Hackstown Street Residential Project – Community Outreach Meeting

You are invited to join the development team for a second neighborhood gathering as they introduce the updated master plan for the proposed Hackstown Street Residential Development Project, The Villas at Winter Park.

Join us to learn more about this exciting project in your neighborhood, and meet the development team!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 6:30 PM at St. Paul of the Cross Monastery.

If you have questions or comments and are unable to attend the neighborhood meeting, please contact Cipriani Studio’s Outreach Coordinator, Katie Yakich: [kdyakich@gmail.com] [814.602.9728]

Click the link to see the flier for the event: Community Outreach Meeting Flier 2.0

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StepTrek Cleanup

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This Saturday August 16, join us for a StepTrek Cleanup. We will meet in South Side Park under the Mission Street Bridge starting at 10AM, then start walking. Students from CMU will be joining us to help with the cleanup.

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South Side Park Trail Update

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The Mount Washington CDC Emerald Trail Corps has completed their work on South Side Park for the summer. Here’s an update on the work done from the project manager:

Today I walked the completed trail loop, which includes the lower leg of the paved trail at the southern end of the park, the plateau area and a brief jaunt through the Quarry Field parking lot and along the sidewalk at the end of the field, with a mileage roller. The total trail distance came in at just under a mile (approx .9 mi) at 4,909 feet.

Of that total, the Emerald Trail Corps completed work through reroutes and intensive maintenance on 2,512 feet of trail (just under .5 mi). This is only for portions of trail which we moved a significant amount of dirt to form or reform the trail tread and not trail area brushed or where the existing and remaining tread received light maintenance.

In addition, we removed around 8-10 bags of garbage including broken glass as well as a couple of tires from the trail corridor. We reinforced two water crossing which intersect the trail with rock inlays and shut down at least 300 feet of old trail which was either highly eroded or no longer necessary in the trail plan. We did not keep a count of how many vines were removed or trees we needed to fell in the process of clearing the new trail corridors.

– Thomas D. Guentner,  Emerald Trail Corps Project Manager

Now, get out and enjoy the much-improved trail!

 

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South Side Slopes Summer Picnic

Everyone is welcome to our annual summer picnic. The association will be grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers. Please bring a side dish, dessert, or beverage. Hope to see you there!

The picnic starts at 6:30PM, Tuesday July 8.

Location: Quarry/Saber Field, South Side Park (Entrance on 18th St)

 

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South Side Park Trail work to begin this month!

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As part of our grant award to improve South Side Park, the SSSNA has partnered with the Mount Washington CDC’s Emerald Trail Corps to improve the hiking trails in the park.  Pending final city approval, the Emerald Trail Corps will begin working on trail improvements in South Side Park on July 7th and the work will last approximately 3 weeks.  The trail corps will be working on sections of Ol’ Renziehausen the trail starting at Quarry Field continuing up to Arlington Field and then down to Bandi Schaum Community Garden.  These trail improvements and re-routes will help make the trail system less steep, more user-friendly, and more stable from a water management and erosion control perspective.

As always, you can help the SSSNA keep South Side Park safe by reporting illegal activity including camping and motor biking to 911.

It is illegal to camp or operate a motorized dirtbike in a city park. (city code 473.03-473.04)

If you have any questions, email info@southsideslopes.org

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South Side Slopes Annual Summer Picnic

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Everyone is welcome to our annual summer picnic. The association will be grilling hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers. Please bring a side dish, dessert, or beverage. Hope to see you there!

The picnic starts at 6:30PM on Tuesday July 8.

Location: Quarry/Saber Field, South Side Park (Entrance on 18th St)

UPDATE: 7/8/2014 4PM: The picnic is still on. We are hoping for the rain to mostly pass by 6:30pm, and we will have a tent. If there is a sustained downpour, we will retreat to the Monastery Retreat Center.

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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

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Knoxville Incline Overlook Prep-work

Join us for the first volunteer day at the old Knoxville Incline Overlook & Trail along Brosville Street. Tasks will include: Laying mulch, trimming weeds, and general site prep and clean-up followed by pizza.

This event is in collaboration with GTECH Strategies ReClaim South Program. http://gtechstrategies.org/projects/reclaim-south-ambassador-project-knoxville-incline-historic-site/

GTECH will be supplying all the tools. We just need volunteers!

Details: Saturday, June 21. 10AM to 2PM.

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National Trails Day in South Side Park

This event is in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Celebrate National Trails Day by helping us maintain the trail corridor in South Side Park. Breakfast will be provide courtesy of Giant Eagle!

Meet at the Quarry Field Parking Lot

Please sign up on the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy website to help them have an estimate of who’s coming! https://www.pittsburghparks.org/volunteerdays

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Slopes Social Hour at Acacia

Gather round for another Slopes social hour, this time held at Acacia bar. Acacia is one of the best places in the ‘Burgh to grab a cocktail, and it just so happens to be in our neighborhood. There is also an extensive beer selection and food can be ordered next door at Stagioni’s. Stop by and meet some new neighbors or reconnect with old friends on Tuesday, June 3 starting at 5:30 PM.

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