At our Tuesday October 15 General Meeting we will have an election of new members for our Board of Directors.
Mark Zalenchak and Fr. Donald Ware are stepping down from the Board. We thank them for their efforts and energies spent in service to our neighborhood.
Two slopes members have been nominated thus far for the Board: Cara Jette and Dawn Lorincy. The current Officers of the Board have unanimously approved of their nomination. (See By Laws, Article VI, Section 5.) Any others wanting to be considered must contact Brian Oswald, Board President.
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.)
The Step Trek committee is busy cleaning up the routes along with help from the city and students from Duquesne University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh. Feel like helping clean up Jeux gonflables the neighborhood in advance of Step Trek? Email brian.oswald@southsideslopes.org
What is it?
ReClaim South is a year-long community-based initiative hosted by GTECH Strategies. It is focused on addressing vacancy in the Hilltop neighborhoods through education, training and the implementation of green strategies.
How does it work?
Commit to attend a series of education sessions and networking events at least once a month from October 2013 – May 2014.
Once complete, participants will be charged with designing and implementing their own Hilltop-based green project, repurposing vacant land in their own community. A micro grant and technical assistance will be provided along with a stipend for participating in this initiative.
Who can apply?
Motivated Hilltop residents who are ready to use their creativity and connections to
combat vacant land in their own backyard. Apply online at gtechstrategies.org or stop into the Hilltop Alliance at 512 Brownsville Rd to get an application.
Help pull some unsightly weeds and pick up litter around our gateway to the Slopes, South 18th Street. We’ll meet at the base of the steps and work our way up the street, time permitting. Just bring yourself and a friend or two–we’ll provide gloves, trash bags, and cold water. Email jamin.bogi@southsideslopes with any questions.
Here’s two pictures of a mini-clean up we did a few days ago. Before, this patch of Oakley Way was barely passable. After, it’s a safe, shady way to get around. Your work has an immediate, visible effect!
Do you hate seeing so much litter and unsightly trash in your Slopes neighborhood?
We do too. We, the Outreach Committee of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, have started a campaign we hope will make change in the Slopes. We’re calling on you, our neighbors, to join us in the fight to clean up the ‘hood. As we continue to battle the ever-present litter on our streets, we are trying to make sure all residents are aware of the City of Pittsburgh rules around trash storage and collection (see below for rules) outside the home.
In the South Side Park decades of neglect allowed invasive vines to cripple much of the ecology. Use of the park was almost exclusively by dirt bikes and partying campers, further eroding the landscape and forest and littering the park.
Throughout the past several years our volunteers and the Student Conservation Assocation (SCA) have worked constantly to improve the South Side Park for use and preservation. Hundreds of trees have had their trees disentangled from invasive vines, garlic mustard has been removed in droves, and japanese knotweed has been eradicated as much as we can. Many tons of trash have been removed. Through it all, the goal has been to allow for a healthy forest and for a pleasant and peaceful place to visit.
To improve the park more permanently though we really need people to use it. One of the long-term goals has been building a trail system that can be utilized by walkers, joggers, and hikers throughout the 65 acres of forest. One of the best things for the South Side Park will have to people walking the trails and using it in an eco-conscious manner.
The first step to this is getting all of the trails blazed with painted way-signs, so users can follow the trails easily. There are a lot of crisscrossing paths within the forest due to deer, mountain bikers, and dirt bikers, so it is incredibly confusing without the signage. To build upon the way-makers we need permanent wooden signs marking the junctions. We also need trail maps both printed in map-form and at the entrances. Lastly in the trail department we need to sign the entrances to invite people into the park as so few people know that it even exists, or what it contains.
Please help us continue to save our forest by encouraging its use, and using it yourself! Please join us for a fundraiser on June 3 at Acacia to help support these efforts. Click here for more information.
Our second fundraiser for the South Side Park will take place at Acacia on June 3rd, South Side’s premier cocktail bar. Acacia has graciously offered their space and a generous percentage of their profits. All funds raised will go towards the signage of trails in the park and signs for the parks entrances to direct people into this great neighborhood amenity.
At 6pm we will lead a tour into some of the park trails and throw in some steps for good measure – consider it a mini-StepTrek. The tour will take about an hour. We will meet outside of Acacia.
At 7pm the official fundraiser will start and will continue until 9pm. We will have delicious cocktails (and maybe a themed South Side Slopes concoction), the Steer and Wheel food truck, and maybe some live music. Did we mention delicious cocktails?
“Inflate those tires, oil those chains, and gear up for the 2013 National Bike Challenge, sponsored locally by Bike Pittsburgh and OTB Bicycle Cafe! Officially kicking off on May 1 and ending September 30, this free and friendly competition encourages Pittsburghers to get out and ride, whether as daily commuters, weekend warriors, or somewhere in between. The challenge helps riders realize the health, economic and environmental benefits of riding a bike.
Participant points heavily favor riding daily – 20 points per day, plus 1 point per mile logged. Smartphone users can even download a free app to directly track and log trips for the National Bike Challenge. Challenge yourself, your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to get moving, log miles, earn points, and be eligible to win prizes at the national level. Pittsburgh riders even earn free drinks at OTB Bicycle Cafe just for participating!”
Spring is finally in the air, and we want you to get your hands dirty in South Side Park. We have lots of upcoming volunteer dates. We will be working with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) on all these dates to remove invasive weeds, pick up trash, and work on trail building. Work starts at 9AM each day. Meet us near the entrance to the Bandi Schaum Community Garden in the South Side Park.
Saturday, March 30th – Workday in South Side Park
Saturday April 6th – CMU volunteer day in South Side Park
Saturday April 13th – Workday in South Side Park and fruit tree planting
As a reminder, our next general meeting will be a “Meet the Candidates” meeting. All mayoral candidates should be in attendance. We will have a sign-in sheet for you to write down your questions for the candidates.
Be an informed South Side Slopes voter and come to this meeting April 9, 2013 at the Monastery at 7PM.
Primary elections are Tuesday May 21, 2013. If you’re not registered to vote in the primary, you can register until Monday April 22, 2013. You must be associated with either the Republican or Democratic party in order to vote in their party.
