News Around the Neighborhood
Proposed Amendment to the AWCC Constitution and Bylaws
First paragraph of Duties of Officers should be changed to read (changes highlighted in bold): “The President shall preside at all meetings of the Council and Executive Committee, and shall be ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.Implementation: According to Article XII Bylaws, the amendment may be adopted upon presentation in writing of the proposed change at one regular meeting, and the publication in the Allegheny West Gazette, and a ⅔ vote concurring at the next regular meeting (September 13, 2016 at 7:30 pm).HeThe President may appoint special committees, and shall perform all other duties usually pertaining to the office. The President along with the Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for presentation at the June meeting for the fiscal year beginning in July. The budget will be voted on at the July membership meeting.”
Allegheny West Rejuvenation Plan
Submitted by Gloria Rayman
A new ad hoc committee is being formed by the Allegheny West Civic Council to focus on four areas of improvement across the entire neighborhood: street trees and sidewalks; lighting; traffic calming on W North Avenue and Brighton Road; and the Mary Cassatt Garden (the garden area in the on-ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge).
A preliminary study was conducted based on input from neighbors starting with a public meeting conducted last September by Pashek & Associates, a landscape architecture firm located on East Ohio Street and the designers of the Western Avenue Renewed streetscape improvement project. The plan has been reviewed and discussed (at times with great emotion) for almost a year at various Civic Council meetings and the AWCC Housing & Planning committee meetings.
At the July AWCC membership meeting, five motions were voted upon in order to continue this valuable planning process that will hopefully allow us to have “shovel ready” projects — projects that have been discussed, options researched, funding researched, with preliminary membership approval — so that when funding does become available, we are ready to go. Funds can be made available from various sources very quickly with very little notice given and very little time to respond so it’s of the utmost importance that we have our projects ready to go when the money is available.
There are still lots of details to line up for each part of the plan! Participation from neighbors on every block is strongly encouraged — don’t let these decisions up to your neighbors without your input (we all know how that works…). Seriously, if you’ve ever had a thought about how to make your neighborhood a little better but didn’t want to jump in with both feet, this is the project for you. Your opinions and expertise are needed to make this a reality that works for the whole neighborhood. We’re looking for neighbors to take part in this process.
And you don’t have to participate in all four areas of the plan — if you want to help craft the plan for new trees and sidewalk repairs throughout the neighborhood but don’t care about the rest of the options — no problem! I’ll be sure you get invited to the tree and sidewalk meetings. The only stipulation is that you actually live or work in the neighborhood — you don’t have to be a property owner to participate. Or even a member of the Civic Council. So if you would to be a part of this exciting new plan, please email me (glowalks@comcast.net) and I’ll send you out the preliminary study for your review. If you have any specific areas of interest and want to let me know that I’ll slot you onto the subcommittee of your choice.
House History Project Ready to Be Viewed Online
Submitted by Nick Smerker
The Neighborhood History section of alleghenywest.org is finally online! The first 20 house histories that were graciously shared by our neighbors were digitized by Pitt’s Archives Service Center in early summer and work to turn them into web-friendly, interactive features on each home wrapped up just a few days ago. It’s possible now to view the histories by street and to delve into information about historical owners by family. We’ve also had each of the properties photographed from the street by Chris Siewers, so it’ll be easy for visitors to identify homes they are interested in on the fly.
Next steps will include shoring up the last of the linked supplementary materials, adding photos and other non-text materials from the histories and getting interior and detail shots of the homes.
Also still to come: this entire cache of histories will be joining the Historic Pittsburgh site when it re-launches this Fall. Thanks so much to everyone who’s shared their house history. If you have one and would like to get involved with the project, feel free to email webmaster@allegehenywest.org or stop by the council office!
Alleys, Axles and Ales Tour – Volunteers Still Needed!
On September 24th, the first ever Alleys, Axles and Ales Tour will take place. The tour is a fundraising event which consists of walking the alleys of the neighborhood to admire cars in garages while sampling local beers.
Organizer Abi Webb is still in need of volunteers to help with ticketing, parking information, pouring beers and set-up for the volunteer party. Please email her if you’re interested and able to help: abijane77@gmail.com. There will be a final planning meeting at Abi’s house on (847 W North Avenue) on Monday, September 19th at 6:30 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend that has signed up to volunteer or wants to learn more about event.
Note: If you have tickets to attend, please note that all tours start at Babb Inc, 850 Ridge Avenue (in rear of building).
