Slopes General Meeting @ Bandi Schaum

Join us in person at Bandi Schaum Community Garden! (In case of rain, we will move the meeting to Zoom.)

Meeting starts at 6:30pm.

Bring your own chair, and we will have refreshments, committee updates, and a vote on the proposed bylaws change.

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SSSNA Development Activities Meeting (DAM) for 1035-1037 E Warrington

Who: South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is hosting a Development Activities Meeting (DAM) on Wednesday, May 11th at 6:30pm to review one development project.

What:  Hart Architects is constructing a single-family residence at 1035-1037 E Warrington Ave

Why:  SSSNA is a Registered Community Organization (RCO) through the Department of City Planning to provide input and feedback on local development activities and planning procedures in partnership with community stake holders.

Where: This will be a virtual Zoom meeting. The meeting zoom link will be sent via email to the SSSNA e-blast list before the meeting. If you do not receive it, please email info@southsideslopes.org to be added to the list or receive the Zoom meeting link.

For more information about RCOs and DAMs, visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/dev-activities-meeting.

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SSSNA Development Activities Meeting (DAM) for South Side Park Public Art

Who: South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is hosting a Development Activities Meeting (DAM) on Tuesday, April 5th at 6:30pm to review one development project.

What:  Artist Carin Mincemoyer will present her artwork concept for South Side Park. Ms Mincemoyer is contracted for the Percent for Art commission as part of the South Side Park Phase 1 renovation.

Why:  SSSNA is a Registered Community Organization (RCO) through the Department of City Planning to provide input and feedback on local development activities and planning procedures in partnership with community stake holders.

Where: This will be a virtual Zoom meeting. The meeting zoom link will be sent via email to the SSSNA e-blast list before the meeting. If you do not receive it, please email info@southsideslopes.org to be added to the list or receive the Zoom meeting link.

For more information about RCOs and DAMs, visit https://pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/dev-activities-meeting.

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Proposed SSSNA Bylaws Update

UPDATE: This Bylaws change was approved at a vote at the May 14, 2022 General Meeting of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. The updated Bylaws are now posted on our website here: SSSNA Bylaws

The Board of the South Slide Slopes Neighborhood Association is proposing a change to the bylaws of the association. This change to the bylaws regards the eligibility to be considered for board membership. It would more accurately reflect how we engage with our community and broaden the pool of potential board members.

Here is how Article IV: Members, Section 1. b. currently reads:

Voting Members: those members eighteen (18) years or older who attended at least two public meetings in the past year.”

We propose that this sentence of the bylaw be revised to read:

Voting members: those members eighteen (18) years or older who attended at least two public meetings, events, or activities convened by the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association in the past year.”

The entire current bylaws are available here: http://www.southsideslopes.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SSSNA-Bylaws-UpdatedMarch2020.pdf

We, like many other for- and not-for-profit organizations, have experienced a shift in the way that we interact with our members – and the way that they interact with us. It’s clear that the pandemic has fundamentally changed how people are choosing to spend their time outside of family, work, and other obligations.

It’s important for us to understand and respond to these shifts. Expanding the pool of potential Board Members to more accurately reflect how the organization engages with the community – now, and going forward – will put us in a better position to achieve our goals. We see the challenge of attracting and retaining board members as a long term one – and this is the appropriate opportunity to make this small, but impactful change.

This proposed change will be published in the South Pittsburgh Reporter and on our website. The change was introduced to the membership at the March Annual meeting. We will have a discussion before a formal vote at our May 10th general meeting. This vote will be open to all board members and general members in good standing. If you have any thoughts on the topic in the meantime, please reach out to any of our Board Members in the meantime and let’s chat! 

Thank you,

Blake M. McLaren

President of the Board – SSSNA

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2022 Slopes Board Updates

The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) is excited to announce its updated Board of Directors as of our Annual meeting on March 8, 2022.

We wish a heartfelt thank you to our retiring board members Denise Fillip and Brian Oswald. We are thankful for their combined decades of volunteering with the South Side Slopes. They will continue to be involved in the association, especially with the Dirty Dozen Hot Chocolate Stop and StepTrek.

Re-elected board members were: Cara Jette, Gavin Robb, Lucia Sanchez-Madrigal, and Jami Szalla. We also welcome two new board members, Marc Bowman and Andrew Fetzko.

Marc Bowman lives on Shelly Street, near the Oakley Street Mosaic Steps. He’s into running, mountain biking, walking around outside, video games and technology in general, and he is a senior web developer at Pitt’s School of Medicine. Marc has served on several boards and committees, including The Friends of South Park, The Whitehall Wildlife Management Committee, and he currently serves on the board of a 501(c)(3) non-profit known as Vegan Pittsburgh (veganpittsburgh.org). Expect more vegan options at our events going forward!

Andrew Fetzko has been a resident of the South Side since 1993. He graduated from Duquesne University and owned the retail store, Head Board Shop, a skate and snowboard shop on Carson St. from 1994 to 2014, which grew to 5 locations in the Pittsburgh area. In addition to retail sales, he did logistics and promotions for dozens of community events and music festivals, including fundraising for Pitcher Memorial Skate Park, a public skatepark in Carnegie. Andrew is also an ICC certified Building Inspector and is currently employed at Legal Tax Service, a municipal billing and law firm servicing the mid Mon Valley, where he oversees the lien dept. in recovery of delinquent taxes and municipal service fees. In 2018, he and his wife, Steph moved to Windom Street, from Sidney St., becoming official South Side Slopes residents. Andy is looking forward to helping improve the day-to-day quality of life in our great neighborhood.

There are now two openings for Board positions. Please contact info@southsideslopes.org if you are interested in joining the Board or a committee. You must have attended 2 meetings or events in the last year to be eligible to join the Board of Directors.

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Slopes Elections & Annual Meeting

Agenda includes:
Board Elections

The meeting will be on Tuesday March 8 at 6:30pm via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to our e-blast list. If you do not wish to be on the e-blast list, please email info@southsideslopes.org for the link the week of the meeting.

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

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Slopes March Annual Meeting Agenda

Topic: SSSNA Annual Meeting
Time: March 8, 2022 06:30 PM Eastern Time

The Zoom link is being sent over our e-blast. If you did not receive it, please email info@southsideslopes.org

Agenda Overview

  1. PWSA
    1. Stormwater Program and South Side Park Update
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  2. Rep. Jessica Benham; PA House of Representatives 36th District
    1. State Updates
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  3. Councilman Bruce Kraus; City of Pittsburgh, 3rd District
    1. District Updates
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  4. Kitty Vagley; Friends of South Side Park
    1. Park Updates and Volunteer Opportunities
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  5. Introduction of Proposed Bylaw Change
  6. Board Member Elections
    1. Retiring Board Members
    2. New Board Nominee Introduction(s)
    3. Vote
  7. Committee Updates
    1. South Side Park
    2. StepTrek
    3. Beautification
    4. Outreach
    5. Zoning
    6. Governance
  8. Open Floor / Questions / Additional Announcements
  9. Adjourn
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Slopes January General Meeting

When: Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 6:30pm

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6678005469?pwd=U1FVK0RBR2RGTnBhUUF1RU00QmMwQT09

Agenda: Click here

At this time, all meetings are being held virtually on Zoom. Zoom links will be published before each meeting.

All South Side Slopes residents are invited to attend. Join us to meet new people or reconnect with long-time neighbors, learn what is happening and planned for the community, and share your ideas, concerns and love for the Slopes.

In order to be a voting member of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, you must attend at least 2 meetings and/or events per year.

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Slopes January General Meeting Agenda

Topic: SSSNA General Meeting
Time: Jan 11, 2022 06:30 PM Eastern Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6678005469?pwd=U1FVK0RBR2RGTnBhUUF1RU00QmMwQT09

Meeting ID: 667 800 5469
Passcode: 052167

Agenda Overview

  1. Friends of South Side Park
    1. Park Plans and Pump Track Design
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  2. Rep. Jessica Benham; PA House of Representatives 36th District
    1. State Updates
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  3. Councilman Bruce Kraus; City of Pittsburgh, 3rd District
    1. Neighborhood Homeless Encampments
    2. 18th St. Lighting Updates
    3. Salt Boxes: City’s Snow Response
    4. District Updates
    5. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  4. Thomas Scharff
    1. City of Pittsburgh, City Planner
    2. Q/A (5-10 in.)
  5. Jamie Piotrowski
    1. Pittsburgh Public School Board Member, District 7: Updates
    2. Q/A (5-10 min.)
  6. Committee Updates
    1. South Side Park
    2. StepTREK
    3. Beautification
    4. Outreach
    5. Zoning
    6. Governance
  7. Open Floor / Questions / Additional Announcements
  8. Adjourn
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Save the Dates for 2022

Every year, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association holds six public meetings open to the community (two of which are parties!)

  • Tuesday, January 11 
  • Tuesday, March 8
  • Tuesday, May 10 – IN PERSON! At Bandi Schaum!
  • Tuesday, July 12 – Summer Picnic
  • Tuesday, October 11
  • ** NEW DATE! Friday, December 9, 6:30 p.m. – Holiday Party at Zenith. Learn more and register!

All meetings start @ 6:30 p.m. At this time, all meetings are being held virtually on Zoom. Zoom links will be published before each meeting.

All South Side Slopes residents are invited to attend. Join us to meet new people or reconnect with long-time neighbors, learn what is happening and planned for the community, and share your ideas, concerns and love for the Slopes.

In order to be a voting member of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, you must attend at least 2 meetings and/or events per year.

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