Category Archive: News Wire Services
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Woodland Hills gathers data on school closings
By Karen Zapf
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, October 13, 2006A member of the Woodland Hills School Board said Thursday he understands the rationale for taking a look at closing three schools in the district by 2009.
Still, board member Fred Kuhn said he wants to look at all options before deciding whether to close Shaffer Primary in Churchill, Rankin Intermediate in Rankin and East Junior High School in Turtle Creek.“They’re on the table for discussion,” Kuhn said. “But they may all be taken off the table. It (the study) is in the beginning stages. I want to get more information.”
Kuhn said Shaffer, Rankin and East Junior High have declining enrollment.
District enrollment has dropped 3.2 percent over the last four years and total enrollment is projected to be at 5,100 in 2009, Kuhn said. About a decade ago, the district had about 6,000 students.
The reasons for the declining enrollment, Kuhn said, include lower birth rates, people moving because of tax rates, and other educational options, such as private schools and Propel East in Turtle Creek, a tuition-free, independent public school.The district needs a long-term financial plan in part because the teachers’ contract expires in June. The tax rate in the Woodland Hills School District is 23.9 mills.
Deborah Pike, Shaffer Primary Parent Teacher Organization president, said she wants more information from the district about the proposal.
Pike, of Churchill, said enrollment declined from 365 several years ago to 320 this year. Shaffer houses pupils in kindergarten through third grade. It’s a “decent-sized school,” she said. “It’s not like our halls are empty.”
Pike said it would be challenging to move the students at Shaffer to the other district schools because parking is limited at Edgewood Primary, and Wilkins Primary might not have space for more children.
Karen Zapf can be reached at kzapf@tribweb.com or (412) 380-8522.
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Developer bids on 10 church properties
By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, October 13, 2006The Follieri Group, a Manhattan-based developer, bid on 10 church properties in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, in what could be its biggest sale in decades, diocesan officials announced Thursday.
“We have received sales agreements on 10 church properties,” said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, spokesman for the diocese. “Those parishes are being consulted.”Lengwin declined to divulge the locations of the properties, vacancy status, or the amount of the offer.
“We could be talking about churches,” he said. “We could be talking about convents. We could be talking about schools.”
If the deal goes through, Lengwin said, it would be the largest purchase in the diocese by a single buyer of church property during his 25 years. He said he does not know how many vacant buildings are in the 214 parishes in Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties.
“There is no timetable,” he said. “It’s something we’d like to do as soon as possible.”
Marcy Simon, head of communications for the Follieri Group, said the firm has submitted bids on area properties, although she did not identify which.
“We’ve not closed on any properties, we have not owned any properties yet,” she said last night.
She said the company was built on the teachings and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, and in developing properties, the company’s model is “to always give back to the communities we acquire properties in” and “look to the local resources that are available in the community to work on the development projects.”
Lengwin previously said Follieri was interested in buying St. Nicholas Church on Route 28 in the North Side. He would not say yesterday whether it is among the 10 properties.
Follieri’s earlier interest in St. Nicholas angered the Croatian American Cultural and Economic Alliance, which thought it was close to a $250,000 deal with the diocese for the church, rectory, garages, a parking lot and contents. The alliance planned to spend more than $1 million to convert the church — home to the first Croatian parish in America — into a historical center and shrine.
“I’m certainly disappointed, because we put a lot of work and effort in this,” said Dr. Marion Vujevich, alliance chairman. “We got the short end of the stick.”
Susan Petrick, secretary of the Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation, also is disappointed.
“If the diocese’s true intention is to make it into a shrine, they should not consider offers from people who do not have the same intention,” she said. “I doubt that Follieri has any intention of making it into a shrine.”
PennDOT considered razing the 105-year-old church for a $130 million road-widening project, but spared it when the alliance and other groups secured a historic designation from the city.
Drawings by Astorino architects call for developing a park or Croatian village near the church, plans that would fall through if Follieri buys the church, Vujevich said.
But, said Lengwin, “We are always looking at that situation to see how we can resolve it.”
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7828.
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Arts center kicks off remodeling of building
By Kimberly Kweder
For the Tribune-Review
Thursday, September 21, 2006Inside a vast and empty room, the Rev. Regis Ryan walks along the dusty, old, wooden floors with his eyes scanning the white walls, blue ceiling and railings that line a balcony.
Another room adjacent to the right is nothing but a gutted ceiling, a floor full of broken pieces of material.“This building is beautiful,” said Ryan, director of Focus on Renewal Inc. “Everyone agrees this is fantastic.”
