Representing a North Side Neighborhood of Distinction
Membership dues are $10 per year. You may pay online with PayPal or mail a check to:
Troy Hill Citizens, Inc.
1619 Lowrie Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
December 2014
“Thieman announced the next phase of the initiative at the celebration. Three separate pockets of money will be made available to help communities fund and implement programs, including $50,000 for each action team, $10,000 for each of the 18 Northside neighborhoods, and $70,000 in individual grants, which will range from $250-1,000.”
Click here to read the article in it’s entirety from The NorthSide Chronicle
The grants mentioned above are referred to as Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grants
The Sprout Funds Website describes “Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grants as:
“In 2015, in partnership with the Buhl Foundation, Sprout will make available community innovation resources to support the One Northside vision. Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grants of up to $1,000 will 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.”
Prospective Applicant Information Sessions and Community Meet-ups
Sprout encourages prospective applicants to attend Information Sessions to meet with Sprout staff to learn more about Neighbor-to-Neighbor Grants in advance of preparing an application.
During January 2015, Sprout will host Information Sessions at the following Northside neighborhood locations:
Perry Hilltop: Saturday, January 10 from 9:00am-12noon at The Pittsburgh Project, 2801 N. Charles St. 15214
Central Northside: Wednesday, January 14 from 6:00pm-8:00pm at Artist Image Resource (AIR), 518 Foreland St. 15212
Brighton Heights: Friday, January 16 from 8:00am-10:00am at Studio Capezzuti, 1509 Termon Ave. 15212
To attend an info session, RSVP to apply@sproutfund.org with your contact information and home neighborhood.
Sprout Fund / Northside Funding Opportunity Website
Troy Hill Citizens will update any information and news about the Buhl Foundation’s One Northside / Northside Funding Opportunity when it becomes available.
PRESS RELEASE
December 8, 20148
Office of Pittsburgh City Council Member Darlene M. Harris
Contact: 412 255 2135
COUNCILWOMAN DARLENE M. HARRIS INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO
City has not increased reimbursement for tree root damage for at least 20 years.
(Pittsburgh) Pittsburgh City Council Member Darlene M. Harris (D- District 1) will introduce legislation on
Tuesday, December 9, 2014, to update the city’s policy for paying out sidewalk damages caused by city
trees. The city currently reimburses city property owners $4.00 per sq. foot. Council Member Harris’
legislation would increase that amount to $8.00 per sq. ft.
“When we looked into this,” said Council Member Harris, “the city’s Law Department reported that the
amount the city pays for tree root damaged sidewalk claims has been $4.00 per sq. foot for at least
twenty years. No one can recall exactly when that amount ($4.00 a sq. ft) had been set. With inflation,
that original value has been cut in half. It is only fair that that there is a readjustment. It might also
motivate people to make needed sidewalk repairs.”
Council Member Harris’ legislation also authorizes the City Solicitor to recalculate the reimbursement
amount every four years based upon the consumer price index. “That would keep the Council from
having to revisit this matter every few years or so. It is good housekeeping. Right now the city is only
covering 20% of the replacement. This legislation would make it 40% reimbursement. That’s about what
it was when the $4.00 number was set decades ago.”
UPDATE SIDEWALK DAMAGE CLAIMS
According to Harris, local contractors estimate that it costs about $500.00 to replace one 5’x5’ sidewalk
slab ($20.00 per sq. ft.). An increase in the Law Department’s 2015 judgment account would be
sufficient to absorb this cost.
####
Troy Hill Citizens wanted all of our membership to know that we began the project of hanging Christmas lights along Lowrie St. this year, as was done in the past. However, we did run into obstacles that require long term repairs, and so are sad to report that there will not be THC sponsored Christmas Lights in our business district this year.
THC General Meeting Wednesday December 17th @ 7:00 PM
Most Holy Name School Hall (Tinsbury St. entrance)
This Meeting is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.
This Month’s Troy Hill Block Watch Meeting will feature a guest speaker from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, whose specialty is IDENTITY THEFT. All neighbors are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings; which are held at the Most Holy Name School Hall (Tinsbury Street entrance).
The ServePGH Love Your Block Grant combined with volunteer help (including a HUGE hand and a very BIG THANKS to the University of Pittsburgh Students “Pitt Make a Difference Day”) made for a successful work session at our Citizens Park and for Troy Hill!
•The Tree boxes around the Park and along Troy Hill Road were weeded and cleaned.
•Two empty tree boxes (on the Claim St. sidewalk) were filled and designed with paver stone. And the Fr. Feldmeier and Charles Plantz Memorial Markers were installed as centerpieces in these areas.
•A pet litter station with a litter bag dispenser and receptacle was installed in the Park.
•The Children’s Play area of the Park, including the “sand box” were worked on during this session.
Saturday October 18, 2014
Upcoming Troy HIll Citizens’ Board Member Elections
Its that time of year again! ♦ Troy HIll Citizens’, Inc. has 5 seats up for election. ♦ To be eligible to run for election, you must be a paid member by October 15, 2014. Please submit a 100-200 word biography on or before November 15, 2014.
Diana Nelson Jones / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette October 6, 2014
A $3 million state grant announced Monday will spur a $20 million redevelopment of about 20 parcels on two acres along East Ohio Street on the North Side.
Site work is expected to begin in a week or two.
Under the plan, the site — from the corner of Madison Avenue east — would accommodate a 120-room hotel, a 65-unit apartment building, parking to accommodate both, and renovation of the historic Workingman’s Savings Bank, known more recently as the ARC House.
Built in 1902 in the Beaux Arts style, the historic structure has been vacant for more than 20 years after serving as an alcohol recovery center. It was granted historic status by city council in 2008.
The Northside Leadership Conference is managing the project in collaboration with the property owner, October Development.
The collaboration began five years ago when they began assembling the properties. Much of the land is vacant.
Mark Fatla, executive director of the conference, said the plan is “consistent with the Deutschtown-East Deutschtown strategic masterplan.”
The historic building is to be renovated and will most likely be a restaurant and catering business, Mr. Fatla said.
The Northside Community Development Fund provided some acquisition money, but the state Economic Growth Initiative grant “is critical money for an incredibly important site for the Deutschtown neighborhood and the North Side as a whole,” Mr. Fatla said.
“It is a major entry point that 100,000 cars a day go past. Right now what you see there does not reflect what the North Side has become.”
The Economic Growth Initiative funding program was created to target construction-ready projects that offer the greatest potential for jobs and economic impact, according to a press release from Gov. Tom Corbett’s office.
Details about parking, building heights and the rest of the financing structure have not been worked out, Mr. Fatla said.
He said construction should start by next spring or summer but the timeline needs to coincide with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s work replacing the road bed in front of the parcels.
“We want to key our project to that so that we can do utility work while they have the street open,” he said.
Diana Nelson Jones: djones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1626.
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/10/06/Old/stories/201410070057
