Troy Hill Pittsburgh

Girls Hope helps her reach her full potential!

Nicole — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:11:44 +0000

www.girlshope.org

Girls Hope helps academically capable and motivated children-in-need to meet their full potential and become “women for others” by providing value-centered, family-like homes, opportunities and education through college.

If you know a bright girl, between the ages of 10 and 14, who could benefit from Girls Hope, please contact our Scholar Recruiter at 724-869-6524.

Fall Planting = 19 new trees

Nicole — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:52:51 +0000

For the fourth straight year, Troy Hill was the recipient of street trees, courtesy of the TreeVitalize grant program. On Saturday, November 12, 2011, volunteers from the Troy Hill community, Tree Tenders, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and a local Unitarian church, gathered together on Troy Hill to help increase the tree population in the community. The volunteers planted a variety of trees at the Lowrie Street bus loop and other locations scattered throughout the neighborhood, as part of an ongoing initiative to “green up” Troy Hill. Over 25 volunteers donated their time on a beautiful fall morning to help plant and mulch the new trees. Several varieties of trees were planted, including hawthorn, maple, redbud, ginkgo and holly. Volunteers planted nineteen trees and the event concluded with a potluck picnic lunch hosted by Doug & Kathy Croft.

This event was conducted in conjunction with the TreeVitalize effort, which is a joint project of Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, Tree Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The mission of TreeVitalize is to plant over one million trees across the Commonwealth in the next 5 years.

Since the inception of the TreeVitalize program, Troy Hill has been the recipient of approximately 130 new trees. Also, Troy Hill has 15 residents who are certified Tree Tenders, which are individuals trained in tree care and maintenance. Troy Hill has the highest percentage per capita of trees planted by TreeVitalize and resident Tree Tenders. Anyone interested in becoming a Tree Tender can find more information here.

This project is also one aspect of a larger Troy Hill Neighborhood Plan, which focuses on updating streetscapes, attracting new residents and businesses, and improving the quality of life in the community. Tree-lined streets make communities look great, the trees clean the air, provide shade to buildings and paved areas, and increase property values, slow traffic and help control storm water run-off.

Over the next year, Troy Hill will be applying for additional TreeVitalize grants, as part of the public-private partnership to help restore tree cover and educate citizens on the importance of trees in our communities. A grant application for a Fall 2012 tree planting is pending. If you would like to participate in the next Troy Hill TreeVitalize event, or are interested in having a tree(s) planted in front of your home, please contact Nicole Moga at 412-321-2852.

It’s Easy Being Green!

Nicole — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:42:23 +0000

Troy Hill is in the news once again. This time we’re getting props for being so green! A great big THANK YOU and pat on the back are in order for our local Tree Tenders. To learn more about becoming a Tree Tender, visit Tree Pittsburgh.

Check out the story and audio clip from our latest Tree Care Day:

The Allegheny Front

Rox music lessons – Free!

Nicole — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:20:21 +0000

Luncheon Bingos are back

Nicole — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:54:09 +0000

Starting Oct 1 through June 2, the luncheon bingo sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary will be held at the VFW Post 7090, Sundeman Street in Troy Hill. Bingo’s take place the first Saturday of the month. Doors open at 11:30 am, lunch is served at 12:30 pm, bingo following. Cost – $7.00.

Save the Date! Children’s Halloween Bingo – Oct 15 – Details coming soon!

Troy Hill – getting its 15 minutes of fame

Nicole — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:21:59 +0000

Photo Credit: J. Altdorfer

“Mike and I were living in Lawrenceville when we began looking for a home to buy together. We knew what we wanted – a brick house built in the early 1900s with architectural integrity intact, like trim work that had not been painted, and original windows, in an affordable, safe neighborhood.

We looked in many East End neighborhoods and then expanded our search to the Northside, which we were largely unfamiliar with.

We toured the house in Troy Hill, by recommendation of our future neighbor and Mike’s coworker Patty Renwick, in the summer of 2008 and fell in love with the price, the fireplaces, the woodwork, the location and the possibility of customizing it to our needs. It takes a lot of work but we’re DIYers at heart and are up to the challenge.

Mike has experience in construction and is an Environmental Engineer with the State Department of Environmental Protection, which is located on Washington’s Landing (Troy Hill) and within walking distance of the house.

I have a BS in Applied Technology – Graphic Design and spent some years working in that field. Once we bought the house in Troy Hill I decided to change my path and began volunteering and working part time for the community development organization, Troy Hill Citizens. I also can walk or bike to work.

Troy Hill is within walking distance of the Allegheny Riverfront Trail, the Strip District and Downtown. We hardly ever drive except to visit friends, grocery shop and take hiking trips. We organize meetings and socials for young, like-minded people to get together and give back. We enjoy taking an active role in the community improvement process and meeting our neighbors. Our house is now 95% complete (there’s always something…) and we are settled in and feeling very comfortable in Troy Hill.

Read the entire story here.

Fight against blight: new law attacks neglectful owners of property

Nicole — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:32:18 +0000

Landlords’ assets now on the line if they fail to upgrade properties

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

By Tim Grant, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bob Donaldson/ Post-Gazette

Jerome Jackson of Homewood’s Operation Better Block at blighted row houses owned by a California company, RFS Investment LLC.

As the head of a community organization working to improve living conditions in Homewood, Jerome Jackson has a big problem with landlords who buy cheap properties in the neighborhood and make no effort to fix them up.