It’s beautiful, he said, because a $3.4 million dollar remodeling project at the bare, three-story furniture store will transform it into art studios, offices, classrooms, a 125-seat theatre and space for a wide variety of social gatherings.
The Sto-Rox Cultural Arts Center at 420 Chartiers Avenue in McKees Rocks will bring the visual, performing and literary arts together for all ages.
A partnership between the Community Outreach Partnership Center at Point Park University and Focus on Renewal developed two years ago to work toward revitalizing McKees Rocks. They are spreading the word to neighbors, foundations and state and local officials to promote the need for an arts center.
A kickoff event Sept. 13 at the center gave residents of the Sto-Rox School District, Community Outreach Partnership Center participants and public officials an opportunity to view the design plans. Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, McKees Rocks Mayor Jack Muhr and representatives from State Sen. Wayne Fontana’s office also supported the cause.
“I think it opens doors and is certainly a cultural value to the whole region. I understand the arts are growing, and I think it’s a good thing for everyone,” said Fontana, D-Brookline, who toured the facility with Ryan months before any work was done on it.
Work started over the summer.
“Everybody’s excited about this … It’s a valuable addition to the town,” Ryan said.
“We hope it brings life and vibrancy to the neighborhood,” said Sister Sarah Crotty, an Aliquippa resident who works with Focus on Renewal as part of her ministry through the Sisters of St. Joseph, based in Baden.
Focus on Renewal Inc. still needs to obtain a large chunk of funding for the project.
The Allegheny County Department of Economic Development approved a $470,659 grant for interior upgrades last May. However, Ryan said, about $3 million more is needed for the entire project.
For the past two years, a handful of Point Park students and adjunct faculty have volunteered with the Community Outreach Partnership Center. They provide afterschool programs for Sto-Rox School Districts students that teach theatre, dance and music from the students. At the end of every session, students registered in the program perform on stage and show off their skills.
About 100 students have registered for the program this semester, said Pat Moran, Community Outreach Partnership Center director.
“It’s been increasing about 10 to 15 percent every semester,” Moran said.
“It has sparked enthusiasm in the community, and adults have been begging for programs for themselves, too. The community is anxious to get the doors open (of the cultural center).”
Ryan said he is optimistic the center will open next fall.
Taris Vrcek, executive director of the McKees Rocks Community Development Corp. and a third-generation resident of the area, said the arts center will act as a catalyst for other projects to start.
“The arts center is a huge start to the revitalization process. It’s symbolic because it involves the people’s heart, mind and soul and creates a place for residents to come together.”
Arlene Lichy, 55, a Sto-Rox resident, said she’s going to use the center when it opens. Lichy has displayed her artwork at a gallery in Lawrenceville and said the center will provide her another venue. Lichy also said her 10-year-old grandson loves art, and she hopes he and other youngsters will be able to take classes at the center.
“This is a poor community, and we’re looking for something positive to look forward to,” Lichy said. “It just takes a lot of persistence, lots of money, though.”
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Carnegie Library lands lot for $1
By Tony LaRussa
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, September 15, 2006The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday agreed to give the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh a vacant lot on the North Side to build a replacement for the library branch that was heavily damaged by a lightning strike in early April.
The development agency’s board voted unanimously to transfer a 16,500-square-foot lot at 1210 Federal St. to the library for $1, despite complaints by half a dozen people who believe the old Allegheny Regional branch at 5 Allegheny Square on the North Side should remain a library once repairs to the building are made.“Some decisions have to go past the business sense and must take into consideration historical importance, heritage and the importance to the community,” said Stephen Pietzak, of the South Side.
A lightning bolt that struck the clock tower of the old building, built in 1890, hurled chunks of granite through sections of the building’s roof, causing an estimated $2 million in damage.
Repairs to the historic building, which is owned by the City of Pittsburgh, will be covered by insurance. The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation has agreed to work with the city to find another use for the building.
Library officials believe the building — the first of the public libraries built by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie — no longer fits the vision of what a contemporary library should be, said Barbara Mistick, executive director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
“In addition to being expensive to operate, it is not very open and inviting, which is especially important for children,” Mistick said. “And it is difficult to add the technology that has become vital to the services we provide.”
The building also is not fully accessible to people with physical disabilities, she said.
Increasingly, Carnegie officials have placed a higher priority on whether a library is conveniently located on public transportation lines and is able to provide the amenities patrons have come to expect, over the historic value of the structure.
