If you own a house or other real estate in the City of Pittsburgh or in Mt. Oliver, chances are you have already received a notice of your new property assessment from Allegheny County. (Notices to property owners outside the City are due in your mailboxes sometime in 2012.)

The filing deadline for an informal review of your new property valuation is Jan 13 and the deadline for a request of a formal appeal on your new property assessment is due to the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals & Review on Feb 10.

To learn more about this process and the Allegheny County Reassessment of 2012, come for an informational session by Pittsburgh attorney Greg Biernacki of Real Estate Tax Consultants, Inc.

When:   Saturday, Jan 7
Time:   10:00 — 11:30am
Where:   Landmarks Housing Resource Center
744 Rebecca Ave, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
Click here for a map and driving directions.

RSVPs are appreciated. Contact Mary Lu Denny at 412-471-5808 ext. 527 or marylu@phlf.org

Please note that PHLF does not provide tax or legal advice. This session is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal or tax advice. Please consult your own tax and legal advisors with respect to questions or issues.

Monday, December 5th

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Waverly Presbyterian Church Social Hall
(corner of S. Braddock and Forbes Avenues)

Drinks, paper goods, and music will be provided by the Board (we bring food too!). Guests are asked to bring a favorite dish or dessert to share at the party, as well as a healthy non-perishable food item to donate to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

MOST NEEDED Food Drive Items List
~ Cereal (high fiber, low sugar)
~ Tuna, Canned Salmon (packed in water)
~ Fruit, Vegetable Juice (100%, any size)
~ Canned Beans (kidney, black, navy)
~ Canned Vegetables
~ Peanut Butter (15 or 18 oz)
~ Canned fruit
~ Toilet, Facial Tissue
~ Laundry Detergent
~ Diapers (baby & adult)
**Non-perishable items only**PLEASE NO GLASS CONTAINERS**

Holiday fixin’s list: http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/pdf/holiday_shopping_list.pdf

Supervised children are welcome, activities will be provided.

We hope you’ll join us for this cherished holiday tradition!

The GPPNA Board of Directors

Katy Frey, President
Melissa Neely, Vice President
Khrys Myrddin, Secretary
Sue Breslow, Treasurer
Jim Lenkner
Marlene Green
Mary Hupe
John Mayberry
Marilyn Navish-McCullough
Joni Rabinowitz

Come talk with some of the experts in the field. Brenda Smith (Executive Director of the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association) and a representative from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will help us figure out what we can do as individuals and as a community to address these issues.

Join us for a presentation and discussion about stormwater issues facing our neighborhood.
Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, 7:00 pm
Waverly Presbyterian Church Social Hall
(Corner of S. Braddock & Forbes Aves.)

*Refreshments will be served.*

AGENDA
7:00 Doors open/Refreshments
7:30 Presentation and discussion
8:30 GPPNA Annual Meeting:

• Review of the past year’s activities and plans for the coming year.
• Board Elections — there are four 2-year spots open for the GPPNA Board of Directors.

ELECTION INFORMATION
To vote, you must be a paid up member of GPPNA. You can join or renew your membership that evening.

View GPPNA bylaws and read board candidate biographies on the “Join GPPNA” page of our our website www.parkplaceblog.com.

Whether you are new-to-the-neighborhood, a long time resident, home-owner or renter, GPPNA member or not…EVERYONE is welcome at this annual neighborhood event

CANDIDATE BIOS FOR GPPNA ELECTION

Marlene Green

Melissa Neely

I love living in Park Place. My husband and I bought a duplex on S Braddock Ave in 1995. After 13 years, a large dog, and 3 growing boys, we decided we needed to move… next door. We have been converting a 4 unit into a single family house since 2008. Living on South Braddock Ave for 16 years, one of my ongoing concerns is pedestrian safety and our traffic issues.

A lot of my time is spent being a mom and the coordinator of the Neelyhouse. My work hours are spent as print designer for the Software Engineering Institute at CMU. My specialty is taking complex print information and making it easy to understand.

I look forward to contributing to the work of the GPPNA Board: supporting the neighborhood programs and events; helping build a sense of community between neighbors; addressing particular issues of the neighborhood; providing effective communications; and empowering residents to work together to improve Park Place.

Khrys Myrddin

I am a founding member of GPPNA and have served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors since 2006. In that capacity, I have worked to standardize meeting minutes and improve record-keeping for the organization in a way that will institutionalize knowledge so that it may be handed off to future board members in a coherent and organized way. In addition, I have had the primary responsibilty for sending out the Park Place Update for the last several years.

I have been involved in the planning and execution of a number of GPPNA events, most significantly the first three homeowner workshops organized with the CDCP and other East End neighborhoods. For the past two years, I have provided more of a support role with the larger events as I was working on a Master’s of Public Policy & Management (MPPM) degree while continuing to work full-time as the Associate Director of the Conflict of Interest Office at the University of Pittsburgh. I have also represented GPPNA at a City-sponsored S.A.F.E. Neighbhorhood conference and joined the PPND’s Safe Neighborhood Network. Now that I have finished my program, I am eager to spend more time making Park Place even more amazing than it already is!

John Mayberry

A neighborhood resident and home owner for over 10 years, you may know my name from the parkplaceblog.com web site that I currently manage.

I am interested in being on the board for the neighborhood association because I wish to help make our community stronger, continuing down the path of improvement it has been on for the last several years.

I believe that to become a stronger community, we need to draw on the talents of our diverse community members and come together as strong advocates with a vision, guided by our individual strengths and unified under a common purpose.
Our neighborhood’s future is largely of our own making and will continue to be so as long as we do not cede that right to outside interests. I wish to have our community define our own direction for planning and development, and to have the community become its own best advocate in all matters related to it, including zoning, schools, redevelopment, and safety issues.

As a certified project manager with many years experience in electronic media communications, I can help build out some of the infrastructure helpful to those goals.

Submitted by Jim Lenkner

The meeting at ECS focused on the traffic study and plans.  Essentially car pickup and drop-off will be from both sides of the building with reserved loading zones on Waverly and Brashear.  All buses will use the front entrance on S. Braddock Avenue, which will become a no-parking area.  Buses will not wait on S. Braddock Avenue but will be staged from the parking lot near the tennis courts on S. Braddock and called to pick up kids as they are ready to board.  Morning arrivals will drop-off students and depart immediately.  The study and plan was based on a maximum student capacity of 234 with 19 permanent staff.  There will be two kindergartens and one each of grades one thru three.

A parking study conducted on September 15 showed that on the streets surrounding the school, Waverly, East End and Brashear, a minimum of 35 open street parking spaces were counted between the hours of 8 and 4 – suggesting that if parents needed to park for short periods during drop-off times or for daytime meetings, there would be ample on-street parking available.

Evening events will be scheduled with attention given to the Shadyside Academy schedule.  ECS will supply their calendar to GPPNA for posting or linking.  A transportation coordinator will be designated to handle all logistics and issues that may arise.  Any evening event will be conducted with ECS staff outside to facilitate parking.

Traffic plan for Park Place School

(Click on image, and then again to see it larger.)

You can also review the complete Revised Traffic and Parking Study, or see highlights below:

Transportation Management Plan (TMP) (excerpted from full traffic plan)

1. School start time will occur at 9:00 A.M.
2. Off-duty police officers will be provided from 8:15 A.M. to 9:15 A.M. and from 3:45 P.M. to 4:45 P.M. on all regular school days for the purpose of traffic control at the intersections of South Braddock Avenue with Waverly Street and with Brashear Street . Off-duty police officer shifts are served in four-hour increments so other duties that could be provided by these officers will be discussed with City representatives.
3. During all arrivals and dismissals, students will be supervised by ECS staff and escorted to/from the school and/or School Loading Zones
4. Students will use the front entrance on South Braddock Avenue for all arrivals and dismissals, supervised by ECS staff.
5. Parents/guardians will be permitted to drop-off students only at the designated School Loading Zones on Waverly Street and Brashear Street , prior to the start of school.
6. School buses, mini-buses, and vans will be permitted to drop off students only at the designated School Loading Zone on South Braddock Avenue , prior to the start of school.
7. School dismissal time will occur at 4:00 P.M. for school buses, mini-buses, and vans.
8. School dismissal time will occur at 4:15 P.M. for Parent/guardian pick-up.
9. School buses, mini-buses, and vans will be permitted to pick-up students upon dismissal only at the designated School Loading Zone on South Braddock Avenue .
10. All school buses, mini-buses, and vans will be staged on the western side of South Braddock Avenue , between Biddle Avenue and Guthrie Street , prior to student bus dismissal. The school vehicles will be radioed for pick up at the proposed ECS by ECS Staff.
11. Parents/guardians will be permitted to pick up students at the designated School Loading Zones on both Waverly Street and Brashear Street .
12. If School Loading Zones are fully occupied, parents/guardians will be permitted to park and wait in the available existing on-street parking spaces along Brashear Street, East End Avenue, and Waverly Street . Parents/guardians will be directed to the School Loading Zones, as space becomes available, by ECS Staff.
13. Parents/guardians will be instructed not to park along South Braddock Avenue at any time.
14. Parents/guardians will be reminded that no parking is permitted at any time in front of existing residential driveways.
15. Student drop-off and pick-up will only be permitted in the designated School Loading Zones.
16. At the start of each semester, a document will be distributed to all Parents/guardians of the students at ECS with directions detailing the student drop-off and pick-up procedure.A copy of this document will be posted and will be on file in the ECS office.
17. Bus companies will be informed of the transportation management plan aspects that pertain to bus/minivan operations at least annually just prior to the start of the school year.
18. The ECS will designate a Transportation Coordinator to be a point of contact for the neighborhood, parents, bus companies and the City of Pittsburgh for all transportation related questions and comments.
19. ECS will coordinate with SSA regarding scheduling of major evening/special events at the school.
20. After the first 2-3 months of operation of the ECS school facility, ECS will provide a report to the City documenting the effectiveness of the TMP and identifying proposed modifications to the measures specified in the TMP. The evolution of continued use of off-duty police officers will be included in this report. In addition, possible substitution of school crossing guards for the off-duty police officers may be considered at that time.

Notes from Wednesday, December 1 Neighborhood Mtg w/Councilman Burgess on ECS

Submitted by Joni Rabinowitz

On Wednesday Dec. 10, 2010 Councilman Ricky Burgess held a community meeting at St. Bede’s on Dallas to hear the opinions of the community members about the plans for ECS (Environmental Charter School). Since he will eventually be voting on ECS’s request for conditional use of the Park Place School building, Ricky is beginning the process now, to hear from his constituents.

About 75 people were there, and those who spoke in favor slightly out-numbered those who spoke against the plan.  Those in favor (which included about 5 parents or grandparents of ECS students, some of whom don’t live in the council district) made the following points:

• Although ECS is not a neighborhood school, it is a great benefit to the community; good schools increase property value, also
• ECS provides a way for people to meet and interact with their neighbors (18 ECS students live in Park Place)
• ECS wishes to partner with the community to improve the natural environment- they teach about nature- we should work with them
• Altho there will be additional traffic, parking problems, and noise, these are part of city living and shouldn’t prevent us from having a good school. ECS has made some changes in their plans to meet objections by residents. There will be police to direct traffic before and after school.

Those speaking against the plan, who primarily live within close proximity to Park Place School or directly across Braddock, made these points:

• Traffic there is already a nightmare.  With Braddock being the official route from the parkway to Childrens Hospital, and the approved route for 2 years while the Squirrel Hill tunnel is being repaired, this can only get worse.
• Traffic already drives on Waverly and Brashear — esp. during peack hours –to avoid Penn
• Parking spaces will be at a premium during after- school programs (every day) and evening programs.
• There are already 2 accidents a week on Braddock
• It’s wrong for for-profit companies (lilke Imagine!) to be spending our tax monies which should be going to our public schools

Ricky thanked the residents for coming out and making their opinions known. He said although he supports charter schools, he is committed to both sides in this debate. He wants to help us find a middle ground, if there is one. He’s committed to an open, transparent process and is deeply concerned about how we feel. He plans to spend more time in the community learning about how people feel about this, and asked people to invite him to their homes to talk about it. The process now is that Zoning Commission hold a hearing and vote next Tuesday at 2pm. They will consider the immediate neighbors, the broader community and the law, when making their decision. If they recommend conditional use of the building, it then goes to Council. Before Council’s vote, council will hold a public hearing.

Choosing Our Next Superintendent: A Community Discussion

Thursday November 11th 6-8 PM
Ebenezer Baptist Church
Wylie Avenue, Hill District
Dinner will be served
Childcare available for children over 1 (must pre-register)

Join us for an informative and interactive community discussion. Speakers include Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools and an education advocate currently spearheading efforts to boost academic performance in the nation’s big-city schools; and Thomas Payzant, professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, former superintendent of Boston Public Schools and former assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education with the U.S. Department of Education.

Following the presentations, community members will meet in small groups for a guided discussion on qualities, qualifications and priorities for the new Pittsburgh Public School superintendent. They also will participate in hand-held polling. A report on the discussion and polling results will be presented to the Pittsburgh Board of Education immediately following the community meeting for the board’s consideration in the selection process.

This meeting is co-sponsored by the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

You can register for the event here. (Registration is only required if childcare is needed.)

If you believe you paid your dues for 2010-2011, make sure that your name is legibly printed on the outside of your envelope so we can verify that you are in good standing, and place your ballot in an unmarked envelope inside. If you need to determine whether or not you have paid your dues for the current year (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011), please e-mail us at infoATparkplaceblogDOTcom.

CANDIDATES FOR GPPNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The GPPNA Bylaws permit the Board to have up to nine members. Current members who are not up for reelection are: Sabina Deitrick, John Mayberry, Khrys Myrddin, and Timothy Sweet. We have five candidates running for five open positions:  Sue Breslow, Katy Frey, Mary Hupe, Jim Lenkner, and Joni Rabinowitz.

Susan Breslow

I am a native of Pittsburgh and have lived in either the city or suburbs for all but eight years of my life. I’ve lived on East End Avenue in Park Place for the past thirteen years.

We are fortunate to have the Greater Park Place Neighborhood Association as one more great thing to love about this neighborhood. I’m excited about the possibility of participating in all of the conversations about our shared civic life that takes place both within and outside of our Park Place boundaries.  Some new ideas I would like to explore in the next two years include developing a special event for all the dogs and dog owners in our neighborhood, seeing if there is interest in a program for residents who have home-based business (e.g. getting together for lunch once a month), and connecting with the firemen who operate out of the firehouse at the corner of Hamilton and North Braddock Avenues.

I am ready to support the neighborhood programs and events that are already operating and need to be maintained as well as those ideas and initiatives that are still being developed by the current Board. I’m particularly interested in increasing the circulation of the fabulous Park Place Update e-newsletter, pursuing more funding for programs, maintaining ties with our City Councilman’s office, and all activities that involve maintaining and upgrading the appearance, function, and value of our houses apartments, landscapes, streets, and infrastructure.

I am an architect and have my own small office in Edgewood. I work with property owners and construction contractors and plan renovations and additions to single family houses and small commercial and institutional buildings.  Before being self-employed I worked for firms that provide architectural services to a variety of larger public and private entities.

Katy Frey

I moved to Park Place in 2008 and as homeowners in the second house from the Walgreen’s, my husband and I consider ourselves de facto gatekeepers to the neighborhood. I love the friendly and civic-minded nature of Park Place residents, and am especially interested in pedestrian safety, preventing crime, and supporting development that has a positive impact on our community. My professional background is in education, and I’m currently working as a high school math teacher.

Mary Hupe

I have lived in Park Place since 1980 with my husband Ken. I began my community involvement by passing out Citiparks coupons and Zoo tickets with my toddler son. From there I helped get Park Place recognized as a city neighborhood, served as association president, took Community Festival training, and began hosting the Park Place Picnic. I have also served as a member and officer of the Zone 4 Citizens Public Safety Council for 20 years.

In the past, Park Place Association was an informal collection of Block Watch groups that gathered for meetings as issues arose, and at the annual picnic. Now we live in a time when our neighborhood association needs to be more tightly and formally organized so that we have a strong and recognizable voice in our future.
I welcome the talents and knowledge of our residents who have stepped forward to incorporate the organization, fight for neighborhood preservation and keep us all informed.
I would be honored to continue my involvement with Park Place by serving on the Board.

Jim Lenkner

The Park Place Neighborhood has been my home for more than twenty five years. It is the place where my wife and I purchased two different houses and raised our two children.

I believe GPPNA can serve to mobilize the strengths of our community so that we can respond to future challenges and opportunities as a chorus of different yet harmonious voices. In my professional life, I work with many non-profits, foundations and schools, mostly in the area of public education and technology. My interests are in the area of public education, safety, affordable housing and quality of life. Despite the large percentage of rental units in Park Place, it is not a transient neighborhood. I’d like to think we can keep our neighborhood a place where people stay.

As a member of the GPPNA board I will gladly contribute to the communications, outreach and organizational work of the association and I commend Stephanie, Mary, John, Jim and the many others who have diligently worked to establish the association. There is a lot of talent in this community. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Joni Rabinowitz

My husband John Haer and I have lived in Park Place since 1976.  I’ve always been a big fan of the neighborhood.  I’ve worked for many years on the summer picnic and was also one of the spearheads of the campaign to stop Walgreens from tearing down 3 houses. (It was a partial victory).  As a trained “tree-tender” I worked on the first and 2nd tree planting in the neighborhood. John and I are Democratic committee people and work to get voters out for 2 elections every year. One of us is always at the polls on election day. I would like to serve on the board. I would like to work on getting another tree planting and getting the 2 houses sold on East End and Braddock next to Walgreens.

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE THE MEETING, YOU CAN STILL VOTE. Ballots will be available on the website and can be sent in by mail. Ballots must be received by Monday, November 1st. You must be a member in good standing for your ballot to be counted. If you need to send a membership application and dues for the year, you may place your ballot in a separate blank envelope and mail it in with your application and dues.

CANDIDATES FOR GPPNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The GPPNA Bylaws permit the Board to have up to nine members. Current members who are not up for reelection are: Sabina Deitrick, John Mayberry, Khrys Myrddin, and Timothy Sweet. We have five candidates running for five open positions: Sue Breslow, Katy Frey, Mary Hupe, Jim Lenkner, and Joni Rabinowitz.

Susan Breslow

I am a native of Pittsburgh and have lived in either the city or suburbs for all but eight years of my life. I’ve lived on East End Avenue in Park Place for the past thirteen years.

We are fortunate to have the Greater Park Place Neighborhood Association as one more great thing to love about this neighborhood. I’m excited about the possibility of participating in all of the conversations about our shared civic life that takes place both within and outside of our Park Place boundaries.  Some new ideas I would like to explore in the next two years include developing a special event for all the dogs and dog owners in our neighborhood, seeing if there is interest in a program for residents who have home-based business (e.g. getting together for lunch once a month), and connecting with the firemen who operate out of the firehouse at the corner of Hamilton and North Braddock Avenues.

I am ready to support the neighborhood programs and events that are already operating and need to be maintained as well as those ideas and initiatives that are still being developed by the current Board. I’m particularly interested in increasing the circulation of the fabulous Park Place Update e-newsletter, pursuing more funding for programs, maintaining ties with our City Councilman’s office, and all activities that involve maintaining and upgrading the appearance, function, and value of our houses apartments, landscapes, streets, and infrastructure.

I am an architect and have my own small office in Edgewood. I work with property owners and construction contractors and plan renovations and additions to single family houses and small commercial and institutional buildings.  Before being self-employed I worked for firms that provide architectural services to a variety of larger public and private entities.

Katy Frey

I moved to Park Place in 2008 and as homeowners in the second house from the Walgreen’s, my husband and I consider ourselves de facto gatekeepers to the neighborhood. I love the friendly and civic-minded nature of Park Place residents, and am especially interested in pedestrian safety, preventing crime, and supporting development that has a positive impact on our community. My professional background is in education, and I’m currently working as a high school math teacher.

Mary Hupe

I have lived in Park Place since 1980 with my husband Ken. I began my community involvement by passing out Citiparks coupons and Zoo tickets with my toddler son. From there I helped get Park Place recognized as a city neighborhood, served as association president, took Community Festival training, and began hosting the Park Place Picnic. I have also served as a member and officer of the Zone 4 Citizens Public Safety Council for 20 years.

In the past, Park Place Association was an informal collection of Block Watch groups that gathered for meetings as issues arose, and at the annual picnic. Now we live in a time when our neighborhood association needs to be more tightly and formally organized so that we have a strong and recognizable voice in our future.
I welcome the talents and knowledge of our residents who have stepped forward to incorporate the organization, fight for neighborhood preservation and keep us all informed.
I would be honored to continue my involvement with Park Place by serving on the Board.

Jim Lenkner

The Park Place Neighborhood has been my home for more than twenty five years. It is the place where my wife and I purchased two different houses and raised our two children.

I believe GPPNA can serve to mobilize the strengths of our community so that we can respond to future challenges and opportunities as a chorus of different yet harmonious voices. In my professional life, I work with many non-profits, foundations and schools, mostly in the area of public education and technology. My interests are in the area of public education, safety, affordable housing and quality of life. Despite the large percentage of rental units in Park Place, it is not a transient neighborhood. I’d like to think we can keep our neighborhood a place where people stay.

As a member of the GPPNA board I will gladly contribute to the communications, outreach and organizational work of the association and I commend Stephanie, Mary, John, Jim and the many others who have diligently worked to establish the association. There is a lot of talent in this community. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Joni Rabinowitz

My husband John Haer and I have lived in Park Place since 1976.  I’ve always been a big fan of the neighborhood.  I’ve worked for many years on the summer picnic and was also one of the spearheads of the campaign to stop Walgreens from tearing down 3 houses. (It was a partial victory).  As a trained “tree-tender” I worked on the first and 2nd tree planting in the neighborhood. John and I are Democratic committee people and work to get voters out for 2 elections every year. One of us is always at the polls on election day. I would like to serve on the board. I would like to work on getting another tree planting and getting the 2 houses sold on East End and Braddock next to Walgreens.

The Greater Park Place Neighborhood Association will be hosting its annual holiday party potluck on Monday, Dec. 6, at the Waverly Church Social Hall. (corner of Forbes and South Braddock)  from 6 PM to 9:00 PM.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share–entrees, sides,  salads & desserts all welcome!  GPPNA Board members will provide paper goods, beverages, and we’ll all be making main dishes.

Come join us and meet your neighbors!

In addition, we’ll again be collecting food for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank.  Please bring  non-perishable items (no glass containers, please!) to share with those in need in our community.  See this list from GPCFB for most-needed items.

7-14-10 ECS Community Meeting Presentation

7-14-10 ECS Community Meeting notes