Volume 41 Issue 3 May/June 2012 President’s Message by Pete Bellisario New Flowers. New Houses. New Street Cleanliness. And More. Hope you have been enjoying our nice weather and all the colors that come with spring. There are many articles that will be in this newsletter with much more information in the rest of the newsletter about the subjects that I will introduce in this report. May 5th will be our flower planting date. We always ask for volunteers, young and those young at heart. We will plant at three corners of California and Termon Avenues. Last year the Federation took responsibility for the last flower bed at the intersection of Ohio River and Brighton Heights Boulevards. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy provides the plants and volunteers to plant in addition to our members. This year we have also added Antrim Street. Last summer, the Antrim Street group, under the leadership of Kelly Day and Jerome Jackson, received a grant from the Home Depot as part of the Mayor’s "Love Your Block" Program. They requested to be included in the future plantings, and we were very, very pleased to agree. If you haven’t been by the corner of Antrim and Fleming, you should check out what a small group of workers and volunteers can do -- a great job of improving their little neck of the woods. Last year we sponsored a day at PNC Park and all went very well except for the final baseball score. The Board decided to give it another shot and we will again provide bus transportation to and from the game. The scheduled date is Sunday May 27th. The 27th Ward Veterans Committee will honor all veterans with our annual Memorial Day Ceremony on May 28th at Legion Park. It will begin at 10:00 AM sharp. The annual Chocolate House Tour will be held on Sunday, June 10th and will feature houses on Fleming and Termon Avenues and Morrell Street. It will also feature a look at the first of the new houses on the Saint John’s site. Our final spring activity for this busy time of year will be the Flea Market in Legion Park on Saturday, June 16th. We also hope that you have been by the corner of McClure Avenue and Antrim Street. Thanks to the efforts of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the three houses under construction are coming along just fine courtesy of the good weather. Steve Catranel Construction Company folks have been great, and the houses look fantastic. The deteriorating houses in that area that have been condemned by the appropriate city agencies are out for bid and will be torn down. Many thanks to Tim Maloney, also known as the Dirt Doctor, for his initiative to seek volunteers who are willing to clean up their streets on a regular basis. He is heading up the "Adopt-a-Block" group and he already has some volunteers. You can find an article that has more details about his program and the City of Pittsburgh REDD-UP Zone program. We have a request for someone to assume the newsletter editor position. Ron Lindow as been our editor for many years and has done a fantastic job. He has asked to be relieved because of the increase in his business workload. We publish five newsletters a year with many authors providing the articles. If you are interested or if you know somebody who might be interested please email us at: [email protected] 1 Minutes of the BHCF General Membership Meeting of March 8, 2012 The meeting was brought to order at 7:05 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. The Minutes from the January 12, 2012 General Membership Meeting were accepted without changes. Special Guests: Pastor Brenda Gregg, Destiny of Faith Church (housed in the former Brighton McClure Presbyterian Church) absent. Jamie Albert substituted. Destiny of Faith is a nondenominational Christian church that also operates Project Destiny as part of its outreach program. They focus on youth and families. The project operates an after-school program and a summer camp among others for adults as well. Parking issues are being worked on. Steve Hawkins (architect for Antrim/McClure houses) absent. Greg from SGH Architects and Steve Catranel (Steve Catranel Construction) substituted. All three houses are now under roof and are on schedule for completion in June or July 2012. Steve hopes to be involved in the next phase of housing on the Saint John’s property. Dan Keller – Salvation Army Northside Corporation Board member The North Avenue building, which has been used for homeless programs is being repurposed for a youth center. The Salvation Army has budgeted $2 to 3 million for this reconstruction. As a historic structure, the building plans will be attentive to community standards. The North Side Corporation is soliciting public input on what help youth and families need and a survey was distributed. Report of Officers and Others: Pete Bellisario, President: The new soccer facility has started construction on Mairdale Street adjacent to Riverview Park. Vice President’s Report – Roy Johnston Absent Joan Bellisario, Treasurer’s Report Net Worth – As of Cash and Bank Monument: Operating Account: March 8, 2012 Accounts $1,736.65 $28,229.54 State Grant United Way Total Cash and Bank Accounts: $33,667.87 Account: $905.65 Account: $2,796.03 Vince Pallus, Corresponding Secretary Vince Pallus reported that he and Board member Kelly Day have been chosen for the Green Ambassadors and Apprentices Northside (GAAN) program sponsored by GTECH. This program will give $1000 per participant for a neighborhood project(s). Four of the five derelict houses across from the new construction on Antrim are condemned and the fifth has been cited in the first step for condemnation. All parties to this process are eager to get these demolished. A window of April to July has been established for such action due to asbestos issues. Peggy Urzua, NSLC Board Report, The Real Estate committee reported that they are appealing reassessments on 29 properties under control of the NSLC. They hope to complete acquisition of 3646 California Avenue in Brighton Heights between 2012 and 2014 in order to transfer title to BHCF. The Education Committee reported that with the transition to Perry-Oliver High School there would be a total of 998 students with a class size average of 30. ROTC will move to Perry and culinary/cosmetology will stay in the Oliver building. The next Owning Your Own Business workshop will be held March 27th at Riverview Presbyterian Church. The Casino Housing Fund Committee has participated in the funding of the Saint John’s site study. The meeting schedule for this Committee is available. Joe Shields, Web Site –absent A RFP will be released March 15th for a new design of our website. Appreciation was given to Art Kreisel who put together the current site after it was lost to hackers. 2 Minutes of the BHCF General Membership Meeting continued… Donna Kramer, Crime and Safety, A SWAT team responded to a commitment call near Brighton and Davis today. The February shooting on Termon is still an ongoing homicide investigation. There were three recent arrests for drug offenses. The proper procedure for gaining access to the security cameras on California Avenue was clarified by Pete Bellisario. At the May 10th general meeting we should have narcotics officers as guests for an update on current issues. August 8th is this year’s date for the NSPSC Appreciation Day for police, fire, EMS and school crossing guards held at Risen Lord Church. Volunteers to help are greatly appreciated. Susan Benn, Flower Planting and Spring Cleanup This year’s April cleanup will be held April 21st at 8:30 AM and the spring flower planting will occur on May 5th. This year’ planting will include Ohio River Boulevard, Termon/California and Antrim Street. Becky Spevack, Flea Market –absent This year’s flea market will be held June 16th at Legion Park. Spaces are $10. Pete Bellisario, Memorial Day – This year’s commemoration will be held May 28th at 10 AM at Legion Park. Following the ceremony, all are invited to the picnic held by Emmanuel Christian Church. Old Business Andy McClaren, Community Day – This year’ Community Day at PNC Park will be held May 27th. Tickets for the game against the Chicago Cubs are $21. Bus transportation and postgame cookout are included. Deadline for tickets is May 1st. John Belch, House Tour - This year’s Chocolate House Tour will be held on the NEW date, June 10th. The Morrell, California, Termon, Fleming area will be featured. Money is still left from last year’s Columbia Gas beautification grant. Outside improvements are eligible for 25% reimbursement up to $100. New Business Tim Maloney, who runs the neighborhood Dirt Doctor firm has volunteered to run an "Adopt A Block" program for Brighton Heights. This would entail volunteers signing up to do regular litter cleanups of desired areas of the neighborhood. The BHCF is investigating the costs of renting a storefront space at Brighton and Davis for the purpose of consolidating Federation business and establishing a physical presence in the neighborhood. Pennsylvania State Representative Adam Ravenstahl reported that the No Texting While Driving law has gone into effect today. A court date will be set with Magistrate Ravenstahl concerning the violations by New Hope Church in renting out their social hall for events. The 50/50 raffle: The winner of $30 was State Representative Adam Ravenstahl. He donated it to the Federation. Approximately 30 persons attended. Adjournment: the meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM.