News Around the Neighborhood
Carnegie Science Center: National Parks Adventure Day
- Date: Saturday, February 13
- Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Location: Carnegie Science Center
- Details: HERE
AWCC Now on Instagram
Allegheny West is officially on Instagram! Follow us @AlleghenyWest_pgh
Share (or continue to share) your pictures of our beautiful neighborhood by tagging them #AlleghenyWest or more directly with us by tagging us, putting @AlleghenyWest_pgh in the comments of your pictures on Instagram.
If you are new to Instagram or this makes absolutely no sense to you for any other reason (and you would like help figuring it out) you can email Sara at communications@alleghenywest.org.
CSA Tickets for Northsiders: A BRAND NEW WORLD
Part of the New Hazlett CSA Performance Series
Thursday, February 11 | 8PM
The Community Supported Art performance series continues on Thursday, February 11 at 8PM with Ricardo Iamuuri’s A BRAND NEW WORLD: kill the artist. As Northside community members, we’d like to offer you a special discount to this new show.
You are invited to Cool World, where nothing is hotter than being cool, and creativity is packaged and sold for anyone to buy. One man challenges this reality, and now he must stand trial for his incendiary acts of arson. You are the witnesses, the judges, and the jury. The fate of this Wildfire Man rests in your hands.
Ricardo Iamuuri has created a six-part sound composition featuring foley art, timed events, and a visual score. Each object onstage carries an instrumental element, and field recordings and audio clips are woven throughout to sustain the narrative. The performance element adds yet another layer that engages the audience directly.
Special $15 Tickets for Northsiders
Coupon Code: NorthsideCSA
Use this coupon code at check out to apply the discount.
[ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.showclix.com/event/killtheartist”] Get Tickets Now [/ebor_button]
Letter from the President – February 2016
Decisions, decisions…
Please come to the membership meeting this month. There are several issues that the Civic Council needs to make a decision on, and the more input we have the more likely we are to make decisions that benefit the entire neighborhood. (Plus, honestly, we need a quorum to actually make a decision…and I begged the ZBA for an extension and we’ll look kind of goofy if we still can’t take a position.)
First up: The Stables building has been in front of the Historic Review Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustments this week. The Historic Review Commission has continued the decision to next month and asked the developer to address specific issues such as the proposed fourth story addition to the Stables, and design elements that more clearly differentiate the new addition from the historic building. AWCC has an option to make recommendations or raise concerns at next month’s hearing. The developers also managed to snag a spot on an incredibly crowded ZBA hearing agenda. (Apparently the next unscheduled openings are in April/May…I’m choosing to take that as a sign that there are lots of potentially interesting projects happening in the City, although I realize there are other possible interpretations.) However, because the hearing was scheduled after the developer’s presentation to the Membership, the ZBA agreed to give us 10 extra days to take a formal position and submit evidence. I want to make sure people are able to make an informed decision, so if there are specific pieces of information that people want to have in front of them at the meeting please send me a quick email at president@alleghenywest.org. We will provide the most current plans available, although the density and height requests have not changed since the last presentation. (Please please help us get to quorum…my dignity thanks you.)
Light of Life will also be presenting a plan for a zoning variance. They are requesting to increase the height of the wall on the property on Ridge Avenue to better secure the property. They also have made some additional progress on a plan to overhaul how their services are distributed on the Northside. It’s still in the early stages but we expect them to return in the next few months asking for additional community input.
Also, the Pittsburgh Oldtimers are also going to be on hand to make a presentation to the neighbors.
Finally, I’d like your opinion on how we should make use of the crime reports that the Zone 1 police department has started producing at the NSLC safety committee’s request. I’m one of those people who avoids the evening news because I think it spends too much time reporting on “interesting” crimes and it ends up making me paranoid and depressed. (Facebook, mumble mumble…) On the other hand, I’m a lover of data for data’s sake, and do think it’s important that we have an accurate understanding of what’s going on in our neighborhood. It’s really hard to argue for more resources if the official reports don’t show any issues in the neighborhood. I’m waffling between just posting the reports on the website and actually sending them to the email lists. I welcome your thoughts on this.
Trade-off: There always seem to be trade-offs.
Catherine Serventi
President, AWCC
AWCC Membership Meeting Agenda – February 9, 2016
971 Beech Avenue
Tuesday, February 9th at 7:30 pm
- 7:30 – Light of Light – Ridge Avenue Property Presentation
- 7:45 – Northside Old-timers Presentation
- 7:50 – New Neighbors
- 7:55 – Minutes
- 8:00 – Treasurer’s Report
- 8:05 – Housing and Planning Updates
- Western Avenue 911 Galveston Avenue
- Council CDFG: Trash Can Update
- One Northside Grant Update
- 8:15 – AWDC Updates
- 928 – 930 Western Avenue
- Stables – Recommendations to the Zoning Board
- 8:30 – NSLC: Stadium Authority Traffic Study
- 8:40 – 2016 Flower Baskets
- 8:45 – Upcoming Membership Events
- Mixers
- Bowling
- 8:50 – Communications: House History Website Project
- 8:55 – Committee Q&A
Send a note to president@alleghenywest.org if you have additional agenda items to add.
