meeting three years ago about the plan. He wants to get the word out again, and in a better way.
“All of a sudden, the tree-cutting crew shows up on the street and people get upset,” he said. “I think we’ve got to do a much better job telling the story of what it is we’re actually doing and remind people we had this study done, remind people there are issues of public safety involved in this as well.”
Crumrine’s group is helping with tree pruning, and is one of several groups helping to raise about $1.25 million for planting through 2011, Costa said. The city wants to plant 4,200 trees, which would more than replenish the population.
Tim Puko can be reached at tpuko@tribweb.com or 412-320-7975.
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Historic-church projects task foundation
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 29, 2007A growing number of historic churches in Allegheny County rotted by leaky roofs or even ransacked by thieves are seeking cash from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to jump-start expensive renovation efforts.
Since 1997, the foundation has given more than $600,000 to 94 congregations to fix cracked stained-glass windows and to replace crumbling brick. Thirty-five churches — the most ever in a single year — requested $290,000 worth of repairs for 2008.
Members of many aging congregations will be forced to look for help elsewhere next year — only about $87,000 will be available when the foundation’s Historic Religious Properties Committee decides how to distribute the money in mid-January, said Carole Malakoff, the program’s coordinator.
“This church is something worth preserving. It’s a yellow-brick building with a red door, and it had beautiful stained-glass windows, light fixtures and cherry wood inside,” said the Rev. Rosemary Seals, co-pastor of Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ on Lillie Avenue in Braddock.
In July, thieves stole 14 brass light fixtures, valued at $1,000 apiece, and three stained-glass windows from the 500-person sanctuary of the century-old church.
Water comes in through a shoddy roof, spurring mold growth.The condition has kept the 40 to 50 regular members from attending services there since July, said Seals, 74, of the Hill District.
Seals said she hopes the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will give $10,000, the largest award available, to help her with repairs, which are expected to cost up to $51,000.
The Rev. John Paul Chaney, 54, of Bloomfield, has asked for the same amount of money to begin a much larger $1 million to $1.5 million restoration of the roof, windows and mold-encrusted walls of the former Fourth United Presbyterian Church in Bloomfield.
“It’s perfectly located,” Chaney said of the 112-year-old Richardsonian Romanesque stone church at the corner of South Pacific and Friendship avenues.
The church is convenient to Bloomfield, Friendship and Shadyside residents.
“The stone itself is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know what it would cost for somebody to build a church like this today,” Chaney said.
The church hasn’t been used in almost two years, when the roof began to leak and no money was available to fix it, he said.
It was renamed Pacific Sanctuary Church in September, when Chaney’s nonprofit Earthen Vessels Outreach Program, an Episcopal Church affiliate, bought it.
Chaney said he hopes to make the church into a sanctuary for regular services and a meeting place, akin to The Union Project in Highland Park.
“Our prime goal now is to raise a lot of money so we can give to a lot of churches,” said Malakoff, adding that Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation requires churches to be at least 50 years old, located in Allegheny County and can match the grant awards.
“It’s not only that many churches need stained-glass windows, it’s the fact that the church in many communities is the center of activity, not only for religious purposes but also social services,” said Malakoff, the program’s director. “That needs to be preserved.”
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.
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Preservationist seeks delay in sale of land for library
Thursday, December 27, 2007
By Rich Lord,
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteA historic preservationist yesterday asked Pittsburgh City Council to withhold approval of a land sale that would allow the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to move its Allegheny Regional branch, warning that he and others may sue.
David Tessitor argued in a letter to Council President Doug Shields that because the old library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, federal and state law demand that a study be done before it is altered.
He said he and others will “pursue legal remedies” should council approve the sale of a Central North Side plot to the library system without analysis of alternatives. The sale is on the agenda for council’s meeting today, and if not aproved would need to be reintroduced next year.
The Allegheny Regional branch in Allegheny Center was damaged by lightning in April 2006, and has been closed ever since. The library system wants to move it to the corner of Federal and Parkhurst streets, near the Federal North development.
“The longer the process goes on, the longer there isn’t library service,” said Suzanne Thinnes, communications manager for the library system. There is paperwork to be done even after the city approves the sale of the plot, now owned by its Urban Redevelopment Authority. “Barring any complications, or any unforeseen circumstances, the groundbreaking will occur in April.”
The old library, though repaired since the lightning strike, is inconvenient and inefficient, the library system has argued. It is now being used to house rare books and artifacts, and Ms. Thinnes said no decision has been made regarding its future. It is owned by the city.
“I guess we would all like to see the library stay in the library,” said Arthur Ziegler, president of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. At the same time, he added, “We have to be sympathetic to the library’s economic situation. … I wish we had time to get to a global solution.”
Mr. Tessitor, of Allegheny West, and other activists engineered a Dec. 18 public hearing on the library’s fate. “That’s important to the federal courts, that you’ve done everything you can” before suing, he said.
Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542.