FALL 2009

WINTER 2009 COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

SouthSide Lights
South Side Community
Council, Inc.
Brashear Center South Side Library Centennial
2005 Sarah Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203 The South Side Branch of Carnegie Li- East Carson Street.
412.431.2236 brary of Pittsburgh first opened its doors, The most notable memory of the first day
southsidecommunitycouncil.org February 1, 1909 at the corner of East was that all the books in the library were
Carson and 22nd Streets. The original site checked out! Until more books were ac-
Board of Directors location was to have been the corner of quired for the collection, books had to be
Joe Bielecki, President Mary and 19th borrowed from Cen-
Jim Anderson, 1st VP Streets, but the tral Lending (today’s
Wanda Jankoski, 2nd VP c o m m u n i ty Main Carnegie Li-
Jason Imbrogno, Treasurer wanted their brary in Oakland) for
Eve Trbovich, Secretary jewel to be visible customers to borrow.
Thomas Barry to all; so a peti-
tion was written Since the idea of a
Virginia Carik
by a group of men library free to the
Richard Cupka, Jr.
and signed by people was new, peo-
Chuck Half ple of all ages visited
Brady Lutsko over 250. The
Library Commis- the library in droves.
Gail Matchett Children were al-
Catherine Mitchell
sion was ap-
proached, and lowed access in shifts,
Dave Pilarski because there were
because consid-
Steve Root too many to accommo-
eration was
Roberta Stackawitz date the children’s room all at once.
given, those citizens were successful in
their request to have the South Side Although the library
Branch visible to all who traveled on Continued Page 2
Inside This Issue

Carnegie Library 1 GRAFFITI WATCH could be better. We did all

we thought we could to im-
Graffiti Watch 1 (An action committee of South Side Community Council) prove our surroundings.
Annual Pie Sale 2 Greg painted over the graf-
The Gift of Community Involvement fiti on our home and I picked up litter as
Wanted 2
By Norine Minion we walked the streets, but we didn’t
Josephine Kenney 2 know what else we could do—and hon-
Kid’s Corner 3 My husband Greg and I moved to the estly we didn’t feel as if we had the time
Green n’at 4 South Side a week before Christmas or energy to do much more. So after two
2006. The diversity of our neighbors and years of sitting on the sidelines and wish-
Duquesne Thanksgiving 4
parade of people and activity on Carson ing for things to change, change began in
South Side Tree Project 4 Street won us over. However, like a four our very own alley.
Letter from C. Mitchell 5 year-old with a new favorite toy at
November Open Meeting 5 Christmas, by spring the charm and Two years ago, Larkins Way behind our
luster of our new neighborhood started house was a mess. The buildings, com-
Police Blotter 6
to fade as we began to see the scabs of mercial and residential, were marked
311 Blotter 6 graffiti, litter, and neglect outside our with graffiti, weeds were over three feet
Membership Application 7 doors. Greg and I still loved our new high, and the sides of the street looked
SSCC Subcommittees 7 community, but we wanted and knew it like a garbage Continued Page 3
PAGE 2 SOUTHSIDE LIGHTS FALL 2009

SSCC Third Annual

Pie Sale Pick up!!
What: Pie sale delivery and pick up of
scrumptious frozen fruity pies
ready to be baked for the holidays!
Date: Friday, Nov. 20th: Noon till 4:30PM
Saturday, Nov. 21st: 9AM till 12:30PM
Where: Prince of Peace Parish Center
93 S. 13th Street
South Side Community Council seeks a volunteer
to fill our Public Safety Committee Chair Position.
If you are invested in the community, enjoy working
with neighbors, interested in public safety issues and
coordinating events, you might be the one. Candidates
need to be comfortable when interacting with Zone 3
Police and able to attend public safety meetings which
occur throughout the city limits. Please call Joe Bielecki
with any questions or concerns at 412-390-0900.

South Side Library from page 1
has now been in the community for
100 years, we sometimes still get
crowds. Sixty-one adults and chil-
dren celebrated the end of the Sum-
mer Reading Club this year. We of-
ten have a queue for our public com-
puters, and our children’s room is at
full capacity during special pro-
grams.
Many visitors remember attending
story hours in the children’s room.
Their first comment is usually, “It
hasn’t changed….” Some of the furni-
ture is original, including the large
customer service desk in the middle
of the first floor.
The library is here for all citizens, for
there are a myriad of reasons to visit
the public library for business, per-
sonal growth, and pleasure. The li-
brary has a lot to offer: public com-
puters, regular children’s programs,
recreational reading (including fic-
tion and non-fiction), reference mate-
rial for serious study, various books
on CD, (also children’s material of
the same), DVDs, music CDs, and a
plethora of subjects and formats that
would interest the beginning to the
advanced reader.
Our Friends of the Library Group
hosted a 100th birthday party for the
library on Saturday, Oct. 3. All
friends and community members
were invited. Various fun activities
were planned, including games,
crafts, and discussions of memories
in the library….and of course, birth-
day cake was served!
It is a privilege to work in a library
that has been designated an historic
landmark by the Pittsburgh History
and Landmarks Foundation, and
that serves such a diverse commu-
nity. Such diversity makes working
in the South Side Library absolutely
fascinating, because there are al-
ways new adventures.

