June 02, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The former Frank Mikell barber shop on Walnut Street in the Third Ward — once a community gathering place — is targeted for demolition. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Another 24 vacant buildings — mostly in the city’s Walnut Street corridor — are scheduled for demolition in what McKeesport officials said is a focused effort to encourage new business development in the Second and Third wards.
At Wednesday’s meeting, city council awarded a $219,850 contract to Minniefield Demolition Services LLC of West Mifflin to tear down abandoned homes and commercial structures on Walnut, Jenny Lind, Locust and Whigham streets; Tube Works and Van Kirk alleys; and Olive, Seventh and Ninth avenues.
The latest contract is separate from a $294,000 state grant announced last week that will help pay for the demolition of seven commercial buildings in the Downtown area.
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May 28, 2021 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
After more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions, North Versailles Twp. officials are preparing to re-open facilities to the public.
At May’s meeting, township commissioners said the municipal building and community center will begin welcoming residents inside again on June 1.
The announcement came after when an inquiry was made about starting up the weekly North Versailles Seniors Group bingo, with was held each Thursday at the community center before the beginning of the pandemic.
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May 28, 2021 |
By Siana Emery | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School District plans to increase its budget significantly for the 2021-2022, with the help of federal COVID-19 stimulus funding, but there will be no tax increase.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the school board approved the preliminary $81.1 million budget by a 6–1 vote. The spending plan represents an increase of almost 13 percent over 2020-2021.
The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act appropriated $13.2 billion for emergency relief for elementary and secondary schools.
District officials said the most significant expenditure changes largely focus on providing extra support for students, bolstering school safety and addressing learning losses caused by the pandemic. Expenditures include the addition of new educational and support faculty, camera system repairs and cyber school costs.
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May 28, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Family, friends and colleagues of Matthew Bauman, a McKeesport Area High School teacher who died in October 2020, gathered this week at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center as an educational program was launched in his memory. (Tube City Almanac photo)
A new educational series about local history has been created in memory of a beloved McKeesport Area High School teacher who died in October 2020 of cancer.
Family, friends and colleagues of Matthew Bauman gathered Wednesday evening at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center to share stories and discuss his legacy.
An 11th and 12th-grade history teacher, Bauman, 38, of Port Vue had served as vice president of the center’s board of directors before his untimely passing. But Bauman’s connection to the center, and McKeesport’s history, was much deeper than his title implied, said Marianne Macbeth, president of the center’s board.
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May 27, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News, White Oak News
A color guard comprised of then-McKeesport Area High School Junior Air Force ROTC Cadet Dylan Vaniel and members of the McKeesport police and fire departments present the American and Pennsylvania flags during 2017 Memorial Day ceremonies. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
Local communities have slated Memorial Day observances, including ceremonies in McKeesport and Glassport, and a parade on Lincoln Way in White Oak.
Observed annually on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is a federal holiday for honoring and mourning military personnel who died in the performance of their duties, and is distinct from Armed Forces Day — which is set aside to recognize active-duty personnel — and Veterans’ Day.
Memorial Day was originally known as “Decoration Day,” because it was used as a time to decorate troop graves. The holiday has been marked in the United States since the Civil War.
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May 26, 2021 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
NAMI McKeesport affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will meet at 6 p.m. June 3 in the pavilion adjacent to the McKeesport Heritage Center in Renziehausen Park, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness.
NAMI is a support, education and advocacy organization. Current statistics report that two in five adults live with some type of mental illness. That number translates to more than sixty million Americans. Also, about 20% of children have a diagnosable mental illness during any given year. When a family member is struggling, the whole family (as well as close friends, neighbors, co-workers and the community) are also affected.
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May 26, 2021 |
By Amanda B. Gillooly | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne residents can expect changes in the way the city does business, with officials announcing a “soft opening” for the municipal building, planned website upgrades, and some procedural changes with delinquent water bill collection.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, City Administrator Kelly Robertson announced that the municipal building would again be open to the public as of June 1, after being closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those who visit the building will be required to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Public restrooms would not be available.
“No one will be able to leave the lobby,” Robertson said.
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May 25, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
These three buildings near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Coursin Street are among seven in the city’s business district targeted for demolition with the help of funds from the state’s Blight Remediation Program. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Seven vacant buildings in the city’s Downtown business district — all in severe disrepair — will be demolished with the assistance of funding from the state’s Blight Remediation Program.
State officials announced Tuesday that McKeesport has been awarded $294,063 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority towards the demolition and environmental cleanup of properties at 903, 907, 911, 1013 and 1017 Fifth Ave., 328 Sixth Ave. and 422 Shaw Ave.
Funding also was awarded to remove blighted buildings in Dravosburg, Glassport, Liberty Borough and Wilmerding.
A total of $12 million was awarded statewide, including more than $1.3 million in grant money for efforts in the 45th Senate District, said state Sen. Jim Brewster of McKeesport.
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May 25, 2021 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Commentary-Editorial
State Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin was recently elected from the 38th Legislative District. He writes:
Imagine this: It is 2023 and President Biden is standing outside of U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant — the first of Andrew Carnegie’s steel mills, built in 1873, that turned Pittsburgh into the Steel City — to announce the country’s most technologically advanced steel making process has just been installed in the plant.
These improvements allow for the continued manufacturing of steel, right here in the Monongahela Valley, and will create the steel of the future used to build high-rises, bridges, vehicles, home appliances and much more, while providing high-quality, union jobs to our community in an environmentally responsible manner. Once again, Pittsburgh would be the center of steel production for the entire nation.
This doesn’t have to be just a dream.
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May 25, 2021 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(File photo: “Farmers’ Market” by Danny Jensen, via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 2.0)
The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program is once again accepting applications, said a spokeswoman for Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services.
The program helps eligible older adults to supplement their diets with locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by providing a set of checks for a total of $24.
All eligible seniors who wish to participate in this program need to fill out an application. Earlier this month, Farmers Market applications were mailed to everyone who received checks last year, the spokeswoman said.
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