South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association

"Neighbors working together to make the Slopes a more livable, beautiful, and safe community"

Author: cara.jette

  • Welcome New Board Members

    Welcome to Kristin Raup and Candice Gonzalez – our new South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association Board Members.

    For the past few years, Kristin has been a very active member of the Association – present at clean-ups, StepTrek and many committee meetings always offering new insight. She just recently purchased her second home on the South Side Slopes.

    Candice is a South Side native who lived in California and Italy before deciding to return to her hometown. You may have seen her at the South Side Chamber of Commerce where she is Executive Director.

    We also wish to thank Molly McClelland and Maggie Buck for their years of service on the Board.

  • StepTrek is Saturday, October 4

    Take a journey of 2,000 steps as you trek up and down the hillsides of the South Side Slopes this Saturday from 11am-4pm. The 14th Annual Pittsburgh StepTrek begins at South Side Park (21st and Josephine), where the StepTrek Marketplace will feature entertainment, raffles, sponsor displays, artists, historic photos and food trucks- including Saucy Mamas, South Side BBQ and Spun Sugars!  Along the routes, enjoy spectacular views with plenty of photo ops, stop for a water break and listen to music from Corey James and Brad Yoder.

    Advanced Tickets available here: http://www.showclix.com/event/steptrek

    All the details here: StepTrek

  • Birmingham Bridge Public Meeting September 17th 2014 in Oakland

    Pittsburgh, PA-PennDOT District 11, SAI Consulting Engineers and the Joseph B. Fay Company are hosting two public meetings to provide information on the Birmingham Bridge preservation project on Wednesday, Sept. 17th 2014.

     

    The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place-3454 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA  15213. 
    Two separate sessions are scheduled at the following times:
    Session 1
    • 11-11:30 a.m. – Open house
    • 11:30 a.m.–noon – Project presentation
    Session 2
    • Noon-12:30 p.m. – Open house
    • 12:30-1 p.m. – Project presentation
    The $23.5 million preservation project is part of Act 89, the state’s new transportation plan.  Act 89, the legislation made possible by the bipartisan consensus reached by Governor Tom Corbett and the Legislature, will enable PennDOT to invest an additional $128 million in District 11 this year for 15 projects in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties.
    Work on the Birmingham Bridge includes painting of the entire superstructure, steel repairs, lighting and sign replacements, bridge deck rehabilitation and guiderail improvements. Approximately 21,000 vehicles use the Birmingham Bridge on an average day.
    The public meeting will identify the project details, traffic impacts, schedule, and other information. PennDOT’s project team, SAI Consulting Engineers and representatives from the Joseph B. Fay Company will be available for questions and answers. Comments on the proposed project will be accepted.
    The display location is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, if you or an individual with whom you are familiar does not speak English as their primary language and who has a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand
    English desires to participate in this display, or if you require special assistance to attend and/or participate in this display, or if you feel that you have been denied the benefits of, or participation in a PennDOT program or activity, you may contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, DBE/Title VI Division, at 717 787-5891 or 800-468-4201.
    For more information on this public meeting contact the Oakland Transportation Management Association at (412) 687-4505.

  • 2014 Board Elections

    Board Elections for the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association will be held at the next general meeting. If you are interested in running for a board position, please contact Brian Oswald (brian.oswald@southsideslopes.org).

    The meeting will be on Tuesday October 7 at the at the St Paul of the Cross Retreat Center, 148 Monastery Avenue at 7PM.

    Voting Members of SSSNA are eligible to vote at the October Meeting. Voting Members must be eighteen years old or older and have attended at least two General Meetings this past year. (See By Laws, Article IV, Section 1.)

  • Hackstown Street Residential Project – Community Outreach Meeting

    You are invited to join the development team for a second neighborhood gathering as they introduce the updated master plan for the proposed Hackstown Street Residential Development Project, The Villas at Winter Park.

    Join us to learn more about this exciting project in your neighborhood, and meet the development team!

    Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 6:30 PM at St. Paul of the Cross Monastery.

    If you have questions or comments and are unable to attend the neighborhood meeting, please contact Cipriani Studio’s Outreach Coordinator, Katie Yakich: [kdyakich@gmail.com] [814.602.9728]

    Click the link to see the flier for the event: Community Outreach Meeting Flier 2.0

  • South Side Park Trail Update

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    The Mount Washington CDC Emerald Trail Corps has completed their work on South Side Park for the summer. Here’s an update on the work done from the project manager:

    Today I walked the completed trail loop, which includes the lower leg of the paved trail at the southern end of the park, the plateau area and a brief jaunt through the Quarry Field parking lot and along the sidewalk at the end of the field, with a mileage roller. The total trail distance came in at just under a mile (approx .9 mi) at 4,909 feet.

    Of that total, the Emerald Trail Corps completed work through reroutes and intensive maintenance on 2,512 feet of trail (just under .5 mi). This is only for portions of trail which we moved a significant amount of dirt to form or reform the trail tread and not trail area brushed or where the existing and remaining tread received light maintenance.

    In addition, we removed around 8-10 bags of garbage including broken glass as well as a couple of tires from the trail corridor. We reinforced two water crossing which intersect the trail with rock inlays and shut down at least 300 feet of old trail which was either highly eroded or no longer necessary in the trail plan. We did not keep a count of how many vines were removed or trees we needed to fell in the process of clearing the new trail corridors.

    – Thomas D. Guentner,  Emerald Trail Corps Project Manager

    Now, get out and enjoy the much-improved trail!

     

  • South Side Park Trail work to begin this month!

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    As part of our grant award to improve South Side Park, the SSSNA has partnered with the Mount Washington CDC’s Emerald Trail Corps to improve the hiking trails in the park.  Pending final city approval, the Emerald Trail Corps will begin working on trail improvements in South Side Park on July 7th and the work will last approximately 3 weeks.  The trail corps will be working on sections of Ol’ Renziehausen the trail starting at Quarry Field continuing up to Arlington Field and then down to Bandi Schaum Community Garden.  These trail improvements and re-routes will help make the trail system less steep, more user-friendly, and more stable from a water management and erosion control perspective.

    As always, you can help the SSSNA keep South Side Park safe by reporting illegal activity including camping and motor biking to 911.

    It is illegal to camp or operate a motorized dirtbike in a city park. (city code 473.03-473.04)

    If you have any questions, email info@southsideslopes.org

  • South Side Slopes Annual Summer Picnic

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    Everyone is welcome to our annual summer picnic. The association will be grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers. Please bring a side dish, dessert, or beverage. Hope to see you there!

    The picnic starts at 6:30PM on Tuesday July 8.

    Location: Quarry/Saber Field, South Side Park (Entrance on 18th St)

    UPDATE: 7/8/2014 4PM: The picnic is still on. We are hoping for the rain to mostly pass by 6:30pm, and we will have a tent. If there is a sustained downpour, we will retreat to the Monastery Retreat Center.

  • South Side Slopes Receives $100K Grant for Steps

    For Immediate Release

    June 24, 2014

     

    Contact: Brad Palmisiano

    Phone: 412-951-3899

    Email: brad.palmisiano@southsideslopes.org

    SOUTH SIDE SLOPES RECEIVES $100K TO EVALUATE, REPAIR PUBLIC STEPS

    Allegheny County grant will strengthen network of vital infrastructure

     

    Pittsburgh, PA—On June 20, 2014, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) was awarded $100,000 from Allegheny County’s Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund for the rehabilitation of public steps in the neighborhood. The grant will allow the SSSNA to complete an engineering study of the neighborhood’s stairways, prioritize repairs, and rehabilitate some sets of steps. The South Side Slopes has 68 sets of public steps, the most of any neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

     

    “The steps are the bones of the Slopes,” said Brian Oswald, association President. “They connect the thousands of residents in the Slopes to the East Carson business district, to bus lines, and to the parks throughout the neighborhood. Life would be a lot harder in the Slopes without these steps.”

     

    Oswald added, “Walkable neighborhoods are highly coveted, across the country. Keeping our walking infrastructure in good repair means our neighborhood will hold and grow its value. This grant is good for our neighbors, good for business, and good for the city.”

     

    Over the last few years, the SSSNA has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in private and municipal grants for improvements to the public steps. Volunteers have spent countless hours painting handrails, cutting back overgrowth, and picking up litter along the stairways. Proof that the community values these steps is given each year during StepTrek, a self-guided tour of the neighborhood that attracts around one thousand participants. StepTrek 2014 is scheduled for Saturday October 4

     

    All studies and funded repairs are planned to be completed by June 2016.

     

    The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association works to “maintain, foster and improve the quality of life, safety and unity of our Slopes neighborhood.”

     

    The Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund provides “financial assistance to entities to facilitate economic development through infrastructure assistance, stabilize or correct existing infrastructure problems, or plan and prepare sites and buildings for future use.”

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    SSSNA CITF Grant Press Release 2014

    Some News Coverage of the Grant:

    Post-Gazette: South Side neighborhood group gets funds to address crumbling Slopes steps

    Tribune-Review: Allegheny County steps up with $100K to improve Slopes staircases

  • You’re Invited to the 23rd Annual Historic South Side Home Tour

    You’re Invited to the 23rd Annual Historic South Side Home Tour

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    Saturday, May 17th 10:00am-4:00pm

    Explore the unique residences and buildings that make up the historic South Side neighborhood on this self-guided walking tour. From distinctly re-purposed lofts and brand new condominiums to beautifully restored homes, each is a reflection of the owner’s own style and tastes. These homes tell a story not just through their unique architectural features but also the personal collections of art, family heirlooms, memorabilia, and travel treasures housed within.

    New this year, save $5 when you purchase your South Side Home Tour & South Side Garden Tour tickets together in advance. 

    The ticket combo includes:

    • One ticket to the 23rd Annual Historic South Side Home Tour on Saturday, May 17, 2014 ($18 value).
    • One ticket to the 3rd Annual South Side Garden Tour on Sunday, August 17, 2014 ($7 value)

    Advance Tickets- $18
    Day-of Tickets- $20 (if available)

    Enter coupon code “slopes” at check-out to receive $3 off the advance ticket price (not valid on combo ticket).  Coupon Code expires 5-9-14

    Reserve your tickets now: https://www.showclix.com/events/703