I’m sad to report that Laurie Balog, a long-time member of our community, died suddenly on Wednesday July 13.  She lived on Peebles, corner of the alley between Lyman and Waverly. Despite her myriad medical problems, Laurie lovingly cared for many cats, most of whom need homes now. She took all comers, so if you’ve lost a cat in recent years, maybe she moved in to Laurie’s.

We are trying to find adopters for her eight cats—indoor-outdoor beautiful felines. Her rent is paid thru August, so we are scrambling to find perfect homes for our friend’s beloved feline family members.  They are all between nine and fifteen years old and are good, long-time companions to each other.

Please help us help them to live out their lives in safety and comfort.

Lyric – A gentle football-shaped cat with large round eyes. Lyric likes to nap inside closets and have her back scratched by kind humans. She enjoys the company of other cats. Lyric would be happy with an indoor only lifestyle as she chooses to spend most of her time inside the house. 10 years old. Spayed.

Minette – Senior short haired brown tabby with a disability in her back legs that she does not acknowledge. She has cerebral hypoplasia, resulting in an irregular stumbling gait, yet runs very well.  She is a bit timid.  Even though she seeks out human companionship, Minette prefers to have conversations from a safe distance, blinking her responses.  She appreciates the comforts of indoor life but has outdoor access.  Minette and all of Laurie’s cats are calm listening to classical music. This petite tabby is believed to be over 15 years of age but she doesn’t  look that old. She comes with a favorite (albeit beat up) padded wooden chair that is her throne.  She is  spayed.

Piper – an outgoing, personable black and white cat who loves to be with people.  She rubs up against legs and wants affection.  Piper’s favorite pastime is working in the garden with a human companion, though she readily adapts to an indoor lifestyle. She currently sleeps inside a home but has deck and garden access. Approximately 9 years old, she still plays like a kitten. Piper is spayed.

Ricky – Friendly grey and white short-haired gentleman. Friend to other cats. Cautious but curious and approachable.  Enjoys being with people.  Slender build despite a hearty appetite. Prefers to drink his water from a stemmed flower vase on the kitchen counter (!) or to lap drips of water from the faucet.  Likes to hang out with Gunther, a more private feline pal. Sleeps inside home and has deck and garden access. He’s neutered and is approximately 9 years old.

Gunther – Handsome short haired brown tabby on white. Excellent mouser. He is an independent fellow who enjoys relaxing in the basement rafters.  Sleeps inside home and has outdoor access.  Approximately 9 years old. Neutered.

Max – This short-haired feline has a distinctive black chin.  Max is intelligent and talkative, wary but curious. He responds to his name being called.   Max can be a real lover but he keeps his distance from people he does not know.  He greatly misses his former owner.  He hid for months while she was in the hospital, reentering the house the day she returned and jumped in her lap.  Now that his owner is gone, he still looks for her.  He hangs out with Lyric, a female feline who is not as adventurous as Max. Sleeps inside home with outdoor access. Reportedly 12 years old but appears to be much younger.  An explorer and athlete, he is very fit.  Max is neutered.

Tina Louise – Beautiful golden-eyed, golden-haired glamour girl.  Her long blonde fur currently is matted from inattention during her former owner’s hospitalization.  She will be groomed into a gorgeous trim lioness for her new forever home.  She used to walk her owner to the bus stop and wait for her return. Miss Tina Louise is sweet, affectionate yet independent.  Around her feline pals she is submissive and respectful.  She is approximately twelve years old, spayed and current on vaccinations.

Beautiful Stranger – We don’t know this lovely long-haired cat’s name…will ask other folks in the neighborhood.  She disappeared last winter when Laurie’s ex died and only reappeared months later while Laurie was in the hospital. Timid but attentive. Brown tabby on white markings. Fabulous plume tail. Seeks out comfortable places in basement when not lounging in the backyard. Can anyone give this beauty a safe and loving home?

For more information about any of these cats, please contact:

Casey:  brownbat74@yahoo.com; cell: 412-303-1974 (after 4pm)

or

Lois:   lois92@verizon.net; cell: 412-951-2630

IF SEEN OR FOUND, PLEASE CALL NATHANIEL DOYNO AT (412) 418-4594

Alba is a friendly, spayed calico, approx 1.5 years old. Distinctive markings include near 50/50 face split, a white breast,& four white paws.

Flyer available here: www.parkplaceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Alba-Lost-Poster.pdf

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.

Time: 6:30PM
Date: Tuesday November 30, 2010
Location: 829 Milton Street (The current school building in Regent Square)

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.)

Have you seen me?

Neighbors on Abbott St. are missing their kitty. Though she’s only been gone since last night, this is unusual for her.  She’s a gray and white domestic short hair, 4 years old, & probably a little spooked if she has wandered off of Abbott St. If anyone sees her please call Marty at 412-818-8096 or Liz at 412-860-0467.

UPDATE — Kitty came home!

Affecting our immediate neighborhood is the proposal to combine the 63B and 68G routes into one (approximately) combined route, P71 Swisshelm Park-Rankin Flyer, while at the same time reducing the number of scheduled runs during the week and significantly reducing the scheduled runs on week-ends.

Additionally, this new route is designated a “premium” route and subject to a higher fare of $4 one way and $160 for a monthly pass.

For those that walk to the bus way, the EBA and EBO would have reduced service, and the EBS would be eliminated.

There will be a period of public comment followed by an all day public hearing for the proposal on August 19, 2010.  Details may be found on the Port Authority website: http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CompanyInfo/Financials/FundingCrisis/tabid/538/Default.aspx

The meeting will be from 7-9 PM at Pittsburgh Peabody High School, 515 N. Highland Ave. (East Liberty)

Read more about the Advisory Committee’s work here.

Residents may apply by:

• Calling 412-350-3723 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
• Email name and phone number to furnace@alleghenycounty.us

Annual Income Eligibility Guidelines for Residential Furnace & Hot Water Heater Program

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato reinstated a free County program to help residents replace furnaces and hot water heaters that were damaged as a result of flooding due to the severe weather on Wed., June 17.

“We’re still assessing the damage from last night’s storms, but we know there are residents who need our help,” said Onorato. “Today, I have reinstated the residential furnace and hot water heater program so we can help people get back on their feet during these tough economic times.”

Allegheny County will repair or replace furnaces and hot water heaters in residences where the existing units were damaged or destroyed by flood waters. Residents who earn up to 80 percent of the area median income are eligible for the program (see guidelines).

Allegheny County residents may apply for the free program by calling 412-350-3723 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by e-mailing their name and phone number to furnace@alleghenycounty.us. Applicants for the program must provide proof of income.

I was wondering if I could ask a favor of all of you. My friend Sarah called me this morning very upset. She lives in South Oakland and her dog ran out while her landlord was showing her apartment.Someone contacted her saying she thinks she spotted her at Edgewood Town Center and thought the dog may be in our neighborhood/in Frick Park. She asked if I could keep an eye out for her and if anyone I know in the neighborhood could as well. Please see below for pictures and Sarah’s contact information. And please send to anyone else in the neighborhood. You can call me (518-281-8431) or Sarah (just say you know me) if you think you see her. (724-992-1505)

Thanks so much!

-Miranda

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