In Memory: Josephine member of South Side Community Next

Bujarski Kenney
Longtime South Side Community
Council board member Josephine
"Jo" Kenney passed away recently.
Born Josephine Bujarski, Jo worked
in the mayor's office until her retire-
ment.
Jo was very active in her civic life.
She was a founding member of the
Friends of the South Side Library,
where she created and copyrighted
the "Taste of the South Side" fund-
raising event and was also an avid
volunteer with the Polish Falcons
and St. Adalbert (later Prince of
Peace) Parish.
For many years, she was a board
Council and through her efforts,
the Community Council received a
grant to create its first Web site.
Jo was devoted to the South Side
and took great pride in her family
and in her neighborhood. She con-
tinued to volunteer with neighbor-
hood groups and events until she
was well into her 90's.
In gratitude and appreciation of
her efforts and commitment, South
Side Community Council board
members awarded Jo with the title
"Director Emeritus" and presented
her with a large certificate recog-
nizing her many years of service.
The City of Pittsburgh also ac-
Graffiti Watch
Meeting on Nov. 18
For information, call
412-496-2272 or
email:
graffitiwatch@gmail.com
knowledged Jo. Tuesday, December
13, 2005 was proclaimed “Josephine
Kenney Day” in honor and apprecia-
tion of her work and volunteerism in
community efforts.
Jo was preceded in death by her hus-
band Clarence Kenney, and is sur-
vived by her son Clarence "Larry"
Kenney, Jr., her daughter Susan
Kenney Nial, and several grandchil-
dren.
 P AGE 3
Kid’s Corner
This is Gemma’s 2nd Halloween “trick
or treating”. Gemma enjoyed walking
door to door with her cousin and being
dressed up. Our neighbors make it es-
pecially fun for her and give her special
Graffiti Watch (Continued from Page 1)
truck exploded. Then one Saturday
morning, Greg and I heard some
power equipment in the alley, we
opened our garage door to see what
was going on. Standing in the mid-
dle of Larkins Way was a handful of
our neighbors cleaning up OUR al-
ley. Neighbors we never knew till
that morning. Fellow South Siders
wearing fluorescent green Graffiti
Watch t-shirts were doing exactly
what Greg and I thought about do-
ing: getting rid of the graffiti and
cleaning up our neighborhood. I met
this band of merry workers who in-
vited me to join them on their next
“paint-out”. After seeing the im-
provement this small group of vol-
unteers had made on our block and
knowing that due to their efforts our
backyard is now virtually clean of
graffiti, weeds, and litter, Greg and
I agreed to join their team.
Now, less than a year later, Greg
and I participate in the monthly
paint-outs with our new friends and
neighbors. Prior to a paint-out, I
canvas our zone for new graffiti,
talk to home and business owners
about eliminating the graffiti, and
coordinate what graffiti will be
painted over at the next paint-out or
S OUT HS I DE LI GH T S FALL 2009
treats. Our neighborhood enjoys Hal-
loween and getting together. It’s a
good time to catch up with those we
haven’t seen coming or going.
We were a little disappointed in the
turnout of children this year. It
seemed as though there was a mis- Christopher, Carla & Gemma Spade-
communication about the time to cene and Lucas Harden are ready for
“trick or treat” and maybe that was Trick or Treating.
the problem. Many years we have run
out of candy, though my nephew was activities for younger children.
happy to claim the leftovers.
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves, and
I missed the Halloween parade South not to mention, our jack o’ lantern is
Side used to have. Having a toddler still in one piece! That’s a pretty
makes us become more aware of the good Halloween.
removed by Graffiti Busters. Graffiti Watch
On the day of the paint-out, we
Graffiti Watch volunteers spend Calendar Listing
around two hours painting over the
designated areas of need. Addition- Graffiti Watch meetings are at 7 PM on
ally, Greg does the dirty work, and the third Wednesday of the month at
cleans up the paintbrushes and roll-
the Brashear Center.
ers. And for those of you who may
ask the same question that I asked, All are welcome.
“Why bother painting over graffiti if
the vandals continually return to For information call 412-496-2272 or
the scene of the crime?” The answer, Email: graffitiwatch@gmail.com
based on our own and others’ ex-
periences, is that most of the graffiti
which is painted over is not re- more responsible to them and our
tagged and, if it is, the time span community. Now we see ourselves as
between the volunteers’ work and part of the solution instead of wait-
the vandals’ destruction becomes ing impatiently for the politicians
continually longer. So, for approxi- and public servants to fix things. It
mately four hours a month (there is seems that any attention or care we
also a monthly meeting that is short give to our surroundings continues to
and generally sweet) from spring to ripple throughout the neighborhood.
early fall we are part of a team that And, as we witness less and less graf-
is responsible for helping return the fiti and decay in our zone and the
charm and luster to our community. South Side, we know we are creating
a better place to live, work, and play.
The benefits from this mere four
hour per month invest-
ment have been mean-
ingful. We are building
a stronger connection
with our neighbors and
community businesses,
in addition to feeling
P AGE 4
Green Is
Growing
Green N'at Keeps On
Chugging
Green N'at has been active
th r o u g h o u t th e s u m m e r —
conducting clean-ups every other
Sunday morning throughout the
South Side. You might think the
activities have cooled with the
weather. On the contrary, the
Green N'at volunteers have shown
amazing dedication to getting out
and tidying up our streets.
W o r k i n g
through South
Side-based Con-
servation Con-
sultants, Inc.
( C C I )
G r e e n
N'at has
had the
opportu-
South Side Tree Project
Friends of the Pitts-
burgh Urban Forest
South Side Pittsburgh
Tree Project is a com-
munity effort spon-
sored by local busi-
nesses, residents and
Friends of the Pitts-
burgh Urban Forest to
help grow our green
space
This project is an ini-
tiative of Blue Tomato
Design and Riverset Credit Union,
who combined make projects like
this possible in the South Side. We
set out to make a difference and
S OUT HS I DE LI GH T S
nity to work with Duquesne Univer-
sity and University of Pittsburgh
students during their monthly vol-
unteer days, dubbed Keep It Clean
South Side (KICSS) and Make A
Difference Day respectively.
The efforts of each group have had
an incredible impact on both the
aesthetics of South Side as well as
the relationships we are building
between residents and students.
Green N'at volun-
teers have re-
cently been focus-
ing their efforts
on weeding some
overgrown areas.
Pictured is the
corner of 24th
and Sarah, the
corner of 22nd
and Wharton, and 19th Street.
We remove as much growth as
we can. Green N'at also works
with property owners to ensure
they are tending to their land.
With respect to 24th and
Sarah, Green N'at cleaned up the
area outside of the fence. The area
inside of the fence was promptly cut
down by the property owner after a
call from a Green N'at volunteer.
bring beauty to the
place we call home.
We want to plant as many
healthy trees as possible
on the South Side and
watch them grow. Like the
trees we plant, we expect
to start small with man-
ageable planting projects
and then branch out.
That's where Friends of
the Pittsburgh Urban For-
est, Blue Tomato Design,
Riverset Credit Union,
and YOU come in. It is
going to take the sustained efforts of
each to make sure that as the months
go by, more and more trees get
planted throughout the South Side.
FALL 2009
Duquesne University
Commuter Affairs &
South Side Community Council
present
A Networking Event
What: Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner
Who: Residents of the South Side
Slopes and South Side Flats
Where: South Side Market House
15 Bedford Square
When: 6PM on Tuesday, Nov. 17th
* Duquesne U. will provide turkey,
mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy
* Residents are asked to bring a side
dish that serves 10.
• Students are bringing desert.
South Side Community Council’s
University Relations Chair Chuck Half
says that “Duquesne and SSCC hope to
make this an informal annual gathering
of residents who just want to get to
know each other in a fun and tasty
setting”.
Residents, including family members,
interested in attending must either call
412.519.7569 or send an E-mail to
While Friends of the Pittsburgh Ur-
ban Forest approves sites, arborists
recommend appropriate trees to mini-
mize sidewalk upheaval and to maxi-
mize the life expectancy of the trees,
and the City of Pittsburgh partici-
pates in cement cutting. Conse-
quently, plantings are done in stages
and you can see why volunteers are so
important.
We need you to volunteer your time
and talents, and donate to this impor-
tant project and opportunity to plant
trees now that will grow for years to
come.
Please contact Kim Collins of
Blue Tomato Design at
kcollins@bluetomatoedesign.com or
visit www.sstreeproject.com to learn
more!
P AGE 5 S OUT HS I DE LI GH T S FALL 2009

What we do does make a difference. If this news-

Letter from our new Board Member,
letter has been mailed to you then you must have
Catherine Mitchell… an interest in the South Side. Please take the next
step and volunteer. If everyone on this mailing list
gave one day to a volunteer activity just once a

I
attended my first Board meeting
for South Side Community Council.
It’s not my “first day at a new school”
experience. As an Air Force Brat I
had that experience about 10 times before I completed
graduate school. Regardless, it was a “first”.
year it would make a huge difference. Don’t let anyone
ever tell you that South Side isn’t a nice place to live
simply because we have our issues. My husband and I
think living on the South Side is wonderful and we feel
honored to be part of community that is working hard to
make itself a better place for all it’s residents.
Regards, Cathy Mitchell

I’m new to the South Side. My husband and I moved here

in May 2008. We had lived in Sewickley for 24 years. It is
a lovely community, perfect for raising the kids but not so
SSCC
“geographically desirable” to my husband’s job. Moving
to the South Side was purely a geography choice. It split
Open Meeting
the distance between our two jobs. When: Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, at 7PM
Could we have gotten any luckier? IF we had known what Where: Brashear Association, 2005 Sarah St.
a wonderful experience it would be to live here, IF we had
What: Graffiti TaskForce, Mayor’s 311, and
known how many great new friends we would find, IF we
had understood the great value of living in a community Graffiti Watch
with such diversity, IF we had realized that living in the
South Side would make us better people…..well, we Meet:
would have moved here a long time ago.
Detective Dan Sullivan: City of Pittsburgh
My first experience with community involvement came Guns Gangs and Graffiti Task Force; Wendy Ur-
through the Graffiti Task force. I thank Steve Root for his banic: Mayor’s 311 Coordinator and Steve Root:
persuasive nature in encouraging my further involve-
ment. South Side Community Council’s Graffiti Watch
Action Committee Chair Person
All around me, I am seeing more and more of my
neighbors coming forward to do something to improve the Attend and Learn more about:
community. Some of their endeavors are complicated and -Procedures and the outcomes of reporting graffiti;
time consuming, while others are as simple as having a
-City’s accomplishments in apprehending and con-
can of grey paint and walking around once a week paint-
ing over graffiti on electric boxes. victing graffiti vandals;
-311 aspect of reporting graffiti and follow up; and
As I have joined in on clean-ups and paint-outs, I have
run across a lot of people who ask if the city is paying us -Value on getting involved in graffiti prevention and
for our efforts, or they tell us we shouldn’t bother “it’s removal from a grass roots level.
never getting better”. My response to them is that we
don’t get paid money, we work on behalf of our town, our
place, our home, and our neighbors. We work so that we
can be proud of where we live and hopefully that pride South Side Community Council
will spread. would like to thank
Our city government cannot do everything that needs to Copies At Carson
be done here. We just can’t afford it. But through volun-
teer community effort an amazing amount of work is get- and its contributing authors
ting done. Terra McBride has managed to organize for their outstanding support of
neighbors to have community clean-ups on Sunday morn-
ings throughout the summer. At first there were just a SouthSide Lights
few people helping, but now there are more and more.
Kim Collins has organized the South Side Pittsburgh
Tree Project (see related article), bringing more trees to
THANK YOU!
our neighborhood. Steve Root and the Graffiti Task Force
has painted over hundreds of square feet of graffiti.
Our next quarterly edition: Winter 2010
P AGE 6 S OUT HS I DE LI GH T S FALL 2009

POLICE BLOTTER
July 8 through October 8, 2009

Crime Stats for South Side Flats Reckless Endangerment of Another 4 Burglary 16
Aggravated Assault 19 Resisting Arrest 6 Criminal Mischief 15
Aggr. Assault w/Police Officer 5 Robbery 4 Criminal Trespassing:Residence 1
Accidents 34 Simple Assault 30 DOA 1
Armed Person 1 Simple Assault:Domestic Violence 1 Domestic Violence 2
Bench Warrant 2 Stalking 1 Drugs Arrests 5
Burglary 22 Stolen Vehicle 4 DUI 5
Criminal Mischief 95 Stolen Vehicle:Recreation Vehicle 1 Escaped from Police Custody 2
Criminal Trespassing 2 Terroristic Threats 4 False ID 1
Disorderly Conduct 4 Theft by Deception 5 Forgery 1
DOA 5 Theft:Auto 83 Harassment 31
Drug Arrests 7 Theft:Business 16 ID Theft 1
DUI 36 Theft:Person 61 Protection from Abuse Violation 1
Forgery 6 Theft:Residence 6 Rape 1
Fraud 3 Vehicle Code Arrestable Crime 1 Reckless Endangerment of Another 1
Harassment 31 Warrant Arrests 2 Receiving Stolen Property 5
ID Theft 1 Crime Stats for South Side Slopes Robbery 2
Indecent Assault 1 Aggravated Assault 3 Simple Assault 14
Intoxication 6 Accidents 9 Tampering with Evidence 1
Kidnapping 1 Armed Person 2 Theft:Auto 29
Loss of Property 7 Arson 1 Theft:Person 6
Open Lewdness 4 Business Burglary 1 Theft:Residence 2
Receiving Stolen Property 18 Bench Warrant 1 Vehicle Code:Arrestable Crime 2

