the inside BULLETIN BOARD 2 BOROUGH 3 WCDC 4 SCHOOL DISTRICT 5 CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 7 VOL. 12 NO. 6 March 2019 A FREE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER BRINGING YOU GOOD NEWS ABOUT WILKINSBURG Local Government Week April 8-12 Monday, April 8, Library Open House and Ice Cream Social—Meet the library staff, board members and your neighbors for ice cream, light refreshments and information on upcoming library programs and special events at both Eastridge and Ross Avenue locations. Special children’s programs. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, Senior Fun Day— Enjoy the usual festivities with a local government twist. Hear about projects and day-to-day operations from staff and elected officials. 9 a.m.—2 p.m. Wilkinsburg Wednesday, April 10, All Things “Good all Over” Roundtable—Wilkinsburg Borough will provide updates about improvement projects. Local organizations will spread the word about exciting Mayor Marita Garrett joined the PSO on stage during last year’s concert. happenings in the community. Hear presentations from the Borough, Chamber Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra of Commerce, CDC, Hosanna House, School District, Community Forge and others. Light fare provided as each presenter Returns for Wilkinsburg Concert will be asked to provide some “goodies” for Mark your calendars for Thursday, Tchaikovsky, and Bernstein will round out attendees. South Avenue United Methodist May 3 at 7 p.m. to “Meet the PSO.” The the program for what promises to be an Church. 6-8:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will exhilarating evening. perform its 16th concert in the beautiful Another highlight of the concert will Thursday, April 11, First Responders and historic Wilkinsburg High School (747 feature instrumental music students from Open House—Meet our police officers, K-9, Wallace Avenue) auditorium. Turner Intermediate in the Wilkinsburg medics and firefighters and learn important 100% of the proceeds benefit School District. tips that could save your life. Tour police and the music education programs in the Tickets can be purchased at the fire stations and stop in Council Chambers Wilkinsburg School District. door on the evening of the concert, and to hear brief safety programs at 6 and 7 p.m. Associate Conductor Earl Lee will all proceeds from the concert benefit Light refreshments. 5:30 -7:30 p.m. lead his first concert in Wilkinsburg with the Wilkinsburg School District Music Friday, April 12, Student Government a program that features individual players Program. Tickets are priced at $12 for Day—Students will hear about all aspects and instrument families of the orchestra. adults (10 for $100) and $5 for students. of local government from finance to police The concert will include favorites Wheelchair access by ramp is available at protection, vote on a council president, like Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture the main entrance. Additional donations run a mock Council meeting and tour the and the Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s to the Wilkinsburg School District Music facilities. A pizza lunch follows. Midsummer Night’s Dream. Music of Elgar, Program will be accepted at the door. BULLETIN BOARD www.wilkinsburgsun.com www.facebook.com/wilkinsburgsun contact Dave Reese at 412.657.2411 with the William Penn Highway. questions or for more information. Everyone is encouraged to come. Discussion is welcome regarding historic Original Musical Premieres Here projects in Wilkinsburg. Please use the Ross Pittsburgh Urban Christian School Avenue left door entrance. Doors open at (PUCS) presents an original musical: The 7 o’clock, the program begins promptly at Path Home. Homing pigeons break out of 7:30 pm. Refreshments are provided. an aviary heading for “home.” With risks looming and predators on their tails, will Dance Opportunity for Local Kids the pigeons make it? Pittsburgh Ballet and the Dance Join them March 20 at 1 p.m. for a Theater of Harlem dancers will visit dress rehearsal or either evening, March 21 Wilkinsburg’s after school program or March 22 at 7 p.m. Email admissions@ CREATE on Thursday March 21 from pucs.org for tickets. continued on page 6 Livefromthecity Producing Event Youth Perform for Peace Series at Community Forge th Livefromthecity, a Wilkinsburg native The 7 Annual Art and Talent Show and resident, is a hip-hop artist who is for Peace, sponsored by the Wilkinsburg expanding his talents to event production. Sanctuary Project, will take place on He is currently in residency at Community Saturday, March 9, 1-4 pm at Community Forge, the former Johnston Elementary Forge, 1256 Franklin Ave. All are welcome [email protected] School building, where he will host a to the free event, which will feature pre- qualified youth from Wilkinsburg and P.O. Box 86064 two-part event series called “School House Wilkinsburg, PA 15221 Rock!” Homewood. The first installment will be March For more information on art and Lynne Gordon, Editor 16 from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. and will feature talent guidelines, registration forms, or THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jason Cohn, President performances from Misra recording artist other questions, please contact the Art and Talent Show Coordinator Pastor Nancy Minister Linda Kirkland-Law, Vice President Benji., R&B singer Sierra Sellers, and sets John Irwin, Treasurer from SLiM the DJ and DJ Aesthetics. Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson, Secretary Live will be producing these events The Wilkinsburg Sun is a free leading up to the annual music festival Sun monthly community newsletter published by the Fest ’19, which will be held at Community volunteer Wilkinsburg Community Newsletter Board, with the support of the Wilkinsburg Forge in August. This event series is thanks Borough, the Wilkinsburg School District, to sponsorship by Lyft with the goal of the Wilkinsburg Chamber of Commerce and supporting the local art community. the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation. The Sun is printed by Knepper Press. For more information, visit www. Chalfant-Walker, at [email protected] or 412.242.3269. CommunityForgePGH.com or write to Please submit all articles and calendar [email protected] The Wilkinsburg Sanctuary Project events to: [email protected], is a faith-based grass roots initiative to or by mail, P.O. Box 86064, Wilkinsburg, end youth and young adult violence in the PA 15221. Please submit articles 5 weeks Baseball Sign Ups Are Now before publication and The Wilkinsburg Baseball Association community of Wilkinsburg and beyond. calendar events 3 weeks before publication. To advertise, is signing up players for Little League, Pony, [email protected] Historical Society Discusses Abe e-mail , T-Ball, Girl’s Softball, and more for this or call 412.680.1381. The Sun accepts summer at the Borough Building on Ross The Wilkinsburg Historical Society submitted articles provided they are related to Wilkinsburg and are civic-minded. The Avenue every Saturday until the end of will host a meeting on Monday evening March 18 in the Wesley room of the Sun reserves the right to withhold articles March. from print. Please note that The Sun does Sign ups are in the first floor lobby South Avenue United Methodist Church. not publish political or opinion pieces. from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.. The cost is $25 for The topics for the evening will be the the first child, $20 for second, $15 for third, restoration and preservation opportunities and free for additional children. Parents can for 2019 and beyond. reduce fees by selling raffle tickets. There will also be a slide presentation Opening day and parade is Saturday, about the history of the Abraham Lincoln Sign up to receive The Sun May 4 at Whitney Field. Parents can statue that stood for over a century at the by email at eepurl.com/v0iBP intersection of the Lincoln Highway and and friend us on Facebook. 2 Wilkinsburg Sun I March 2019 WILKINSBURG BOROUGH www.wilkinsburgpa.gov New Intern to Assist with Nixle Is Coming to the Borough Policy and Procedures Getting in touch with residents and over the web. Your account can be Christopher becomes increasingly more difficult with customized so you receive the information McGee is a policy and the lack of newspapers and diversity of the that matters most to you. Whether it procedure intern for the sources used by people to get their news. is where you live, work, or have friends Borough this spring. Wilkinsburg has a fairly active social or family throughout the country, the Chris will be assisting media presence but is turning to Nixle information is immediately available to the Borough manager in for additional communication. Nixle you over your mobile phone, email and collecting and revising is a Community Information Service computer. existing policy, as well dedicated to helping you stay connected Only authenticated agencies and as helping to draft new ones as needed to the information that matters most community organizations can securely throughout the departments. to you, depending on your physical publish information. There are four types Chris comes to us through the location. You stay connected to your of messages; Alerts (many would refer to Pennsylvania Municipal Internship local police department, your street this as an emergency type alert), Advisories Program, which provides opportunities department, your local community (less urgent need-to-know information), for qualified college students to actively agencies and organizations, and the Community Information (day-to-day engage in municipal operations, helping important information from other continued on page 8 to prepare them for careers in local locations throughout the country that government. In return, municipalities are relevant to you. The service is built receive knowledgeable help. on the most secure, reliable, and high- Chris, originally from Richmond, speed distribution platform, ensuring Va., is a junior history and political that you receive trusted and immediate, science major at Duquesne University geographically relevant information.