RAD WORKS HERE! 2018 ANNUAL REPORT ALLEGHENY REGIONAL ASSET DISTRICT RAD’S MISSION IS TO SUPPORT AND FINANCE REGIONAL ASSETS IN THE AREAS OF LIBRARIES, PARKS AND RECREATION, SPORTS AND CIVIC FACILITIES, AND ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS. CONNECTIONS COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS CELEBRATIONS • The Allegheny Regional Asset District receives one-half of the proceeds from the 1% Allegheny County Sales and Use Tax to support the regional assets, and the other half is paid directly to the County and municipal governments. RAD SERVES HERE TO OUR RAD COMMUNITY, The Pittsburgh region continues to receive many accolades for its abundant offerings. We are a top ranked destination to live, work, and play. Our industrial past speaks to our continued appreciation for hard work, humility, and a relentless passion to fulfill our dreams. Our stunning architecture, historic neighborhoods, and beautiful topography create communities that are as diverse as our rolling hills, rivers, and valleys. Today, Allegheny County is home to bountiful green space in the form of parks, trails, and bikeways, renowned colleges and universities, robotics, cutting-edge technology, finance, world-class medicine, and championship sports teams. Our arts and cultural assets are regularly lauded for their creativity and excellence. Research shows that we’re also foodies, innovative entrepreneurs, leaders in literacy, and committed philanthropists. At the heart of all these assets and attributes, are the people that call the Pittsburgh region home, as well as the hundreds of thousands who visit us each year. At RAD, we take seriously our responsibility for grantmaking that supports and strengthens the myriad ways we connect, collaborate, and celebrate our communities. RAD is a broad-based source of public revenue. We proudly support our region’s artistic community, civic organizations, parks, libraries, sports teams, and other regional assets. RAD was honored to support 101 regional assets across Allegheny County in 2018. In this Report, we have highlighted many of these outstanding organizations for their exemplary work that continues to enhance our region. The RAD Board of Directors is pleased to present this Annual Report of our activities for 2018. As always, we invite your comments and recommendations. We also wish to thank the members of the RAD Citizen Advisory Board and the many people who work, lead, and volunteer at these regional assets, because their talents, creativity, and dedication to the community ensure that RAD works here! On Behalf of the Board, Daniel J. Griffin RAD Board of Directors (L to R: Sylvia Fields, Anthony J. Ross, Jackie Daniel J. Griffin | Board Chair Dixon, Daniel J. Griffin, Dusty Elias Kirk, Daniel Rosen, Hilda Pang Fu) RAD SUPPORTS HERE SALES TAX RECEIPTS The 1% Allegheny County Sales Tax yielded a total of $203.8 million in 2018. Half of the proceeds went to asset support, 25 percent went to the Allegheny County government and 25 percent was distributed to county municipalities that have used the funds for a variety of important services, such as public safety and public works. THE 2018 RAD BUDGET OF $100.2 MILLION WAS DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS: TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION $3,000,000 $900,000 (0.9%) SPORTS & CIVIC FACILITIES ARTS AND CULTURE $14,085,000 3% $12,593,681 12.6% 14.1% REGIONAL FACILITIES LIBRARIES $ 8,265,114 8.2% $31,579,207 GRAND TOTAL $100,185,555 31.5% 29.7% PARKS AND TRAILS $29,762,553 2 RAD AT A GLANCE - 2018 KEY STATISTICS 61.2% OF THE RAD BUDGET SUPPORTED ASSETS THAT ARE OPEN AND FREE TO THE PUBLIC 45,314,253 PEOPLE VISITED THE ASSETS, WHICH INCLUDED 26.3 MILLION VISITORS TO THE PARKS 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE VISITED THE PITTSBURGH ZOO & PPG AQUARIUM, PHIPPS CONSERVATORY, AND NATIONAL AVIARY 938,015 FREE TICKETS WERE PROVIDED TO THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE ATTEND $834.3 MILLION IN DIRECT EXPENSES WERE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY BY THE ASSETS, INCLUDING $405.7 MILLION FROM THE PORT AUTHORITY PORT AUTHORITY RIDERSHIP TOTALED 63.4 MILLION 8,335 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED BY THE REGIONAL ASSETS 11.4 MILLION ITEMS CIRCULATED AT THE LIBRARIES, INCLUDING 1.9 MILLION E-RESOURCES Libraries are RAD’s largest grant category. In 2018, Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA), Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP), and their jointly managed eiNetwork received $31.5 million of RAD funding. Total circulation at CLP and ACLA totaled 11.4 million, more than 470,000 residents have a library card, and the total number of free Wi-Fi minutes totaled 99.9 million! ACLA is a federated library system of 46 public libraries delivering service in more than 70 locations. RAD funding assists with operating costs and bookmobile service. CONNECTIONS & COMMUNITY • 4.1 million people visited Allegheny County libraries. • Total Circulation was 6.9 million. • Springdale Free Library provided 226 STEM or STEAM programs for students. • Multiple libraries offer therapy and support animal programs, and adaptive/sensory programs for children. • Nearly 46,000 participated in ACLA’s Summer Reading programs and 161,274 attended a wide range of summer programs at county libraries. CELEBRATIONS • Northland Public Library celebrated its 50th anniversary. • Baldwin Borough Public Library broke ground on its new facility. • C.C. Mellor Memorial Library opened its new branch in Forest Hills. • The Millvale Community Library won the 2018-2019 Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge for a Micro Nonprofit and the first New Sun Rising Vibrancy Award for sustainability efforts in 2018. Paula Kelly, Director of the Whitehall Library was honored with the I Love My Library LIBRARIES RAD - 2018 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2018 - RAD Award for her dedication to leadership and transforming lives and communities through education. Paula was one of 10 librarians nationwide to receive this honor! 4 RAD INSPIRES HERE! CLP uses RAD funding for general operating and debt financing support. These funds allow the libraries to extend their services countywide through materials purchasing and sharing, program development and coordination, specialized resources, and staff expertise. CONNECTIONS & COMMUNITY • 2.7 million people visited Carnegie Libraries. • Total circulation was 4.5 million. • CLP offered nearly 2,400 programs to more than 88,000 children. • New services: Lending Chromebooks and other technology to cardholders • Expanded engagement, including book delivery to senior living facilities and discussion groups • CLP continued to work with the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office to provide every child with a library card. • 4.2 million items were delivered through CLP’s shipping department to libraries all over Allegheny County. CELEBRATIONS • Completed Phase One of Realize: Our Power, Our Potential initiative, raising $22.8 million. • CLP-Carrick celebrated its grand reopening in October, doubling in size to 8,000 square-feet and is the first certified Passive House Library in North America, which will result in an ultra-low energy building. A CHILD LOOKS THROUGH A VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET AT • CLP-Main completed renovations to the South THE CLP-CARRICK LIBRARY. Wing Reading Room. COLLABORATIONS • The eiNetwork is a collaboration of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny LIBRARIES RAD - 2018 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2018 - RAD County Library Association that strives to ensure equal opportunity for residents to access information electronically and promote lifelong learning. • CLP and ACLA collaborated for a third year in a row on Love Your Library, a special fund drive that encourages residents to show their financial support for libraries. 6 Parks & Trails is RAD’s second largest funding category with $29.7 million in grants in 2018. RAD funds more than 15,000 acres of free parks, trails and green spaces across Allegheny County. Grants are allocated for environmental improvements, park additions, recreational facilities, events, and a variety of operating expenses. Allegheny County’s Park system is one of the nation’s largest and most well-established. The nine county parks including North Park, South Park, Boyce Park, Hartwood Acres, Settler’s Cabin Park, White Oak Park, Round Hill Park, Harrison Hills Park, and Deer Lakes Park, all strive to offer something for everybody to enjoy, regardless of age or abilities. “Every time I put a foot on the ground in North Park, I take a deep breath and think about how incredibly fortunate we are to live in western Pennsylvania” - Nancy, County resident COMMUNITY • Purchased new shade structures and an • 26.2 million people visited the Allegheny inflatable obstacle course for the North County and City of Pittsburgh Regional Park Swimming Pool Parks in 2018. • Installed restrooms at the soccer fields in • Many free events were offered at Harrison Hills Park and repaired the chair Allegheny County’s nine parks including lift at Boyce Park concerts, movies, holiday-themed COLLABORATIONS festivals, Pens in the Park and Wonders • Allegheny County Parks partnered with of Wildlife with the Pittsburgh Zoo, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Snowfest at Boyce Park, and more! the Allegheny County Conservation • Thousands enjoyed swimming and skating District, and the Allegheny County Parks lessons, deck hockey clinics, basketball Foundation to restore natural areas in camps, and other sports. Boyce and South Parks. Thousands of CELEBRATIONS native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials were planted to help improve air • Improvements to the South Park Ice Rink and water quality, as well as provide critical and electrical system at the Wave Pool wildlife habitat. ROUND HILL PARK PARKS & TRAILS & PARKS RAD - 2018 ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2018 - RAD Situated on 1,100 acres in Elizabeth Township, Round Hill is a working farm and exhibit that is open daily. It is also the home of the Allegheny Farm Corps, a volunteer-based production farm, with all resulting crops given to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In 2018, several baby animals were born at Roundhill Park including baby goats, bunnies, and this baby cow, Wilma. 8 RAD EXPLORES HERE! The City of Pittsburgh’s Regional Parks total nearly 2,000 acres of land, and include Emerald View, Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley.