SSSNA Annual Meeting Agenda & Minutes
Oct. 8, 2019
By-Laws Change (see below: “By-laws changes and new policy addition)
Membership votes to adopt proposed changes to SSSNA by-laws – updated by-laws are on the SSSNA website (southsideslopes.org). Vote to change the by-laws to comply with criteria for becoming a Registered Community Organization (RCO) with the City of Pittsburgh. Becoming an RCO will give SSSNA formal status providing benefits including notification of public hearings, guaranteed meetings with developers/applicants, placement on official brochures, and more. The by-law changes are:
- Establishing 10-year term limits for members;
- Moving the annual meeting from October to March; and
- Adopting a non-discrimination policy.
The vote was unanimous to accept the changes.
StepTrek 2019 Update
StepTrek Chair Brian Oswald reported on the Oct. 5 StepTrek event. There were 120 walk-up purchases for a total of 450 participants. The event generated a $10,000 net revenue for the SSSNA. In 2020, the StepTrek will celebrate its 20th year. Rev. Donald Ware said the renovated church at St. Paul of the Cross Monastery will be open for the 2020 event.
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Parks Plan
Heather Sage, director of community projects at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC), reported on the early 2019 Listening Tour by PPC where feedback about parks was gathered at community meetings and events throughout the city. Phase II began in July 2019 and the PPC and the city are now in the process of sharing a parks investment strategy driven by data and community input collected during the first phase.
She said 3,400 people completed surveys on priorities, with 95 percent saying they would support more resources for the park system. The top priorities were maintenance, rehabilitation such as new roofs, capital investment and programming. Sage said a question was added to the Nov. 2019 ballot related to park funding asking voters if they support the creation of a dedicated Pittsburgh Parks Fund for parks improvement. Voting “yes” will provide additional resources for all city parks. The funding would come from an additional 0.5 mill levy ($50 on each $100,000 of assessed real estate value). If passed, the parks would receive about $10 million more dollars per year.
Recycling Changes in Pittsburgh
Teresa Bradley from the City’s recycling team will provide up-to-date information about what can and cannot be recycled curbside and other changes and tips. She recommended that city residents should use a blue bin not exceeding 35 gallons. Recyclables should be placed in a durable, watertight container with a close-fitting lid. Using blue bags is causing issues at the recycling facility. Bradley said to lightly rinse plastic bottles, jugs and jars that are three gallons or less and can be collected in one bin for curbside pickup. Cardboard should be flattened and bundled into a box.
For what to do with hard-to-recycle items like TVs, computers, paints, chemicals and other fluids, visit: ecsr.net/Pittsburgh-recycling. A drop-off location for hard-to-recycle items like electronics and household hazardous waste including light bulbs, batteries, oil-based paint, propane tanks, etc. has been opened in the Strip District at 3001 Railroad St. Fees may apply.
For yard debris and tires, there are six drop-off locations, including Construction Junction at 214 Lexington Ave., and McKinley Park on Bausman St. in Beltzhoover.
18th Street Pedestrian Safety Plan – Amanda Purcell, a traffic engineer from the city’s Dept. of Mobility and Infrastructure presented information about the South Side Signals initiative to improve pedestrian safety on 18th Street intersections.
The upcoming largely federally-funded 18th St. pedestrian safety project involves 18th St. and: Brownsville Rd., Bausman St., Amanda St., Hays Ave., Arlington Ave., Pius St., Mission St., Josephine St., Jane St., and Sarah St.
The same upgrades will occur at S. 18th at Pius and Mission except there will also be five ADA ramps. The work will occur in the daytime. At S. 18th and Josephine, S. 18th and Jane, and S. 18th and Sarah, there will be new traffic signals. There will also be gloss black signal poles and audible countdown pedestrian signals, and new pavement, signing and pavement markings, and lighting.
Attendees expressed concerns about crossing walk signals on 18th Street at Pius/Mission Sts., a Dept. of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) official will walk the crossing walks during rush hour to determine the best course of action before final plans are adopted.
Construction is slated to start in Spring 2021.
BY-LAWS CHANGES AND NEW POLICY ADDITION
The Board of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is proposing the following by-law changes and policy addition for a vote before you, our membership.
- Instituting term limits of 10 years for board members going forward.
- Changing the month of our public Annual Meeting from October to March.
- Adding a non-discrimination policy.
These changes are being proposed in order to register as a Registered Community Organization with the city and to improve the quality of the Board.
