September 04, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A pump failure at the McKeesport water treatment plant caused a lengthy outage on Friday night, a spokesman for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County said.
But it wasn’t just a lack of water that had some city residents frustrated — they said a lack of information from the water authority also left them high and dry.
Authority spokesman Matthew Junker told Tube City Almanac an electric motor that drives one of the pumps at the plant failed at about 7:30 p.m.
Crews had difficulty getting a second pump into operation, which caused water pressure to fall, he said.
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September 04, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A.J. Tedesco, McKeesport community development director, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko, HUD Pittsburgh Office Field Director Michael Horvath and HUD Region III Administrator Joe DeFelice talk following a visit to the vacant Penn-McKee Hotel, Downtown. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Less than a month after visiting McKeesport to encourage the city to take advantage of the Financial Opportunity Zone program, a federal official returned with two colleagues to help him make his case.
McKeesport needs a team of “cheerleaders” to sell the city’s advantages to prospective investors, said Joseph J. DeFelice, Region III administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.
“You have proximity” to Pittsburgh, DeFelice said during a roundtable discussion Thursday morning with business owners, elected officials and community leaders at the Palisades Ballroom, Downtown.
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September 03, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
K&K Roadside Service has received the city’s permission, with conditions attached, to continue operating along Patterson Avenue. (Tube City Almanac photo)
City council has granted an occupancy permit — with conditions attached — to a Patterson Avenue car repair shop that neighbors have claimed looked more like a junkyard.
At Wednesday’s meeting, McKeesport council by 4-2 vote approved a conditional use application for K&K Roadside Service, LLC, to continue operating in the 2200 block, near the entrance to Myer Park.
Councilmen Jim Barry Jr. and Keith Soles voted no, and Council President Richard Dellapenna Jr. was absent due to a professional obligation.
Although the neighborhood is zoned for residential use, an auto-repair shop has been located on the site for decades. But since K&K moved onto the property from Braddock, neighbors have complained repeatedly to McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko and several members of council.
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September 02, 2020 |
By Emily Pidgeon | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
This massive door in the former bank vault at the People’s Building weighs an estimated 15 tons, says owner Jonathan Stark. (Emily Pidgeon photo for Tube City Almanac)
Jane Jacobs, the writer and journalist who in the 1960s helped popularize the idea of preserving city architecture, once said, “New ideas often need old buildings.”
The Peoples Union Bank Building, with its high vaulted ceilings and old fashioned charm, has been a fixture in McKeesport’s skyline since 1906. Owner Jonathan Stark has ideas, and bringing commerce back to this old building is an important duty he holds dear to his heart.
Purchased by Stark in the late summer of 2019, the People’s Building has had a bit of a facelift and cleanup as well as some more serious construction in the past year. That included repairs to a section of the brick veneer that had pulled away from the exterior, with the potential to cause damage to cars and people below.
Stark was able to repair the damage before any major issues occurred and restored the brick without a hiccup.
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August 26, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A man arrested by McKeesport police in December on weapons and drug charges has now been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said the four-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday, charges Jermaine Pawlik-Curry Sr., 35, with violating federal weapons and drug trafficking laws.
McKeesport police and Allegheny County probation officers went to Pawlik-Curry’s home on Dec. 18 to confirm that he was complying with the terms of his parole.
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August 26, 2020 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners will express their support for the Tobacco Free Allegheny campaign.
At the August meeting, Township Manager Patricia Logo was directed to draft a letter of support for Tobacco Free Allegheny, notifying the campaign that North Versailles prohibits smoking in township parks and around public buildings.
In other business, commissioners approved payments to the West Wilmerding VFC in the amount $6,749.64 from the 2019-20 Fire Tax Money and to the Crestas VFC in the amount of $15,943.83.
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August 26, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Clairton-based Crew Missions is seeking volunteers to help clean up a local road in Jefferson Hills.
A spokeswoman said the event is planned for 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 19 along High Road, which parallels Route 51 off of Ridge Road.
Participants will be give a face mask and hand sanitizer, and all cleanup supplies will be provided. Volunteers should wear old clothes for the event, she said.
To register, call Judi at (412) 708-7328, email info@crewmissions.org or visit the Facebook page for the event.
August 26, 2020 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
Chickens are now welcome in North Versailles Twp. after a unanimous vote of commissioners at their August meeting.
The new ordinance, approved by commissioners, will allow homeowers to apply for a permit to keep up to four female chickens on their property. The property must be a single-family dwelling and chickens must be secured at night in their coop.
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August 26, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Politics & Elections
Editor’s Note: Clarified to note that Pennsylvania puts no monetary limits on gifts. There are other restrictions.
State Sen. Jim Brewster of McKeesport, shown with Braddock Mayor Chardaé Jones and representatives of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission during a recent tour of the Monongahela River, has introduced legislation to ban gifts from lobbyists to Pennsylvania lawmakers. (Submitted photo)
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has lent his support to an effort by a McKeesport lawmaker to block gifts from lobbyists to state lawmakers.
During a press conference Tuesday near Harrisburg, Wolf introduced his fall legislative agenda, asking the state house and senate to take up several proposals this fall, including additional aid for workers who lost jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and for businesses forced to close or restrict operations.
Wolf also endorsed a proposal introduced by state Sen. Jim Brewster that would ban gifts from special interests to legislators.
Pennsylvania is one of only 10 states that puts no monetary cap on gifts to members of the state house and senate, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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August 26, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Part of Greensprings Avenue in West Mifflin will close Sept. 8 for repairs, the Allegheny County Department of Public Works has announced.
The westbound lane of Greensprings will close near the Homeville Volunteer Fire Dept. so that crews can repair a concrete culvert, repave the road and install a storm grating and paint new pavement markings.
Work is expected to continue until November. Stop signs will be used to control traffic, and drivers are urged to use caution in the area, the county said.
The $73,123 project is being done by Pugliano Construction Co. Inc. of Plum.
