Our general meeting will be on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at the Monastery at 6:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Police Zone 3 Commander Dixon will be in attendance to give us an update on 2019 and Shot Spotter.
Every year, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association holds six public meetings open to the community (two of which are parties!).
All meetings start @ 6:30 p.m.
* St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center is located at 148 Monastery St. (parking available)
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.
Slopes residents and friends are invited to celebrate with neighbors at our holiday party on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Zenith (corner of 26th & Sarah Streets).
Meat and vegetarian food will be provided. BYOB. Street parking is available (Email us with accessibility questions at info@southsideslopes.org).
Let us know you’re coming, RSVP online!
Let us know you’re coming! RSVP ONLINE
Food will be provided. Please bring your own adult or regular beverage. See you there!!
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:
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.
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.
Agenda:
The Board of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is proposing the following by-law changes and policy addition for a vote before the membership at our Annual elections meeting on Tuesday October 8, 2019.
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. To read our current bylaws or see the full details on the proposed changes on the website (www.southsideslopes.org) or in our newsletter to be mailed to all South Side Slopes residents this month.
In its 19th year, the Pittsburgh StepTrek will begin Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 at 11AM at South Side Park (Josephine & 21st Streets). The event has lasted this long due to the backing of individuals with a curiosity as to what lies at the top or bottom of the numerous public stairs in the neighborhood.
We’ll be trekking in the Slopes again on Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check-in is at 21st & Josephine Streets on the South Side. BUY TICKETS
Interested in volunteering at StepTrek? Sign-up here.
The Board of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association is proposing the following by-law changes and policy addition for a vote before the membership at our Annual elections meeting on Tuesday October 8, 2019. You can see a copy of the current by-laws here. To summarize, we are instituting term limits for board members and changing the month of our public Annual Meeting. 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.
By-Laws Change – Article VI, Section 4
Change from:
“Term of Office: The terms of office for Board members will be two (2) years. However, five members of the initial Board of Directors shall serve a term until the next annual meeting, at which time they will stand for election to a full two-year term. There will be no limitation to the number of terms a Board member may serve.”
To:
“Term of Office: The terms of office for Board members will be two (2) years. However, five members of the initial Board of Directors shall serve a term until the next annual meeting, at which time they will stand for election to a full two-year term. Effective for Board members whose terms begin in 2019 and thereafter, Board members may not serve more than five consecutive terms. After being off the Board for at least one (1) year, the Board member shall be eligible to serve on the Board again.”
By-Laws Change – Article V, Section 1
Change from:
“Annual Meeting: The annual meeting will be held during the month of October at a location and time to be announced to the membership one month in advance for the purpose of electing directors and for the transaction of such business as may come before the meeting.”
To:
“Annual Meeting: The annual meeting will be held during the month of March at a location and time to be announced to the membership one month in advance for the purpose of electing directors and for the transaction of such business as may come before the meeting.”
NEW POLICY
Non-Discrimination Policy
The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of age, sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, disability, or political or religious opinion or affiliation in any of its policies, procedures or practices.
Join your neighbors for an evening of fun!
When: Tuesday, July 9, 2019 @ 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bandi Schaum Community Garden (across from Mission St Pumping Station)
Who: All Friends and Neighbors of the South Side Slopes
Why: Because your neighbors are great!
You’re welcome to bring a covered dish, snacks, drinks, or dessert. Ribs, burgers and hot dogs (and veggie burgers) will be provided.