Traffic Advisory for September 24th: Maolis and Buttercup (from Rope Way to Galveston Avenue) will be closed to traffic on Saturday, September 24th from 12:00-5:00 pm. These alleys will be open only to pedestrians participating in the tour. Neighbors that typically access their garage during these hours should move their cars before the tour begins. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation!
Zone 1 Town Hall Meeting
All are welcome to attend a town hall meeting hosted by our Zone 1 police team. Zone 1 officers will hold a presentation and discussion about public safety on the Northside. The meeting will take place on Thursday, October 6th from 5:30–7:00 pm at the Manchester Citizens’ Corporation at 1319 Allegheny Avenue. For more information, contact Zone 1 at (412) 323-7201.
2016 Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour
Submitted by Carrie Doyle
Labor Day…Check!
Back to School…Check!
Football Season…Check!
What’s next on the list? Sure, you can think about your Halloween costume and decorations…but it’s also time to think about the 2016 Christmas Tour! The 35th Annual tour will be held Friday, December 9th and Saturday, December 10th.
As always, we will need help the weekend of the tour with house sitting, guiding tours, lighting luminaries and decorating the streets. But we also need your help in the planning leading up to the tour. There will be a planning meeting on Wednesday, September 14th at 7:00 pm at Carrie Doyle’s (950 Beech Avenue). If you are a homeowner, volunteer or interested in participating in any way, we welcome your involvement!
If you can’t make the meeting, but want to help, please contact Carrie at (412) 337-6020 or cadpgh@gmail.com.
Willock House Restoration
Interior and exterior renovations on the Willock House at 705 Brighton Road – Photos by Sara Sweeney
A treasure has been returned to our neighborhood, thanks to the team at Q Development, which acquired 705 Brighton Avenue — The Willock House — in 2014. In collaboration with the architects at Pfaffmann + Associates, the AWCC and furniture specialists at Weisshouse, Q has spent the last two years doing a historically-sensitive renovation of the house. Now, they’re looking to lease this single-family home to a long-term tenant who will appreciate the historic significance and architectural beauty of the home, while still appreciating modern amenities like a gym, a wine cellar and a full chef’s kitchen.
The 8,750 sq. ft. Willock House was built in 1891 for Alice Jones, daughter of steel magnate B.F. Jones (Jones & Laughlin), and her husband William Willock. B.F. Jones lived just a block away. Alice and William lived in the house for about a decade before moving to Sewickley. They maintained ownership of the house until their deaths in 1939.
During the 20th century, the house fell into disrepair. Many of the historical adornments were removed. In 2004, an ambitious renovation was started by Joe and Heidi Lawrence. The Lawrences were dedicated to the goal of returning the house to its glory. Q built upon this foundation to fully restore the house, as well as the three-story Carriage House, which was constructed in 1898. The Carriage House features a separate single family (unfurnished) residence.
Learn more and see additional photos at: qdevelopment.com/properties/the-willock-house/
Volunteer Opportunity
Join the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy for a volunteer event in Allegheny Commons in the evening of Thursday, September 22nd from 5:00–7:00 pm. Volunteers will be weeding and mulching trees around the park as well as doing some litter pick up. PPC will provide all tools, gloves, supplies and water needed for the event. To register, visit showclix.com/event/allegheny-commons-volunteer-event
Use Your Smartphone to Pay for Parking
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority has launched Go Mobile PGH, a free app for paying at all parking meters throughout the City of Pittsburgh. The app lets you enter your location, license and the time you want to pay for. It also accepts your payment, allows you to add more time and even uses a timer to alert you 15 minutes before your meter is up!
For more information and to get the app, go to pittsburghparking.com, or call (877) 727-5281.
Doors Open Pittsburgh
Doors Open Pittsburgh is a FREE, 2-day event that will provide behind-the-scenes access to a collection of iconic buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The event takes place the weekend of October 1st and 2nd, from 9:00 am–4:00 pm. Open buildings will include private clubs, theaters, adaptive reuse, residential, heritage sites, government offices, hotels, sacred places, artists workspaces and office spaces. The open building will either provide a semi/fully guided tour OR will allow for self-exploration.
NO Tickets. No reservations. It’s FREE.
To attend:
- Simply go to the Doors Open Pittsburgh website: www.doorsopenpgh.org
- Decide on the sites you want to visit
- Create your own itinerary and go
- At each building, you will be greeted by a Doors Open Pgh volunteer, and then be allowed to explore (some sites will provide guided experiences)