pdf icon OPDC_BRT_Flyer.pdf

Oakland Town Hall
Meet OPDC staff and board members, ask questions about their programs and
services and connect with other neighbors. This is the first of four quarterly
town halls OPDC will host this year, each focused on a different theme.
Theme: Development and Transportation Planning
  • Get updates on the City of Pittsburgh’s Bus Rapid Transit Project
  • Brush up on your role in the institutional master planning process as we prepare for Pitt’s upcoming master plan renewal
Wednesday, March 22, 6pm
Oakland Career Center
294 Semple Street 
Childcare and refreshmentswill be provided. Please RSVP if you plan to use the childcare.
See the flyer for more info.
A visit to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens could mean more than a walk through the flowers—it could mean a more sustainable future for Pittsburgh. Inline image 1
 
The Oakland-based public garden now offers incentives for switching to Green Mountain Energy, one of the largest clean power retailers in the country. Pennsylvania and New York residents who visit Phipps can work with an on-site Green Mountain representative to swap their current electricity provider for power generated by sources such as local wind farms and solar. Every guest who switches during their visit gets a free one-year family membership to Phipps while existing members receive a six-month extension of their membership. 
 

Find year-round events for fun, entertaining and engaging things to do in the greater Pittsburgh Area.Inline image 2
Having fun doesn’t have to empty your wallet! Many of Pittsburgh’s annual events are free, family friendly and deliver a unique experience.
A sampling of ongoing and upcoming events and places to visit:

Check out their website for the complete list and links to respective sites.
http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/events-festivals/free-events/  
 

PennDOT District 11 is announcing work to inspect the Liberty Tunnel in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will begin Sunday night, March 5. 
 
For safety reasons, the Liberty Tunnel will be closed overnights one direction at a time from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. while the inspection activities occur. Closures will occur according to the following schedule: 
 
Outbound (Southbound) Overnight Closures
  • Sunday through Thursday nights, March 5-9
  • Sunday through Thursday nights, March 26-30
Inbound (Northbound) Overnight Closures
  • Sunday through Thursday nights, March 12-16
  • Sunday through Wednesday nights, March 19-22
Outbound closures will not occur until two hours after the end of any major event at the PPG Paints Arena.  

The City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works will perform a two-day "Pothole Blitz" this week on Wednesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 9.  
 
Residents are encouraged to submit pothole repair requests to the City of Pittsburgh 311 Response Center. The “Blitz” efforts will be based on 311 submissions. 
 
311 requests can be submitted by calling or texting to (412) 573-9736, via Twitter to @Pgh311, via the MyBurgh mobile phone app, or the online form on the city website: http://pittsburghpa.gov/311/form 
 

Several main thoroughfares throughout Downtown Pittsburgh will be closed Saturday morning for the City's St. Patrick's Day Parade. 
Street closures will begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, along the parade route, which includes Liberty Avenue, Grant Street, the Boulevard of the Allies and the parade's end at Stanwix Street. 
Streets will be opened up again at approximately 1 p.m. 
The parade will form on Liberty Avenue from 11th to 26th streets.  
Port Authority buses will have access to the busway at 26th Street. More than 50 buses will be detoured during the parade, but service will still be maintained. Two-car light rail trains will be running on the red and blue lines throughout the day from 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Please visit PortAuthority.org for more detailed detour information. 

Savoy Restaurant at 2623 Penn Avenue is hosting a Black History Month Community Leadership Awards Event Thursday, February 23nd from 5:00 – 7:00pm to honor the five Black Elected Officials of PBEOC – Rep. Jake Wheatley,  Rep. Ed Gainey, Councilman Lavelle, Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, and County Councilman Dewitt Walton.
Admission is free.  There will be light Hors D'oeuvres and a cash bar.  This is a Gary White Signature Event.  You may click HERE for event flyer.     

Overnight Armstrong Tunnel Closures Begin Today for Tunnel Inspection
The Department of Public Works announced today that inspections of the Armstrong Tunnel will begin Monday, February 6, 2017 and continue through Thursday, February 23, 2017 requiring periodic overnight closures and detoured traffic.
The inbound Armstrong Tunnel will be closed overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., on February 6, 7, 8, 21, 22 and 23. The outbound Armstrong Tunnel will be closed overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on February 9, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20. At no time will both inbound and outbound be closed.
Traffic will be detoured using Forbes Avenue, Ross Street and Second Avenue.
Dates and times are dependent on the weather, as well as the inspection, and any changes to this schedule will be publicly announced.