Mistick said a time frame and cost of construction for the new library have yet to be determined.
In addition to approving the property transfer, the redevelopment authority board voted to apply to the state for $7.5 million in redevelopment grants on behalf of the Carnegie Library, which is in the midst of a $55 million capital campaign to renovate its branches.
The library has raised about $32.5 million. Six of its 19 branches have either been moved to newer buildings or renovated.
Tony LaRussa can be reached at tlarussa@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7987.
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Bridges for sale — really
By staff and wire reports
Thursday, September 14, 2006Con artists have tried to sell the Brooklyn Bridge for years, but now two bridges in Pennsylvania really are for sale. First, PennDOT wants to sell the West Hickory Bridge on State Route 0127 over the Allegheny River in Hickory, Forest County. The bridge, 695 feet long and 16 feet wide, was built in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Interested? Call 1-814-678-7008. Also, Nyleve Bridge Corp. wants to sell its 467-foot-long temporary structure that once took the Norfolk Southern Railroad across State Route 309, near the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Fort Washington Exit, Montgomery County. The steel bridge is being replaced by a permanent bridge. Call 1-610-965-3083 for details.
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Point Breeze: Council delays vote on Walgreens Proposal
By staff and wire reports
Thursday, September 14, 2006Pittsburgh City Council delayed a preliminary vote Wednesday on a controversial plan to build a Walgreens drug store in Point Breeze.
More than a dozen residents who live near the proposed site at the corner of Penn and South Braddock avenues implored council members to vote against changing a sliver of residentially zoned land to commercially zoned land.
The change would allow Walgreens developers to build a drive-through window lane where three Victorian homes currently stand. Developers have agreements to buy the homes, which would be demolished.
The matter will go before City Council again for a vote Sept. 27.
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Ferlo’s presence looming larger at city hall
Mayor’s business friends thicken their web in his absenceBy Mark Belko,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sunday, August 13, 2006Three years gone from city hall, Jim Ferlo is anything but forgotten.
A former City Council president, Mr. Ferlo has loomed large in the young administration of Mayor Bob O’Connor, and his presence is, perhaps, greater than ever after last month’s purge of three top aides.
Yarone Zober, a former aide to Mr. Ferlo, now a state senator, is serving as deputy mayor while Mr. O’Connor recovers from surgery to drain excess fluid from his brain. Scott Kunka, who was appointed finance director in the shake-up, worked with Mr. Ferlo for years in City Council.
And some believe Mr. Ferlo, who was appointed by the mayor this year to serve on the influential Urban Redevelopment Authority board, could be in line to become its chairman with the firing of B.J. Leber, Mr. O’Connor’s former chief of staff.
Just how much influence Mr. Ferlo, a former adversary turned friend of Mr. O’Connor’s, carries within the administration is a matter of conjecture among City Council members and others.
But there seems to be little doubt that Mr. Ferlo, a one-time rabble-rouser who once was carried out of council chambers by police, has clout, maybe a lot of it.
“I feel he is one of about five people that’s in the inner circle from outside the mayor’s office,” said Councilman William Peduto, who lost to Mr. O’Connor in last year’s mayor’s race.
“I think the sort of fast-track promotion of [Mr. Zober], who essentially came out of nowhere, speaks volumes of the influence of Senator Ferlo,” said Joseph Sabino Mistick, who was an aide to former Mayor Sophie Masloff.
In a bit of political irony, Mr. Ferlo acknowledges that he might have more pull now than he did in any of his 15 years on council, including four as its president, when he was often on the outs with the mayor’s office.
“Do I have the ability to get things implemented more now because of my relationship with the executive branch? Absolutely, yes. And because of the position that Bob gave me, the honor and privilege of serving on [the Urban Redevelopment Authority] board? Yes,” he said.
But in the next breath, Mr. Ferlo said he had no interest in using his influence for personal gain as much as to pursue neighborhood and policy initiatives that long have been dear to him and to help Mr. O’Connor implement his agenda.
“I have no personal agenda. I don’t have friends or relatives looking for a job. I have no business ventures in the city of Pittsburgh. Maybe that’s why it’s so good to work with me, because I don’t have anything,” he said.
Some in and outside city hall saw Mr. Ferlo’s hand in the July 27 firings of Ms. Leber, Finance Director Paul Leger and Solicitor Susan Malie, or, at least, in the administration’s public statements after the purge.
