Buhl: Sprout joins One Northside conversation with Neighbor-to-Neighbor grants up to $1,000

Sprout is thrilled to join the One Northside initiative to engage people who live and work in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhoods in conversations about the future of their communities. And with the support of the Buhl Foundation, we’ll be helping Northside community members take local action to support the One Northside vision.

Sprout is offering Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grants of up to $1,000 to provide immediate support for small-scale community projects with broad citizen support as demonstrated by neighborhood petitions, letters of support from community groups, and small financial pledges.

For more information and how to Apply for One Northside Community Innovation Project Granst of up to $1,000

To contact Sprout Northside staff with your inquiry or other questions call or text (412) 867-2907
or email apply@sproutfund.org.

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Happy New Year to all of the membership of Troy Hill Citizens and to the community at large.

There are many exciting projects and ideas going on that THC has to discuss with you this year.  To start, I wanted to let everyone know of the results of the December elections for 2015
 
The three year seats are held by:   Patrick Campbell
                                                           Cathy Baysek
                                                           Penny Barrett
 
The one year seat is held by:          Janet Koch
 
One open seat on the board still remains (one year term).  If you are interested in serving on the Board please fire off an e-mail to Troy Hill Citizens (troyhillPittsburgh@gmail.com) and let us know.
 
 
Our new slate of officers for this year are:
                                                                        Continue reading “Happy New Year to all of the membership of Troy Hill Citizens and to the community at large.”

A message from our THC Chairperson RE: September’s Public Meeting & Future Strategy

9.15.14

General Members,

I’m writing to thank all of you who took part in last week’s brainstorming session regarding Troy Hill Citizens strategy. The Board got to hear quite a few interesting perspectives on neighborhood assets, problems, and potential future. We are excited to review what we heard from you all over the next couple of months in anticipation of setting a strategic direction for the organization that will guide our annual planning efforts.

In the days leading up to December’s general meeting, be prepared to see a synopsis of our planning  effort on our website, and in neighborhood businesses. We invite all members to join us in December to review this plan so that we can make final adjustments prior to setting our 2015 goals and objectives.

Again, thank you to all who participated in the session.

If you have any questions about the planning process, including what the “big picture” is, please feel free to contact me at any time. I’m happy to discuss and to hear your ideas.

My very best,

Don Mahaney
Chairperson—Troy Hill Citizens
412-425-4959

Troy Hill Citizens Proud Supporter of Northside Zone 1 Annual Appreciation Day.

Troy Hill Citizens is a proud supporter of the 2014 Annual Northside Public Safety Council’s 2014 Zone 1 Appreciation Day on Aug 6, 2014
The Zone 1 appreciation day is set to honor the Pittsburgh Firefighters, Police Officers, EMS and our School Crossing Guards. This years event (at Risen Lord Church on California Ave.) will be preparing to serve over 300 officers from the various agencies.
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THC / Buhl Foundation @ MHN summer festival

Most Holy Name’s Summer Festival starts tomorrow (June 18-21) !

Troy Hill Citizens (THC) and the Buhl Foundation will have a booth at this weeks Most Holy Name Summer Festival promoting the good work of THC and promoting the Buhl Northside Census.  Northside residents who complete the Census are eligible to be entered into two Free $50 Cash Raffles.  Please take a moment to stop by our booth at this weeks festival, which starts tomorrow,  June 18 through Saturday June 21.

For more information on the Buhl Foundation and the NorthSide, please read this article from the  NorthSide Chronicle below.

Buhl Foundation big plans for the Northside

 

By Cristina Holtzer

Pittsburgh’s Northside may have better schools and landlords in its future if all goes to plan.

Over the next 10 to 20 years Pittsburgh’s Buhl Foundation plans to spend $40 to $60 million dollars revitalizing the Northside, hoping to make it a place where residents feel proud.

The Buhl Foundation, started in 1927 according to foundation president Frederick Thieman, is the oldest foundation in Pittsburgh and plans to spend $3 to $5 million each year in the Northside during the 20-year time frame.

Thieman said the foundation has been searching for ways to be “more impactful with its spending” and after considering many areas, the Northside appeared to be the most pressing.

“A lot of people would say that Pittsburgh was at a tipping point five or 10 years ago, and that we tipped in the right direction,” Thieman said. “But that’s not necessarily true for the Northside.”

The Northside if full of valuable assets, Thieman said, but will also present the foundation with challenges such as finding more desirable landlords and dealing with declining vacant properties.

Diana Bucco, Buhl Foundation vice president, said the goals of funding are to improve “quality of education, quality of place and quality of employment” in the Northside.

In the closing months of 2013 Bucco and the Buhl Foundation interviewed 400 people including Northside community leaders and more than 200 people who live and work in the area.

“We began to hear consistent themes around dealing with the abandoned structures and the vacant lots, developing more affordable home ownership and the quality of education,” Thieman said.

Scott Brooks, 33, works in marketing and said he visits the Northside at least once per week. He is not affiliated with the Buhl Foundation, but said he thinks Buhl should focus on bringing middle class families there by improving the public schools.

“The proximity to Downtown is better than any neighborhood in the city and plenty of young professionals would flock there if their kids could get good public schooling,” Brooks said.