The House History Project
There are many reasons why people come to love old houses. These include the decorative features and layouts unavailable in the modern age, the solidity with which they are built, and the grand room sizes. One of the most interesting advantages of an older home is that it has a history. The world was different when it was built, and has changed dramatically over the years as the house has aged. Many families and people have lived in the house, and their stories are part of the fabric of American history. To live in an old house is to be a part of a much larger and longer story. What we today call Allegheny West is blessed by having a great many grand, unique and interesting houses. As a neighborhood, it has had a leading role in the history of both Pittsburgh and the country. As people move here, or come to walk our streets and see the architecture, they are curious about the people and the stories which animate the history of these houses.
Many of us have had house histories done by Carole Peterson. With Carole’s gracious permission, Allegheny West has undertaken to collect copies of those histories and publish them to our website. This will help tell the story of our neighborhood. We are hoping to build out a really robust house histories and Before & After section of the Allegheny West website as materials arrive. We’re also exploring the possibility of putting together a walking tour that could include an interactive, mobile device-driven component, allowing visitors (and residents!) to dig deeper into the homes around them and their long, glamorous pasts and the hard work that went into – and goes into – keeping them beautiful.
To do this, we need your cooperation.
If you have a house history, please share it with us and allow us to add it to the neighborhood website. We are also looking for old photos of the neighborhood, and before and after pictures of the houses, to help flesh out the story. If you have those, please send them along as well! Digital or scanned copies can be emailed to Cathy Serventi and to Nick Smerker, both reachable at webmaster@alleghenywest.org. Hard copies can be dropped off at the Allegheny West office (806 Western Avenue). You can drop them through the office door, addressed to the House History Project. Please make sure they’re in a protective envelope. After you drop them off, please email webmaster@alleghenywest.org so we know that there’s a history for us to pick up. Also, please provide a phone number for us to call to make arrangements to return the materials to you. By dropping off items for scanning, you’re giving us permission to post the photos or histories on the website. You can also drop materials off during the AWCC Membership meetings. Please don’t leave house histories at Calvary during other times. If you have other questions you can call (412) 323-8884.
Thank you,
Jim Wallace and Nick Smerker
Above & Beyond
This week I’d like to call out all the folks who have been working so hard to make the Stables project work. The developer, Andrew, and his team have been to well over a half dozen meetings, taking feedback from the neighborhood and incorporating it into the designs. That also means that various combinations of neighbors have been attending these meetings, pouring through plans and financials, asking important questions and making suggestions. Michael and Tim have also been working for literally years on the submissions for various historic designations. And Jon (the NSLC Conference) and Christa (our realtor) have been holding our hands the entire way. Maintaining and developing a historic property is amazingly complicated and much like the tour it would take an entire newsletter to list everyone (especially since I’ve only be heavily involved for 5 years and this project has a lonngggg history in the neighborhood).
Port Authority Public Comment Period
Port Authority of Allegheny County is considering eliminating its multi-zone system and switching to a single-zone, $2.50 flat fare, pay-on-enter system that would give riders a financial incentive to use their ConnectCard and make getting from A to B a better overall experience and value. Unlike every other fare proposal Port Authority has implemented in the last 35 years, this proposal would lower the average cost for many riders in Allegheny County.
Public hearings will be held:
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Omni William Penn Hotel, William Penn Ballroom
530 William Penn Place, Downtown
11:00 am – 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Alumni Hall, Connolly Ballroom
4227 Fifth Avenue, Oakland
3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Those wishing to register to speak at one or both hearings are encouraged to preregister by calling (412) 566-5187 or (412) 231-7007 for TTY weekdays from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm. Oral testimony will be limited to three minutes per speaker. Port Authority will provide a sign language interpreter.
One Clean Northside
Allegheny CleanWays, an organization that strives to engage and empower people to eliminate litter and illegal dumping in their communities, is working in the Northside! ACW is looking for volunteers to clean up illegal dumping (with the DumpBusters program), and is ready to partner with communities on existing and new litter cleanup efforts. ACW, along with the Pennsylvania Resources Council, also has recycling bins to distribute and is developing an anti-litter campaign.
If you are interested in any of these programs, please email Samantha Weaver at samantha.weaver@alleghenycleanways.org.
Mardi Gras on the Northside
It’s time for Northside Mardi Gras! More than two dozen Northside businesses are celebrating this weekend with live music, food and drink specials, and more! Try everything from Dixieland to rock & roll, from gumbo to po’boys, from classic cocktails to regional beers. You can find the full schedule of events at pittsburghnorthside.com. Just click the Mardi Gras logo to find your favorite music, food and drink!
We’ll finish with a great Fat Tuesday Party at the Allegheny Elks Lodge #339 on Tuesday, February 9th from 7:00-11:00 pm. Dixie Doc and the Dixieland All Stars will be playing, Jack “Johnny Angel” Hunt will be singing with the band, and we’ll crown our 2016 Mardi Gras King, WQED’s Rick Sebak! The Elks will be cooking New Orleans style and the bar will have specials. $15 at the door. Get there early because we sold out last year!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!