South Side 311 Service Calls

July 13, 2009 THROUGH October 9, 2009
Weeds/Debris 91 Street Resurfacing 10 Inspections 5
Potholes 42 Building Violation:Residential 9 Street Cleaning 5
Abandoned Vehicle 23 Dumping 9 Demolition 4
Overgrowth 18 Sign Request 9 Drug Enforcement 4
Signs-Replacement 17 Sinkhole 8 EnvServ:Dumpsters 4
Graffiti 16 City Steps 7 Guiderail 4
Parking 16 Dumpster Permits 7 Litter Can 4
Permit—Residential 16 HCP Related 7 Occupancy:Residential 4
Tree Pruning 15 Tree Removal 7 Violations 4
EnvServ:Violations 14 Noise 6 Commercial Building Violation 3
Patrol 12 Dead Animal 5 EnvServ: Missed Blue Bag 3
Sidewalk Need Repaired 12 Trash: Early Set Out 5 Litter 3
Sewers 10 Trash:Missed Pickup 5 Occupancy/Commercial 3
 Membership Application
Name: ________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
City, State, Zip: __________________________________
Phone - Day: ____________________________________
Phone - Evening: _________________________________
Email Address: __________________________________
□ Yes! Save a stamp - email me the Newsletter!
Payment Information:
□ Enclosed is my $10 check or money order made pay-
able to the South Side Community Council. (Student and
Senior Citizen membership annual rate is $5.00.)
□ Enclosed is an additional donation of $_____ in support
of the South Side Community Council’s efforts.
□ I am interested in make an in-kind donation of materi-
als or services. Please contact me.
Membership Benefits
INFORMATION & EDUCATION
• South Side Community Council hosts programs
on topics of interest that are open to the public.
• Members receive a copy of SSCC’s SouthSide
Lights newsletter four times a year.
ADVOCACY & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• You have firsthand knowledge of issues affect-
ing the community and have a outlet to voice
your concerns.
• Work with residents who feel the same about
issues affecting the community.
• SSCC connects its members with activities that
benefit the entire community, such as the Trash
Bash.
• SSCC board members serve on committees and
boards for various South Side organizations and
offer these organizations insight regarding resi-
dents’ issues and concerns.
• In addition, SSCC provides financial support for
local organizations like the Brashear Associa-
tion.
SOCIAL
• SSCC offers its members opportunities to meet
their neighbors and have some fun!
Please mail your application to: South Side Community Council
Involvement:
Yes! I want to get involved…please contact me about the:
• Internal Processes Subcommittees:
□ Membership Committee
□ Communications/Marketing Committee
□ Event Planning
□ Fundraising Committee
• External Relations Subcommittees:
□ University Relations
□ Neighborhood Community Liaison
□ Business Liaison
• Action & Advocacy Subcommittees:
□ Graffiti Watch
□ Beautification/Green N’at
□ Public Safety
□ Building & Zoning Committee
□ I have a questions and/or issue regarding our
community. Please contact me!
SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
SUBCOMMITTEES:
Internal Processes Subcommittees:
Membership Committee: Recruit new members.
Communications/Marketing Committee: Get the word
out about SSCC programs and community efforts.
Event Planning: Help plan events within the commu-
nity to encourage communication and
Fundraising Committee: Raising money for the SSCC’s
efforts in the South Side
External Relations Subcommittees:
University Relations: Work with the Universities for
the purpose of reaching out and welcoming students,
while instilling a sense ownership and responsibility
while living in our neighborhood.
Neighborhood Community Liaison: Work with
neighbors to learn of their concerns and issues.
Business Liaison: Work with businesses and the com-
munity for streamlining communication purposes.
Action & Advocacy Subcommittees:
Graffiti Watch: Prevent and remove graffiti
Beautification/Green N’at: Beautify our neighborhood
through community artwork, landscaping and ridding
the neighborhood of litter and trash.
Public Safety: Address quality-of-life issues across the
neighborhood including safety
Building & Zoning Committee: Work on zoning, ACHD
and BBI residential issues
 FALL 2009 COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Build positive relationships with

Voice your concerns and issues to

Affect change in YOUR neighbor-

SouthSide Lights
SSCC offers you an opportunity to:
WHY SHOULD YOU
JOIN SSCC?

government officials
your neighbors

Did You Know……….

Did you know South Side was once a major glass
hood!

making center? Pittsburgh’s first glass factory was

opened on the South Side in 1797 where the Du-
quesne Incline parking lot at Station Square is to-
day.
•

At the industry’s height in 1876, there were 76 glass

factories in operation in the neighborhood.

South Side Community Council

Pittsburgh glass, with the majority made on the
zens, for others on a fixed income, or those with
profit (501(c)(3)), non-partisan, charitable organi-
zation. Members must be real property owners or
South Side Community Council (SSCC) is a non-

tenants for either commercial or residential use in

Membership discounts are available to senior citi-

South Side was recognized throughout America and

Europe as the finest in the world. Over 65% of all
glassware made in the United States came out of
Community Council?

$5 per student or senior citizen

What is South Side

Pittsburgh and Allegheny county factories. Presi-

Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Annual membership dues are

c/o Brashear Center

special needs. Please call for information. dents Andrew Jackson and James Monroe ordered
their glass and table ware from Pittsburgh compa-

2005 Sarah Street

$10 per household or
the South Side’s 16th or 17th Wards.

To:
nies.
The most expensive glass made at that time was
dark red and used in railroad-warning lanterns. The
glass maker added pure gold to the mixture of sand,
potash and lime to produce the color.
South Side Community
Council, Inc.
c/o Brashear Center
2005 Sarah Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
412.431.2236
southsidecommunitycouncil.org