Troy Hill News: The ServePGH Love Your Block Grant combined with volunteers, including PITT students makes for a successful day!

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

THC – Board Openings

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.

Please mail your biography to:
Troy HIll Citizens, Inc.
2015 Election
1619 Lowrie Street
Pittsburgh, PA  15212
or

$20 Million Dollar Redevelopment of East Ohio / Madison Ave Announced

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

Volunteers Needed – Work Session @ THC Park – Saturday Oct 18 – 9:00 AM

As part of the Love Your Block Day, volunteers will be needed at the Troy Hill Citizens Park (Claim / Hatteras Streets) on Saturday October 18th @ 9:00 AM. Work will be done on 2 Tree Pits. And some final touches to the Children’s Play Area of the Park will be done.
♦ Lunch will be provided and served around noon.
♦ Questions: Contact  Nancy @ THC Office  412.321.2852

Historic Image Artwork on Troy Hill Retaining Wall for Route 28 Begins Today.

Historic Image Artwork to Welcome Motorists on Route 28 (Troy Hill retaining wall) in Pittsburgh Starts Today. Via PennDot News Release (Oct 1, 2014)

PennDOT District 11 announced today that the installation of public artwork along Route 28 is underway in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County.

The artwork, which is part of the Route 28 East Ohio Street Project, depicts historical imagery of a diverse and culturally significant area of Pittsburgh.

“This project is in an area where much history came before it,” said District Executive H. Daniel Cessna, P.E. “It is very exciting, through artwork, to present some of that history for future generations.”

Six panels approximately, 14 feet high and 30 to 60 feet wide will be featured along approximately 1,000 feet of wall between the former rectory site of the St. Nicholas Church and the pedestrian structure over Route 28. The panels will help tell the rich historical story of Troy Hill and the East Ohio Street corridor. Panels include:

•Silhouette of Troy Hill with Canal Boat in Tow – Constructed in the 1820’s the Pennsylvania Canal was part of a coordinated transportation system between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and helped foster the iron industry in the region

•St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church, North Side – The first Croatian national parish was established in 1894 and the church was built in 1901.

•Josip Marohnić Bookstore – As a leader in the Croatian community, it is believed that Josip Marohnić’s Croatian bookstore may have been the first of its kind in the United States.

•Thomas Carlin’s Foundry – Operations at the foundry began in 1860 and continued through 1916. Several manhole covers and sewer inlets the foundry produced are still being used today in Pittsburgh.
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•Allegheny Institute and Mission Church – Avery College – Charles Avery founded the institute, also known as Avery College, in 1849 as an educational facility for African Americans. Additionally, it is thought to be a stop on the Underground Railroad.

• Pittsburgh, Allegheny and Manchester Traction Company – The streetcar company ran the East Ohio Street corridor from the 1890’s through 1920.

The artwork is being made through a sandblasting process that uses layered stencils to create the images. Painting and staining of the concrete will create the final finish.

Through the assistance of the Office of Public Art, artist Laurie Lundquist was commissioned by the Department of Transportation for the Route 28 artwork. PennDOT, with Michael Baker International, sought input from community stakeholders and interested parties, including Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation, Preservation Pittsburgh and the Troy Hill Citizens, Inc., to help detail and preserve the area’s cultural legacy.

“The large scale images that you will see sandblasted into the Troy Hill retaining wall are all composited from historic photographs rooted to the corridor,” said Lundquist. “We sifted through hundreds of photographs from various Pittsburgh archives and collaged them together to create these scenes that will help keep the stories alive and connect us to the history of this very place.”

Additional work includes a wider walkway adjacent to Route 28. Pedestrians can gain access to the walkway from the Riverfront Trail via the 31st Street Bridge and from a paved parking area on Troy Hill Road. Also included in the project is an octagonal area inspired by the domes that topped the St. Nicholas Church and large stones from the Pennsylvania Canal that will serve as seating areas.

More information on the artwork and renderings and can be found on the Pittsburgh Art Places website at www.pittsburghartplaces.org/accounts/view/916.

The artwork, costing $143,000, is part of the $15.4 million Route 28 Phase V improvement project. The prime contractor is Carmen Paliotta Contracting, Inc. of South Park, PA. Superior Painting Company, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA is conducting the sandblasting work. The overall Route 28 project will conclude in late November of 2014.

The Troy Hill community celebrated the grand re-opening of Troy Hill Citizens Park Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 (Northside Chronicle Article)

thcnsPhoto/Article by Justin Criado  Northside Chronicle

Councilwoman Darlene Harris (center right) and Anne Kainaroi (left of Harris) of  the Troy Hill Citizen, Inc. park development steering committee cut the ribbon at the grand re-opening of the Troy Hill Citizens Park Friday, Sept. 19. 2014

September 23, 2014  thenorthsidechronicle.com

The Troy Hill community celebrated the grand re-opening of Troy Hill Citizens Park Friday, Sept. 19.

The park, which received a considerable facelift, is more spacious and accessible now, making a common ground for community members and visitors alike.

Anne Kainaroi served as chair of the park development steering committee and says plans to revamp the park have been talked about for years now, but through recent funding were finally made possible.

“We’re really hoping that we bring the community together,” Kainaroi said. “It was part of (The Heart of Troy Hill) plan, which had plans to develop this park. A lot went in to it. We met every two weeks last year.”

The Troy Hill Citizens, Inc. (THC) received a Love Your Block grant from the city of Pittsburgh in August and with help from the Design Center of Pittsburgh and landscape architecture & planning company Origin 4 Design maximized the park’s space.

Origin 4 Design partners Rebecca Mizikar and Laura Santore wanted to create more functional spaces, and did so by moving the flag pole from the middle of the park to one of the corners and using the large blocks that lined the pathways as benches for the risen open-air stage. There is also a children’s play area in one corner.

“We wanted to repurpose the rocks and keep some of the same elements that were here,” Santore said.

Kainaroi said the new theater area will provide an opportunity to attract more events as well.

“We’d love to see next year some more programming for the theater area,” Kainoroi said.

The event featured live music, a climbing wall courtesy of Venture Outdoors Climb Pittsburgh, and a sundae bar.

“You’ve worked hard on this,” councilwoman Darlene Harris said to the crowd. “Enjoy it. It’s yours.”

For more photos of the THC Park, visit: http://www.thenorthsidechronicle.com/troy-hill-citizens-park-receives-a-facelift/

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