Pittsburgh

03/11 2015

Spring 2015 Love Your Block Grant Recipients Announced

Mayor William Peduto announced the 15 organizations that will receive funding for the eighth round of the Love Your Block (LYB) grant program, a servePGH initiative. Through the block revitalization program, in partnership with The Home Depot, Peoples Gas and PNC, the City awards $1,000 to purchase supplies and tools to implement a block improvement project that mobilizes community volunteers to transform blighted lots into community assets. Additionally, a special $2,000 prize will be given to the organization that carries out the most successful block transformation, according to identified criteria. Spring project implementation will take place from April 25 to June 30, 2015.
If you have an idea for a Love Your Block Grant project for our community, let us know.
Click here to read the full article describing more about the program a funded projects
SPRING 2015 GRANT RECIPIENTS
  • Bloomfield Development Corporation
  • St Paul AME Church
  • Mt Washington Community Development Corporation
  • White Lily Baptist Church
  • Hill House Association
  • Polish Hill Civic Association
  • Hazelwood Initiative
  • South Side Community Council of Pittsburgh
  • Beechview Business District Revitalization Project
  • Penn State Extension Center
  • Monticello Street Hospitality House
  • Soldiers & Sailors Museum
  • Larimer Green Team
  • Spring Hill Civic League
  • Perry Hilltop Citizens Council
03/11 2015

Pgh Celebrates 3-1-1 Day 3/11

Mayor William Peduto today celebrated March 11 as ‘3-1-1 Day’ in the City of Pittsburgh in honor of the continued success and development of the 311 Response Center.
“The success of the 311 Response Center is a city-wide effort,” said Mayor Peduto.  “I am very proud of the commitment our employees continue to demonstrate to this invaluable service.”
The 311 Response Center is a part of the Department of Innovation & Performance. Since the creation of the Department in February 2014, several upgrades and improvements have been made to the 311 process, demonstrating the Peduto administration’s continued commitment to providing services in an efficient, effective and equitable manner.
“The goals of the 311 Response Center are to provide excellent customer service and easy access to government,” said 311 Manager Wendy Urbanic. “The 311 Response Center is proud to serve the citizens, visitors, employees and commuters of the City of Pittsburgh. We are very excited about implementing changes to make those services even better.”
Click here to read the full article with more details on improvements and statistics on 3-1-1 system
03/05 2015

Pot Holes And Deteriorated Roads

With the bad weather and increased salt use, more potholes and general deterioration will be developing.  Early next week the temperatures are expected to be above 40 degrees for a few days and will allow DPW to do some badly needed road patching, so if you are aware of any potholes, make sure to report them by either calling 3-1-1 or using the online form at http://pittsburghpa.gov/311/form
It is also approaching that time of year that the city will be evaluating roads that need to be repaved, so mentioning that in any report, or filing a separate report for that would be a good idea.
03/05 2015

City Still Seeking Volunteer Help For Boards, Authorities & Commissions

(March 2, 2015) Roles are still open for volunteers interested in neighborhood issues such as building codes, disruptive properties and water bills, and for preservationists who can help oversee the City’s archives.
Last month the Peduto administration announced openings for several volunteer roles in City boards, authorities and commissions. Interest has been high in the positions, but the City is still seeking more applicants for the following:
  • Building Code Board of Appeals
  • Commission on City Archives
  • Disruptive Property Appeals Board
  • Water Exoneration Hearing Board
They are among the openings on nine bodies, all of which are listed here on the City website. Links for each group describe the volunteer roles and whether city residency or professional certificates are required for the positions.
Click here to read for article and apply for positions
03/03 2015

