Julia Felton stories, Page 19
Pittsburgh looks to issue bond for affordable housing efforts
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday that the city could bring in between $25 million and $40 million for affordable housing initiatives by issuing a bond. Gainey said legislation will be introduced to City Council — and also require authorization from the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority — to issue a...
Pittsburgh opening cooling centers Thursday, Friday
Pittsburgh is opening cooling centers Thursday and Friday as temperatures are expected to reach about 90 degrees. The cooling centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the following locations:Beechview Healthy Active Living Community Center, 1555 Broadway Ave.Brighton Heights Healthy Active Living Community Center, 3515 McClure Ave.Greenfield...
Carnegie Mellon looks to create new commons area
Carnegie Mellon University is looking to create a new commons space on its Oakland campus. In a presentation Tuesday to the city’s Planning Commission, officials said the proposed Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons would be built under the existing Hamerschlag House dormitory. People would be able to access it through...
Officials seek beds for people displaced from Smithfield Shelter in Pittsburgh
Allegheny County officials on Wednesday said they are working to provide additional resources and alternate shelter spaces for the people who have been using the Smithfield United Church of Christ temporary overnight shelter, which will close by the end of June. The shelter typically is open only during the winter...
Pittsburgh to celebrate city’s 50th LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Pittsburgh will celebrate its 50th LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, and officials say the event has taken on added significance this year as that community has been “under attack” across the nation. City Councilman Bruce Kraus, D-South Side, said he can’t remember a time that was “so malicious and so...
Allegheny General Hospital considers new construction, eliminating shared hospital rooms
A long-range development plan for Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital includes the potential for new buildings in the North Side campus and a goal of making all hospital rooms single occupancy. The proposed master plan, which lays out development goals for the next decade, was presented to the Planning Commission on...
Work begins on next phase of improvements in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Commons Park
Work started this week on the latest phase of construction to upgrade the North Promenade in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Commons Park. A 15-foot-wide central promenade will be built along North Avenue, the park’s system of connected pathways will be realigned and more than 100 trees will be planted. The project also...
Renovation of Pittsburgh’s Anderson Playground expected to be completed next spring
Pittsburgh’s Public Art & Civic Design Commission on Wednesday approved designs for the renovation of Anderson Playground in Schenley Park. The playground will retain its dinosaur theme, according to plans presented to the commission. It also will include features designed for people with disabilities, including sensory activities and ADA-accessible swings....
Pittsburgh implements new outdoor dining standards
A Pittsburgh commission voted Wednesday to standardize outdoor dining options in the city and streamline the process of getting city approval for outdoor dining areas. Restaurants need to apply for permits to use sidewalks and streets for outdoor operations. Pittsburgh’s Public Art & Civic Design Commission approved setting standards for...
Pittsburgh updates fees for residential, commercial development projects
Pittsburgh has updated its fee schedule for residential and commercial development projects to make up for a $1.4 million shortfall in the Department of City Planning budget. The city will charge a fee of 0.1% of a project’s cost for residential developments and a 0.3% fee for commercial developments. Fees...
Funeral arrangements announced for La Roche University President Sister Candace Introcaso
Funeral arrangements for La Roche University President Sister Candace Introcaso have been announced. A viewing for Introcaso, who died Monday, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Visitation Chapel in The Commons at Providence Heights in McCandless. A Mass will be...
Construction to start this summer on Pittsburgh’s Homewood Field
Work is expected to start this summer on a project to update Homewood Field with a regulation-size football field and other amenities. Officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site Tuesday ahead of construction on the project. “Homewood Field is a beloved and heavily used resource by the community,” Mayor...
Pittsburgh’s public safety, public works vehicle fleets in ‘dire straits’
Pittsburgh’s public safety and public works vehicle fleets are in “dire straits,” officials said during a meeting Tuesday. “We’re duct-taping and bubble-gumming things together,” Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. “We’re not providing the level of services we normally should be providing.” Officials said the city’s aging vehicle fleets often...
Larry Scirotto confirmed as new Pittsburgh police chief
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Larry Scirotto as the city’s new police chief. Mayor Ed Gainey nominated the veteran Pittsburgh police officer early this month. Scirotto, 49, retired from the Pittsburgh police in 2018 as an assistant chief after serving in various roles, from being an officer in...
Allegheny County to close Smithfield Shelter in summer
The temporary overnight homeless shelter at Smithfield United Church of Christ will close by the end of June, officials from Allegheny County Department of Human Services said Monday. The shelter typically is open only during the winter months, but officials in March announced it would remain open longer this year....
La Roche University President Sister Candace Introcaso remembered as leader, friend
La Roche University President Sister Candace Introcaso died Monday afternoon. Introcaso was named the university’s seventh president in 2004. “We all mourn the loss of a great woman, our longtime president and our friend, Sister Candace Introcaso,” Acting President and Provost Howard Ishiyama said at the start of a 2...
Pittsburgh may need to reevaluate city pools, official says
Pittsburgh officials are still recruiting additional lifeguards in an effort to open all of the city’s pools this summer, and spray parks are slated to open next weekend. City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith acknowledged it’s been difficult for the city to recruit enough lifeguards. Kail-Smith said she’d like to see...
Pittsburgh City Council to vote on Larry Scirotto’s appointment as police chief
Pittsburgh City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Larry Scirotto’s nomination as the city’s new police chief. Mayor Ed Gainey earlier this month announced Scirotto as his nominee to be the city’s police chief. Scirotto, 49, retired from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in 2018 as an assistant chief,...
Maintenance work on Pittsburgh’s Swinburne Bridge starts Monday
A $230,000 maintenance project on Pittsburgh’s Swinburne Bridge is scheduled to begin Monday, and officials said the work could result in short-term delays for motorists over the next four weeks. A portion of one traffic lane will be closed while crews work on the bridge that connects South Oakland and...
Pittsburgh program to bring constituent services into city neighborhoods
Pittsburgh’s new City in the Streets program will bring city department leaders into neighborhoods to meet residents outside of City Hall. “Building trust between government and community begins with people interacting directly with city leaders in their neighborhoods,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “City in the Streets will help connect our...
Pittsburgh senior centers receive state grants for improvements
Several Pittsburgh senior centers will undergo improvements with the help of state grant money from the Department of Aging. The Mt. Washington Healthy Active Living Community Center was awarded $50,000 for improvements, including new windows, flooring, a shuffleboard court, raised garden beds and a kiln, according to state Sen. Wayne...
Traffic calming project slated for Squirrel Hill
Pittsburgh officials on Friday announced they are planning to complete a traffic calming project in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood next week. The traffic calming effort will occur on Shady Avenue between Beacon Street and Phillips Avenue, according to the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Data collected in 2021...
Final beam placed at FNB Financial Center
During a ceremony Thursday, officials placed the final construction beam atop the 26-story FNB Financial Center, the anchor of a redevelopment effort at the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Construction at the FNB Financial Center began in September 2021 and is slated to be finished next...
URA creates program to help community land trusts rehab, build for-sale affordable housing
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has approved creating a program that would provide funding to community land trusts to rehabilitate or build for-sale affordable housing. The program will provide grants and low-interest construction financing “for the purpose of increasing the supply of permanently affordable housing for home ownership,” according to the...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey names Olga George as new press secretary
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday appointed Olga George as his new press secretary. George, of Squirrel Hill, previously worked as an assignment desk editor and producer at KDKA-TV and has more than three decades of journalism experience. She will serve as Gainey’s primary spokeswoman and media liaison. The mayor’s...