“When the three people were fired, the first voice we heard was not a member of the city administration or City Council, but state Senator Jim Ferlo,” said former county Chief Executive Jim Roddey, who has criticized the dismissals.
But Mr. Ferlo, who helped to lead an attempted coup to remove now state Sen. Jack Wagner as City Council president in 1993, denies having anything to do with the purge.
“That’s just not true,” he said.
He acknowledged taking a lead in defending the firings, saying there seemed to be a brief “communications gap” in getting the administration’s position out to the public, one he sought to fill.
Mr. Ferlo said he pushed Mr. O’Connor’s top aides to make Mr. Zober available Monday, his first full day as deputy mayor, as did many in the media, and that happened before afternoon’s end. He also has direct access to many of the city’s directors.
One doesn’t have to look far to see Mr. Ferlo’s fingerprints on administration or URA initiatives.
At Thursday’s meeting, the URA board awarded a loan of up to $196,000 and a grant of up to $50,000 for a mixed-use retail and housing project on Bryant Street in Highland Park, one favored by Mr. Ferlo.
He had lobbied Mr. O’Connor before he became ill to sell three buildings in the Fifth and Forbes retail corridor, Downtown, to the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation for a restoration project, a sale authorized by the board at the same meeting.
“When people say I have access, it’s access that I’m helping to use or utilize for this group that has unmet needs and wants access to change, to progress,” he said. “Bryant Street has languished away. So can I be a better link? Yes.”
Still, the senator insists he has not “cornered the market” in terms of clout, and whatever amount he has is designed to serve the mayor.
“Whatever influence I do have is based on mutual respect and is something that makes sense in terms of Bob’s background, and goals and objectives,” he said.
“I’m trying to work in sync to fill out, to complement, the mayor’s agenda. … I’ve tried to be a positive influence and work positively with the administration.”
He has not always been a yes-man, voting against two administration-supported URA purchases of buildings in the Fifth and Forbes corridor in March.
The relationship between Mr. Ferlo, a onetime far-left activist who was arrested as a councilman for trying to stop the demolition of Syria Mosque in Oakland, and Mr. O’Connor, the jovial button-down businessman who cut his teeth in the restaurant business, wasn’t always so cozy.
In 1994, Mr. Ferlo outmaneuvered Mr. O’Connor for the council presidency, a job Mr. O’Connor thought he had locked up. Mr. O’Connor even chastised Mr. Ferlo afterward for the way he had handled it.
But out of those seeds of discord grew reconciliation and, ultimately, friendship. Four years later, Mr. Ferlo worked behind the scenes to help throw the council presidency to Mr. O’Connor, who used the post as a steppingstone to his campaigns for mayor, with Mr. Ferlo becoming one of his staunchest supporters.
City Councilman Doug Shields, a former aide to Mr. O’Connor, said he believed the friendship had its genesis in efforts to save the City Pride bakery, a campaign in which Mr. O’Connor assisted Mr. Ferlo in arranging a meeting with key business leaders. The Lawrenceville bakery, started by former Braun Co. employees, closed in February 1994 after two years in business. City leaders tried, but failed, to resuscitate it.
“That was kind of one of those moments where they learned to work together,” he said.
According to Mr. Shields, both bring something to the table, Mr. O’Connor, his ability to work with the business world, and Mr. Ferlo, his knowledge and penchant for getting things done in community development.
“I think they complemented one another in a lot of different ways,” he said.
And if anything cemented the friendship, it was Tom Murphy, who fought both on numerous policy issues.
“We got to be close and became good friends.We got to be personal friends,” Mr. Ferlo said. “I think we reinforced each other on policy issues.”
Mr. Ferlo met Mr. Zober in 1997 at the City-County Building. Mr. Zober, an avid Pirates fan, stood toe-to-toe with Mr. Ferlo when the then-city councilman questioned Mr. Zober’s support of an increase in the sales tax to fund new stadiums. Mr. Ferlo, a critic of the plan, was so impressed, he hired Mr. Zober the next day.
In addition to being an aide to the councilman, Mr. Zober worked on Mr. Ferlo’s campaign for the state Senate, a job he secured in 2003, and then joined Mr. O’Connor’s campaign for mayor last year.
Despite the high-level connections, Mr. Ferlo dismissed the suggestion that he is running the mayor’s office, a thought whispered by some at city hall and elsewhere.
“Go and interview 25 other people,” he said, “because they have the same influence.”