“A house in Homewood could sell for less than $10,000, and a landlord could make as much as $1,000 a month renting several rooms in the home,” said Mr. Jackson, CEO of Operation Better Block.

“They get all their money back in a year, and the rest is profit. But the issue is they put nothing into the property as far as cutting grass, painting, fixing windows or doors or making the property aesthetically pleasing,” he said.

While Homewood may be among the worst examples of blight caused by irresponsible landlords in the Pittsburgh area, communities across the state have a powerful new tool to clean up run-down and vacant properties, thanks to a law that went into effect last week.

The Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act allows cities and towns across Pennsylvania to go after the personal assets of people who own investment properties and do little to prevent them from becoming eyesores and health and safety hazards.

“We are definitely in favor of the city going after landlords’ personal properties, especially those who are slumlords who profit on buying buildings in Homewood and put no money into the buildings,” Mr. Jackson said. “We are going to use this law to try to turn Homewood around.”

The ability to take action against irresponsible landlords is only one of the tools in the new law designed to give communities more power to clean up neglected properties and keep blight from spreading.

Read the entire story here.

Troy Hill to receive Elm Street funds from URA

Nicole — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:23:44 +0000

Pittsburgh now boasts more Elm Street districts. Manchester, Central Northside, Troy Hill, Lawrenceville, East Liberty and the South Side Slopes were all deemed Elm Street districts by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, with Mt. Washington and Bloomfield-Garfield receiving overdue funds.

As a complement to its Mainstreets Program, the Elm Street Program focuses on the neighborhoods surrounding Mainstreet districts, says Elm Street Program Coordinator Josette Fitzgibbons. Recipients of the funds must focus on five areas: clean, safe and green; neighbors and economy; design; image and identity; and sustainable organizations.

Each community is given funds for a one-year Elm Street planning process, says Fitzgibbons, which Mt. Washington and Bloomfield-Garfield were late in receiving. Both neighborhoods were designated as Elm Street districts in 2009, but due to state budget cuts the funding was not available.

Read the entire story here.

Troy Hill’s Hotel Schmitt in Post-Gazette

Nicole — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:52:36 +0000

Saturday, April 16, 2011

By Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Once, this building was known as Schmitt’s Hotel, but for decades it was more famous as the location of Rimondi’s Fruit Market. After Troy Hill Citizens has clear title to the property, it hopes to find a buyer who will put it back in business.

The faded paint on the side of the building says Schmitt’s Hotel, but longtime Troy Hill residents remember when 1600 Lowrie St. was Rimondi’s Fruit Market.

“Fancy Fruits” and “Fresh Vegetables Daily” said the signs beneath his shop windows. Until the 1970s, Joe Rimondi lived above his North Side business, rising before dawn to pick up produce in the Strip District.

“He would say ‘That has a spot on it’ and put it in your bag [no charge]. If you were poor, you’d go home with extra stuff. … He was so kind and generous to people,” said Mildred “Pinky” McGlothlin, who has lived in this neighborhood her entire life.

Today, 1600 Lowrie is empty, its shop windows bricked up, roof leaking, apartments dated and disheveled. The city of Pittsburgh, which owns it, put the property last August in its land reserve program for Troy Hill Citizens. Once the community group has clear title, it hopes to find a buyer who will put it back in business.

“We don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, someone who will just sit on it,” said Nancy Noszka, real estate director for the Northside Leadership Conference (412-330-2559 or www.pittsburghnorthside.com).

“We want to play a lead role in the decision-making process,” said Nicole Moga, community development coordinator for Troy Hill Citizens (412-321-2852 or troyhillcitizens@verizon.net).

Read the entire story here.

Troy Hill’s gateway sign artist unveils memorial statue in Bloomfield

Nicole — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:55:23 +0000

James Simon gathered lumps of clay and molded them by hand. Slowly, he fashioned a 6-foot-tall statue of St. Michael the archangel and cast it in concrete.

The new memorial, which honors Pittsburgh police officers Paul Sciullo II, Stephen J. Mayhle and Eric G. Kelly, will be dedicated Monday, exactly two years from the day these men died in the line of duty in Stanton Heights.

St. Michael will be unveiled outside Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Church on Liberty Avenue in the center of Bloomfield. Set in a small park with trees and a garden, the sculpture stands on a three-tiered base decorated with ceramic tiles that bear the officers’ images. Behind the statue is a stainless-steel shield made by Forms+Surfaces, an international company with an office in Etna.

Last July, while the sculpture was in progress, members of the officers’ families and the Rev. John Dinello, pastor of the parish, stopped by Mr. Simon’s studio.

“I wanted them to have a final look at it while I could still change things,” the artist said. “The statue has to be expressive enough to carry these three families’ emotions.”

This version of St. Michael is a protective warrior with a watchful gaze. His left arm bears a shield and the right hand a sword. There’s a cross on his belt. Instead of a coiled snake, decorative scrolls that represent clouds are at his feet. Heightening this ethereal effect are the beautifully formed, textured wings. Besides police officers, St. Michael is the patron saint of people who confront danger daily — paratroopers, paramedics, fighter pilots and soldiers.

Bill Garrison, a first cousin of Officer Sciullo, recalled that when he grew up in Bloomfield with his extended family, “as long as you had a bike and a baseball glove, you were happy.”

Co-founder of the advertising agency Garrison Hughes, Mr. Garrison served on a committee to plan the memorial and was delighted with the sculptor’s work.

“He knew the deepness of it and he knew how sensitive it was,” he said.

Public memorials are fraught with pitfalls; that pressure can weigh on some artists.