Mayor William Peduto, the City of Pittsburgh Department of Innovation & Performance, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, the Housing Authority, and the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority today announced the opening application period for the second cycle of the PGH Lab program. 
 
PGH Lab is a program designed to connect local startup companies with the City of Pittsburgh to explore new ways to use technology and new services to make local government more efficient, transparent, sustainable and inclusive. The program gives the companies an opportunity to beta test their products and gain valuable feedback. During the pilot period startups will be connected with a “city champion” that will guide them through the 3- 4-month pilot period. 
 

pdf icon Clean-Water-Assistance-Fund-Information.pdf

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority has created the Clean Water Assistance Fund to help families pay their sewage treatment bills. This program serves low-income residential customers in the 83 municipalities that ALCOSAN serves. It is
administered by Dollar Energy Fund. 
 
Who is eligible? The Clean Water Assistance Fund is available to ALCOSAN service area residential homeowners (and tenants who have accounts in their own names) who meet family income limits set by the federal government. 
 
Household size Monthly income Annual income
  • 1 $1,485 $17,820
  • 2 $2,003 $24,030
  • 3 $2,520 $30,240
  • 4 $3,038 $36,450
  • 5 $3,555 $42,660
  • 6 $4,073 $48,870
  • 7 $4,591 $55,095
  • 8 $5,111 $61,335
See the attached flyer for more info.

Starting Seedlings at HomeInline image 1
Saturday, February 18th at 1:00 PM
Danielle Marvit, Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery
POWER/EEFC Conference Room 
 
Garden Dreams head farmer Danielle Marvit will provide tips on selecting seed varieties and discuss how to properly germinate, pot up, feed, and harden off homegrown seedlings. Please bring seeds to swap! 
 
To RSVP for this event, please call 412.242.3598.    
 

Find year-round events for fun, entertaining and engaging things to do in the greater Pittsburgh Area.
Having fun doesn’t have to empty your wallet! Many of Pittsburgh’s annual events are free, family friendly and deliver a unique experience.
A sampling of ongoing and upcoming events and places to visit: 
Check out their website for the complete list and links to respective sites.
 
Also check out the list of great family adventures in Pittsburgh this month from NEXTPittsburgh Inline image 1
  • Hervé Tullet exhibit at Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: Now-February 26
  • Party in the Tropics at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: February 3, 7—11 p.m
  • The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Ace Hotel Pittsburgh: January 26—February 4
  • The Addams Family at Shady Side Academy: February 10-12
  • Ice skating with BikePGH at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex: February 12
  • Valentine’s Day and Ginger Whiskey Weekend at Wigle Whiskey: February 14, 17, 18, 19
  • Award-winning acrobatics group Galumpha at various venues: February 14-19
  • The Harry Potter Film and Cultural Festival at Row House Cinema: February 17-March 2
  • Firelei Báez: Bloodlines at The Andy Warhol Museum: February 17–May 21
  • Tropical Forest Congo Festival at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: February 18
  • Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center: February 24 & 25

The link below is a news story for information about a recent telephone scam.  Please feel free to share with family, friends and members of your community groups or organizations. 
 
If you receive a phone call from someone asking “can you hear me,” hang up. You’re a potential victim in the latest scam circulating around the U.S. 
 
The police are now warning about the scheme, which also sparked warnings by Pennsylvania authorities late last year. The “can you hear me” con is actually a variation on earlier scams aimed at getting the victim to say the word “yes”, or "OK" or similar answer in a phone conversation. That affirmative response is recorded by the fraudster and used to authorize unwanted charges on a phone or utility bill or on a purloined credit card. 
 
The recommendation is to not answer unknown calls, and let them go to voicemail or an answering machine.  See the news report for more info and recommendations.
Oakwatch : The Oakland Code Enforcement Project
Third Wednesdays
February 15, Noon, St. Regis Church Social Hall, 3235 Parkview Avenue
Check the webpage for further details and any last minute changes.
 
Green Team : Putting the “oak” back in Oakland
Third Thursdays
February 16, 6pm, Oakland Career Center, 294 Semple St, Pgh, PA 15213.
Check the webpage for further details and any last minute changes.
 

Recently, Pittsburgh City Council has adopted a Complete Streets Policy. As a part of that policy, a Complete Streets Advisory Board will be formed to advise the City on best practices and projects for more bike-friendly and walkable streets.
More information on the new policy can be found here
 
On the Advisory Board will be 4 resident representatives. The Department of City Planning is accepting applications for resident representatives.
The application can be found here.