And if Mr. Ferlo is calling the shots, Mr. Zober isn’t letting on. He said in an interview last week that his focus is in implementing Mr. O’Connor’s goals while he remains hospitalized with primary central nervous system lymphoma.
“The agenda for us is Mr. O’Connor’s agenda,” he said. “We’re just picking up where he left off.”
Asked about Mr. Ferlo’s influence, mayoral spokesman Dick Skrinjar replied, “Senator [Jay] Costa, Senator Ferlo, and Senator [Wayne] Fontana have influence on the administration of the city of Pittsburgh. They represent the citizens of Pittsburgh in Harrisburg and influence the state Legislature and Senate on their behalf.”
Councilman Jim Motznik said he believed Dennis Regan, the chief of staff who is Mr. O’Connor’s longtime friend, and senior secretary Marlene Cassidy, have far more influence than Mr. Ferlo.
“I personally don’t think it’s much at all,” he said.
But others believe Mr. Ferlo’s clout increased by necessity. There are few with his knowledge of the inner workings of city government, which could be a key asset to a young administration, particularly with their leader ill.
“I think his leadership and experience have been called upon by those in the administration,” Mr. Peduto said. “He’s the smartest man at city hall. Jim Ferlo knows the city code inside and out. He wrote much of it.”
Mr. Peduto is one who believes Mr. Ferlo’s influence could be for the better. He said he had been working with the senator and Mr. Zober on a green building policy for the city.
“Would that have been Mr. O’Connor’s priority for a policy agenda? Probably not. There’s the potential that his influence can help bring progressive ideas as well,” he said.
(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette -
Group to showcase 3 Downtown structures
Landmarks officials upbeat on restoring 5th-Forbes buildings
By Mark Belko,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Friday, August 11, 2006The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation views a $2 million-plus project to revitalize three old buildings in the heart of the Fifth and Forbes corridor Downtown as a symbol of a new attitude toward preservation.
Foundation officials hope to showcase the project, which involves reuse of three buildings at Fifth Avenue and Market Street, when preservationists nationwide gather in Pittsburgh this fall for the National Preservation Conference.
Landmarks President Arthur Ziegler said it wasn’t that long ago that preservationists were battling former Mayor Tom Murphy over his first plan to improve the Fifth and Forbes corridor, one that would have endangered a number of older buildings Downtown.
At one point, the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the Downtown retail district as one of the most 11 endangered historic areas in America.
Mr. Ziegler said conditions have changed under Mayor Bob O’Connor, as evidenced by city Urban Redevelopment Authority board approval yesterday to sell the three Market and Fifth buildings to the foundation for $257,000.
“I think we have a national story to tell on cooperation, reuse … and I think we have just the right audience for it, because the last they heard was downbeat under Mayor Murphy. Now they’re going to hear upbeat with this new administration,” he said.
As part of yesterday’s action, the URA board approved the purchase of a deteriorating building at 439 Market from the city for $40,000 plus costs, and then turned around and sold that structure and two adjacent ones owned by the authority to a foundation subsidiary for $300,000.
The final sales price ended up at $257,000 as a result of a $43,000 credit given to the foundation because of the need for demolition work at 439 Market, a building in such disrepair that it is viewed by adjacent property owners as a safety hazard in danger of collapse.
The three buildings have an assessed value of $639,000, according to the Allegheny County real estate Web site.
Mr. Ziegler said Landmarks intends to preserve the facades of all three structures, including the old Regal Shoe Co. That building was designed by Alden & Harlow, a prominent city architectural firm in the early 20th century.
The foundation is looking to convert the first floor of the three combined buildings into retail space, with apartments likely on the upper floors. There also is a chance that the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership may use upper floor space for offices. In all, 12,000 square feet is involved.
Mr. Ziegler said Landmarks hopes to get started by Halloween, in time for the conference. It expects the renovation to take about a year.
“We’re very, very anxious to get started,” he said.
State Sen. Jim Ferlo, a URA board member, said he hopes the project can be a “rallying cry of sorts” to show that the O’Connor administration takes preservation seriously.
The rehabilitation will complement larger projects planned for the corridor. PNC Financial Services Group has begun demolition to make way for Three PNC Plaza, a 23-story office, hotel, and residential complex on Fifth Avenue.
Millcraft Industries is working on a residential and retail development that would involve reuse of the old G.C. Murphy building and nearly 20 other URA-owned properties in the corridor. Some would be demolished to make way for a residential complex.
(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262. )
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette