South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association

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

Category: StepTrek

  • What Do You Want in 2015?

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    Thanks to everyone who came out for our 2015 New Year’s Goals meeting. Each committee member gave a brief overview of their committees, and the attendees gave some input on goals for the new year.

    We got a lot of great ideas to bring back to committee meetings, and help drive 2015. Do you have some input on what you’d like to see in 2015?

    Outreach: “What can outreach do to get more people involved in 2015?”

    Steptrek: “How can we increase awareness about the StepTrek event in Pittsburgh and nationally?”

    Beautification: “What are you willing to do to make your neighborhood a more beautiful place?”

    Zoning and City Services: “What is the number one city service you have concerns about?”

    Trash sub-committee: “How can we better address public health and public safety issues that accompany illegal trash storage?”

    South Side Park: “What improvement would you like to see to the South Side Park?”

    We invite you to reach out to one of our committee chairs if you are interested  in participating in a committee this year. For more information on our committees, check out our Committees page: http://www.southsideslopes.org/who-are-we/committees/

  • South Side Slopes Year in Review 2014

    What an exciting year for the South Side Slopes! Here are some highlights from 2014:

    January: We welcomed in Bruce Kraus as President of City Council and Bill Peduto as Mayor of Pittsburgh.

    peduto-brad-brian

    February: First General Meeting of the year

    March: Meet the Candidates Night for our State Representatives

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    April: Earth Day event in South Side Park collaborated with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy & Planted the Western Conservancy Gardens for the season

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    May: Acacia Happy Hour with funds being generated for South Side Park signage

    June: South Side Slopes receives a grant for $100K for Steps repair and maintenance

    July: Annual Summer Picnic & Trail Improvements to South Side Park continue with our grant 

    2014-summer-picnic

    August: Major progress on Knoxville Incline Overlook Park & Emerald Trail Corps wraps up for the summer

    2014-knoxville-incline-overlook-painting

    September: Hosted the Pro-Walk Pro-Bike Conference for a walking tour of the South Side Slopes

    2014-church-route-walking-tour

    October: StepTrek (with honorary chair County Executive Rich Fitzgerald)

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    November: First Annual Dirty Dozen Viewing

    2014-dirty-dozen-viewing

    December: Annual Christmas Party & Successful Fundraiser for Signage at the Knoxville Incline Overlook Park

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    Hope to see you on January 13 as we re-group and start 2015 with new projects and goals!

  • 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

  • Monastery Street Steps Demolition Update

    There are at least 2 sides to every story.

    From our perspective: 10 of the residents of Monastery street received letters on June 27, 2013 that the city had funding to replace the Monastery Street Sidewalk & Steps this year. They were directed to a contact number at the Department of Public Works if they wanted more information.

    Throughout the summer, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) met with city officials (including the city’s public works director Rob Kaczorowski) to discuss our plans for the 13th annual StepTrek and make requests for step repairs. Many minor repairs were made. The Monastery Street project was never mentioned.

    On October 5,  StepTrek brought ~800 people onto the Monastery Street Steps – unknown to us that they were considered dangerous and structurally deficient by the city. We just thought they were another set of steps.

    A board member who lives on Monastery Street (but did not receive notice) woke up Monday morning to the sound of steps being demolished, and since then the SSSNA has been on full alert to this project.

    The original plans call for reducing the number of stairs from 118 to 30. To remove these stairs, requires a very steep grade of 17.5% along the sidewalk. A benefit with this plan is that all of the houses on Monastery Street would have direct access to the roadway. It is also cheaper.

    As an association, we want to reach a compromise that will bring the grade into standard architectural guidelines (maximum of 10%) while improving the safety and livability of our neighbors. Furthermore, we demand an opportunity to learn about capital projects in our neighborhood before the backhoe shows up. The city publishes paving schedules for the season ahead of time. The city requires all zoning hearings to be published in the newspaper and open to public discussion. Why isn’t a $177K re-design of our steps and sidewalks given the same requirements for public disclosure? With time, we could potentially have raised private funds to offset the city’s cost and create a win-win situation for everybody as opposed to a last-minute frantic compromise.

    Additionally, we want to work with the city to come up with a reasonable set of guidelines that the city will follow for determining which steps need to be replaced. Currently, Mr Kaczorowski says that the city guideline for a maximum sidewalk grade is 20%. For reference, here is a 20% grade hill:

    Both KDKA and the Post-Gazette have given some coverage to the sensitive issue of tearing down city steps without adequate public input.

    Post-Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2013/11/06/Tearing-down-city-steps-draws-ire-in-Slopes/stories/201311060085

    KDKA:
    http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/11/05/south-side-slopes-residents-upset-over-new-plans-for-steps/

    Board members are meeting with the Department of Public Works this morning to try to reach a compromise. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for timely updates as we make any progress in this important safety issue.

  • Déjà vu: StepTrek huge success

    A message of thanks to our Trekkers, volunteers, and sponsors from the South Side Slopes Association President, Brian Oswald:

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    The first Saturday of October is fast becoming a favorite of people both near and far as they make their annual pilgrimage to the South Side Slopes. This year we welcomed over 700 people that enjoyed gorgeous 80+ degree weather as they sweated out the their boredom with cookie cutter neighborhoods and suburbs as they climbed the steeps of the slopes. In our most financially successful trek in the 13 years of its existence we expanded our signature event to include an orienteering course thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club and Alexis Rzewski, as well as having mobile maps for smart phone users. The expanded StepTrek Marketplace welcomed both food trucks and fashion trucks to create a great atmosphere among the music, volunteers, and trekkers. The PPG Zoo and Aquarium even got in the fun this year with a chalk artist and Shark mascot. This event is defying the theme of this year’s event of “what goes up must come down” as we grow to entertain and work out a consistent crowd of enthusiasts falling in love with what our neighborhood has to offer year after year. The successes of the past few years are going to allow us to even further expand this event in the years to come as the financial gains increase our ability to promote the event to an even wider audience.

    If you’d like to know the exact revenues and attendance of this year’s event come join us at our general meeting on Tuesday October 15 at the St. Paul of the Cross Monastery Retreat center at 7 PM.

  • StepTrek is Saturday!

    Last chance to buy tickets at the advanced price is today! Save $3! (Children under 12 are always free!)

    Click here to Buy Tickets!

    Never been to StepTrek before? It’s a great way to get outside and explore a gem of a neighborhood in Pittsburgh – the South Side Slopes. The South Side Slopes has the most sets of stairs of any neighborhood in the city (and probably the world) and this is an opportunity to take 1 (or 2) self-guided tours up and down the steps visiting historic sites in the neighborhood and enjoying spectacular views of Downtown and Oakland.

    But don’t just trust us:

    Post-Gazette http://blogs.post-gazette.com/news/city-walkabout/39238-she-discovered-her-study-city-by-steps

    http://franklinchen.com/blog/2013/09/25/why-you-should-go-out-to-the-pittsburgh-south-side-slopes-step-trek/

    Come hungry! There will be 4 food trucks in the staging area to give you energy to climb those stairs!

    Advanced tickets are only $12 (including the booklet with map, water, and fresh fruit). All proceeds benefit the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. Tickets will be available at the event for $15. Children under 12 are free.

    Click here to Buy Tickets!

  • Paper Streets of Pittsburgh

    Last year Harvard Graduate student, Anna Cawrse, received a Penny White Grant to study the paper streets of Pittsburgh. She came to visit our city, walked StepTrek, and had a great time. Click here to read her thoughts: Paper Streets of Pittsburgh

    Come to StepTrek this October 5 to see for yourself how the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is improving the neighborhood ‘one step at a time.’