BLOGSKI

Residents on Melwood Street in Polish Hill will have no water from 6 p.m. to midnight Wednesday.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will replace two water valves on Melwood during that time. Most other residents in Polish Hill will experience low water pressure and possible interruption of service.

In the event of a water or sewer emergency, residents should call PWSA at 412-255-2429 or 412-255-2409.

There was a nice short article in the Tribune-Review.  Titled “Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill is a Neighborhood in Transition”, the piece offers a quick snapshot of the history of the neighborhood and the mix of people who now call it home.

Click here to read the article.

Above:  at Lili Cafe.  Photo by Jasmine Goldband for the Tribune-Review.

TALKPGH is part of ARTPGH and DESIGNPGH, the public art and urban design components of the City’s first Comprehensive Plan called PLANPGH collectively.  PLANPGH is an inclusive public initiative to create a comprehensive plan for the city’s growth over the next 25 years.  TALKPGH is Pittsburgh’s first mobile talk show; it will be filmed in a transparent truck that will travel to each of the city’s 90 neighborhoods.  The purpose of the show is to collect opinions and stories from Pittsburgh residents about the neighborhoods they live in.  The footage will be aired as a web TV show, and the contribution of residents will be honored during a series of public screenings.

TALKPGH has contacted the PHCA to help find three people from Polish Hill to be interviewed on Friday, April 19 from 4-5 p.m.  Their goal is to find three interviewees who are as different from each other as possible (in age, gender, race, profession, personality, how long they’ve lived in the neighborhood, etc).

It often seems as if the same few people step forward to speak for the neighborhood.  Polish Hill has such a wonderfully varied population; it would be great if some new faces volunteered to share their stories.  If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, please call us at 412.681.1950 or email.

The PHCA is delighted to announce the Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Façade Renovation Grant Program.  Each residential property owner in Polish Hill is eligible to apply for a 1-to-1 matching grant of up to $5,000 to renovate the façade (street-facing side) of their property.  Awardees must contribute the project match amount and all amounts over the maximum $5,000 match.  Grant amounts less than $250 will not be considered, meaning the façade renovation project must cost at least $500.  Grant funds are reimbursed after the work is completed — in other words, the awardee must pay for the renovations upfront before receiving the grant money.

Renovation possibilities include:

✒ Replace gutters, siding, windows and doors
✒ Paint trim or porches
✒ Plant permanent landscaping
✒ Repair or replace sidewalks, steps or retaining walls
✒ Receive a bonus for energy efficiency improvements

Stuck on what to do? Select renovation ideas from the Pivotal Streets Design Guide.

Eligibility: Polish Hill residential property owners — owner-occupied and rental — who are ready to begin their projects!  Applications are due by March 30, 2013, awards will be announced by April 30, 2013  Reimbursement checks are issued when work is completed.

An independent committee of volunteer professionals will review applications and award funds. Grants are competitive and funds are limited.  Program funded by the PNC Foundation and Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development.

Here are the program guidelines, and here is the application.
Questions?  Contact us at 412.681.1950 or email us.

(Above:  Illustration courtesy of Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects, from the Pivotal Streets Design Guide)

Allegheny County Emergency Services, Human Services and Health Department have put out some information about dealing with the extreme cold.  One item particularly seems relevant to Polish Hill –  the County encourages residents to look out for our elderly neighbors.

Assisting Older Neighbors During Severe Weather

The Department of Human Services (DHS) encourages all county residents to check on older neighbors to make sure they are safe during periods of severe weather. Here are some tips and guidelines:

·         Make sure seniors have a list of emergency telephone numbers that includes neighbors and family members who can help, if needed.

·         Check to see the furnace is working if the house feels cold. Become alert to dangerous methods of heating a room, such as open flames or ovens.

·         Ensure that walkways and steps leading to their homes are cleared and that there is food and water in the house.

·         Go back later or the next day, if at all possible, to make sure everything is still alright. Remove your coat and stay at least 15 minutes. This is a great chance to share a cup of coffee, verify the pipes are not frozen, and check on pets.

·         Be particularly mindful of older neighbors during a power outage. Lack of electrical power not only presents dangers associated with lack of heat, but also risks associated with non-functioning vital medical equipment, such as oxygen systems, emergency lighting, stair glides and medication timers. If you cannot contact someone you believe is in the house, contact your local police or emergency services.

When weather circumstances dictate, the DHS Area Agency on Aging and its contracted providers contact frail, isolated and high-risk consumers who are registered for care management. Care managers visit those at highest risk and ensure each home is well-heated and has enough food, water and medication to last for several days. Care managers also respond to emergency needs as they arise.

The Area Agency on Aging has already provided more than 2,400 “Snowy Weather Boxes” to at-risk older adults who are registered with the agency and often live alone. The boxes include toilet paper, non-skid slipper socks, hand sanitizer, flashlight and batteries, peanut butter, crackers, tuna, fruit, juice, bottled water, and other shelf-stable meals and drinks.

Information about programs and services for older adults is available by calling SeniorLine at 412-350-5460 (TDD/TTY 412-350-2727), sending an email to SeniorLine@alleghenycounty.us, or visiting the DHS Older Adults website at www.alleghenycounty.us/dhs/olderadults.aspx.

(Photo of Brereton Street buildings in winter by Mark Knobil)

For those who are eligible for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program but have yet to apply, there’s some good news:  the deadline has been extended until the end of the year.

More than 600,000 older Pennsylvanians and residents with disabilities are expected to benefit from the program, which provides rebates on property taxes and rent paid in 2011.  The program benefits income-eligible Pennsylvanians 65 or older; widows and widowers 50 or older; and people with disabilities 18 or older. The income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 for renters.

All forms of income must be counted, but half of Social Security, Supplemental Security or federal Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits are excluded from the total.  The maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates automatically calculated by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for senior homeowners with lower incomes can boost the property tax rebate to $975.

Seniors and others who received a rebate last year on their 2010 property taxes or rent should have received an application for the 2011 tax year in the mail.  Applications and free help completing the form are available at the offices of your state representatives, including Senator Jim Ferlo (3519 Butler Street, or call 412.621.3006) and Adam Ravenstahl (3689 California Ave, or call 412.321.5523.

It’s been reported that a firm has been soliciting Pennsylvania residents, offering to complete the form for a fee.  In fact, there is no need to pay to have this form completed.

You can also obtain a Property Tax/Rent Rebate claim form online, by calling, toll free, 1-888-222-9190, or at local area agencies on aging and senior centers, or at the PHCA office

Those who have already applied for a rebate can check the status of their claim online at www.revenue.state.pa.us or by calling, toll free, 1-888-PATAXES. The state will begin sending rebate checks to people who’ve already applied after July 1. Claims for people who apply after that will be processed as they are received.

Last week, a motorcyclist was struck by a car and seriously injured on the S-curve at Gold Way.  She was knocked unconscious and doesn’t recall exactly what happened, but it appears that the speed of the vehicles and narrowness of the road were factors.  The driver who hit her left the scene.

And on May 31, a woman in a sedan was hit head-on by a small transport van at the intersection of Melwood Avenue and Finland Street.  A resident at that intersection told us that an off-duty firefighter pulled over to help the woman, who was injured.

We don’t know the details of each of these accidents, but both illustrate the increasing problem of speeding and too much traffic on Gold Way and Melwood Avenue.  Many drivers are non-residents who use this small, quiet back route as a shortcut between Oakland and the Strip.  Many drive much too fast on this stretch where, in many places, there is only room for one vehicle at a time.  It seems that every resident along Melwood has stories about damaged vehicles, near-misses, and accidents.

For years, residents have been asking the PHCA and local representatives for help in solving this problem.  A number of solutions have been proposed:  speed bumps, reducing the speed limit, making the road one-way, or closing it to through traffic, as it was in the 1980s.  Any solutions that would help reduce the problem would come at the cost of some inconvenience to residents.

If cut-through drivers and speeding traffic on Melwood Avenue and Gold Way (or elsewhere in the neighborhood) have affected you, we’d like to hear about it.  One of the goals in the Polish Hill Community Plan is to address this problem, and we are collecting data on the situation.  If you would like to share your experiences or be part of the discussion, please come to the next community meeting on Tuesday, June 5.  The meeting will be held in the senior center on the lower level of West Penn Recreation Center.

If you can’t attend the meeting, call 412.681.1950, or email us, with your input. By sharing information, we can start moving towards a solution.  And to contact local officials directly to share your concerns, here is their contact information:  District 7 Councilman Patrick Dowd, 412.255.2140, or email here;  Senator Jim Ferlo, 412. 621.3006, or email here.

(Top:  The Gold Way S-Curve.  Bottom:  the intersection of Melwood Avenue and Finland Street.  Both photos taken in 2010.)

The May community meeting is this evening at 6:30 at West Penn Recreation Center, in the senior room on the lower level.  All are welcome.  Stop in and hear what’s going on, what’s coming up, and share any concerns you might have.

Residents and businesses in the vicinity of Dobson Street just received a hand-delivered notification from PWSA with an update on the repaving work.  Work began on Wednesday, April 18 and was originally scheduled to end today.

The work is now scheduled to end on Tuesday, May 1.  No work will be performed on Saturday April 28 or Sunday April 29.

The contractor doing this work, Independent Enterprise Services, has reminded us that during this period, there will be no parking on the entire length of Dobson Street from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on work days.  All vehicles inside the no parking zone will be towed.  If you have any questions or need additional information, contact the superintendent, David Kovachick, at 412.523.0656.

Agnes Lechwar (or Aggie, as many people call her) stops into the PHCA office once or twice a week to say hello on her way to church.  Agnes has been making that walk for many years, and it’s probably one of the reasons she was able to celebrate her 90th birthday last week.  We enjoy her visits and her stories about Polish Hill — she has a great voice.  Above is photo of Aggie working a booth at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church festival last summer.

Agnes’ kids surprised her with a newspaper notice about her birthday.  Happy Birthday, Aggie, and many happy returns!

(Photo by Leslie Clague for the PHCA)