The number of people living in poverty in the Northside is close to 20 percent, Thieman said, but nearly 40 percent of Northside children live in poverty, a rate much higher than the city average.

Thieman said the foundation hopes to direct funding to elementary schools to get younger children reading and ready for later schooling. Northside residents recently worked with the Foundation to create strategies.

During March, April, May and for the rest of June, teams of 20 to 35 Northside residents are working together to “build consensus for a unified plan to move the Northside forward,” Thieman said.

Bucco said the strategy teams will then meet in July to reveal all their findings and build a cohesive plan to tackle all their issues raised.

“Each day we learn a little bit more and are trying to get a little bit smarter about it,” Bucco said of the plan.

The foundation asked residents what they’d like to see for their communities and families, and Bucco said many responded with concrete goals such as a trail that connects all 18 neighborhoods of the Northside.

Other goals listed by community members included cleaning up the entranceway to Manchester, beautifying the exit ramp from Route 28 to Spring Garden and Deutschtown and a rest stop for bicycles near Woods Run.

Though the efforts will take many years to make lasting changes, Thieman said, Buhl plans to make some “early wins” such as granting funding to smaller neighborhoods to build momentum. He said the foundation anticipates spending about 80 percent of its resources on the Northside project.

“The choice to improve the Northside was an easy one,” Brooks said. “The location is fantastic, they already have great old houses that are ready to be improved, and they even have a grocery store so you wouldn’t have to go far for anything.”

At the end of this project, Northsider’s interviewed by the Buhl Foundation want the Northside to be a garbage free community, an area with better childcare and a place with “zero tolerance for bad landlords,” Bucco said.

“I have always said the greatest assets in the Northside are the people,” Bucco added.

http://www.thenorthsidechronicle.com

Important! Please Read. Troy Hill Citizens Communication Survey. Click here to proceed to survey link.

THC has decided to complete a communication audit of the organization. We are asking your help. Please follow this link: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1693309/Troy-Hill-Citizen-s-Communication-Survey and complete the survey. It should take about a half an hour of your time. If you cannot complete the survey in one sitting, simply stop and restart at a later time. The survey will close on June 23rd at midnight.

All of the information you provide will be held in the strictest confidentiality by Don Mahaney, who is conducting the audit. our goal is to determine what the Board of Directors at THC can do to communicate more effectively. He is happy to talk with you in detail about the survey’s purpose, at any time. He can be reached at 412-228-8627.

We are doing this to better understand what the Board does well, and not so well in terms of communicating. We want to do a better job in this area.

Please do not take this survey if you are not a member of THC. Your responses will not be considered. Also, please do not complete the survey more than once. If you do, all of your answers will be disqualified. If you are a board member, please do not complete this survey; you will be receiving a separate, paper based tool to complete.

Thank you in advance for taking your time to help us fulfill our mission as the neighborhood community development corporation. Our neighborhood is a gem, and we want to do what we can to make it a better and better place to live, work and play!!

 http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1693309/Troy-Hill-Citizen-s-Communication-Survey

*The printed paper version of  this survey will be available throughout the neighborhood.

Buhl Foundation Community Census 2014

Buhl Foundation Community Census / Survey Includes Troy Hill!

Spread the word!

As you may know, the Buhl Foundation investment plans of potentially $60 million dollars — in the next 10 to 20 years that will benefit our North Side Community, including Troy Hill.

A census team hired by a consultant to the Buhl Foundation will be on the streets of the North Side in the next few weeks to reach as many of the area’s 40,940 residents as possible to help guide foundation investments. Every Troy Hill Home is encouraged to participate, and share their thoughts on community priorities, problems and resources, as well as their vision for creating a better community.

All of us residents are encouraged to participate in this census / survey!

From Jackson Clark, consultants:

“The Northside Community Census is striving to provide an opportunity for every Northsider to give their input on what it will take to build a better future for their community. A team of 15 Northsiders have been hired to reach out to their neighbors and help them to participate in the Community Census survey, thanks to the support of the Buhl Foundation in partnership with nearly 100 organizations, community groups, nonprofits and businesses from across the Northside. Census Team members will be doing outreach door-to-door, at organizations, at events, and with a mailing. Every home is encouraged to participate, and share their thoughts on community priorities, problems and resources, as well as their vision for creating a better community. Survey responses will be kept confidential to respect the privacy of participants. Outcomes from the Northside Community Census survey will be used as the first step in a community-driven planning process to create a Northside vision plan that will guide investment in key community priorities including quality of education, quality of employment, quality of place, safety, transportation and hunger. If you’d like to participate, leave a voice mail message at 412.515.0989, visit the project website at northsideconversation.com, or look for a member of our Census Team – you’ll recognize their distinctive One Northside teeshirts and ID badges. We look forward to your participation.”

2014 Board Election Results

If you haven’t heard the news yet, the 2014 Troy Hill Citizen’s Board election results are in and were official as of January 5th, 2014. Open this post for more details or view the new board members on our About page.

Board of Directors 2014

Matt Stidle, Chairman

Don Mahaney, Vice-Chair

Tony Benvin, Treasurer

Janet Koch, Secretary

Jeff Anesin

Penny Barrett

Cathy Baysek

Steve Kalajainen

Tom Tortella

Kathy Turner

Ron Zotter