Hearing On Proposed Zoning Code Change Re Agriculture Use – Tue 3/24 2pm

pdf icon Urban-Ag-Changes.pdf

PUBLIC HEARING
Proposed Zoning Code Text Amendment
Land Use Control File No. C-782
Agriculture and Urban Agriculture
The Planning Commission has initiated a Zoning Code Text amendment related to Urban Agriculture. The amendment is proposing to:
  • expand the allowable zoning districts and use classifications for all types of
  • amend and supplement the use standards for all types of Agriculture and
  • add definitions to supplement Agriculture and Urban Agriculture
A copy of the proposed text amendment may be reviewed at the Zoning Office on the 3rd floor of 200 Ross St., Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. or online at  www.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/notices
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed text amendments
Tuesday, March 24, 2015 @ 2:00 p.m.
John P. Robin Civic Building, 1st Floor
200 Ross Street, Pittsburgh PA
Testimony presented by individuals will be limited to three minutes each. In addition, any
person who intends to testify on behalf of an organization such as a chamber of commerce, community club, etc., shall provide a “Letter of Authorization” from the appropriate duly appointed officers before testifying. Prepared comments, statistics or
reports in printed form may be presented to the Commission to support testimony or in lieu of testimony. (Interpreters for the hearing impaired will be provided with 4 days notice by contacting Richard Meritzer at 412-255-2102.) You may call 412-255-2241 if
02/04 2015

Civic Leadership Academy Applications – Due Feb 20

pdf icon CLA-Spring-2015-Application.pdf

Inline image 2Applications for the Spring 2015 Civic Leadership Academy are now available!  The Civic Leadership Academy is a free 10 week course in local government that gives residents an opportunity to connect with and learn from Department Directors and their staff.  All Pittsburgh residents over the age of 18 are eligible to apply.  Just like the Fall class, we will be reserving up to 15 seats for New Americans as part of the Mayor's Welcoming Pittsburgh Initiative.    

For more information and apply online: 
12/18 2014

County, City, Pitt & CMU Receive Award To Build Technology Infrastructure

Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh — working in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University — will build joint technology infrastructure that will provide leaders and citizens with data-driven tools to improve the effectiveness of local government.
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has awarded $1.8 million to fund the first 18 months of the effort, supporting three major initiatives.
The city and county will create a Government Solutions Engineering team of data experts to seek ways to spur local government modernization and supply data-driven management tools to government leaders. The team will work on ways to make government more efficient and customer-friendly for residents; standardize data formats; better track public spending via performance-based budgeting; and synthesize data on tax delinquency and code enforcement to better track problem property owners.
Read the full press release:
http://pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/release?id=3876
12/12 2014

Pgh And 10 Other Cities Join Citizenship Initiative

On Monday Pittsburgh and 10 other cities will formally join Cities for Citizenship, an initiative launched by Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago in partnership with Citi, the founding corporate partner, which aims to increase citizenship among eligible U.S. permanent residents to forge more inclusive and economically robust cities.

Leading officials from Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chattanooga, Denver, Milwaukee, Nashville, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. will announce their active participation in this growing initiative at a special event during the National Immigrant Integration Conference (NIIC 2014).

Read entire article:

http://pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/release?id=3848

12/09 2014

New City Dept Approved To Oversee Bldg Inspections And Permitting

Mayor William Peduto’s plan to overhaul the Bureau of Building Inspection and make it more efficient for neighborhoods, businesses and city residents was finally approved today by Pittsburgh City Council.
The new Department of Permits, Licenses & Inspections — to be overseen by current BBI Chief Maura Kennedy — will keep working closely with Public Safety bureaus while also upgrading technology and establishing a modern permitting department better suited to a growing city.
Read more about it:
http://pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/release?id=3835
11/26 2014

City Offices Closed For Holiday 11/27 & 11/28

City of Pittsburgh offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow and Friday, Nov. 28.
There will be refuse collection Friday however.
The Department of Public Works advises that there will not be any refuse, bulk waste or recycling collection on Thursday in observance of Thanksgiving Day.
The schedule will proceed as follows:  If your scheduled day of collection is Thursday, Nov. 27, you will be serviced on Friday, Nov. 28. If your collection day is Friday, Nov. 28, you will be serviced Saturday, Nov. 29.
If you should have any questions concerning your collection, you may contact Environmental Services at 412-255-2773.