Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato will hold a town hall meeting at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning at Francis McClure Middle School to ask for public input on improvements to White Oak Park.
The meeting is part of Onorato's "County Parks Action Plan," which is supposed to address what he calls "20 years of deferred maintenance" at the county's nine regional parks.
The plan also includes the establishment of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, described as "an independent, non-profit organization that will raise private funds for park improvements."
Francis McClure Middle School is located at 500 Longvue Drive in White Oak.
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McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St., presents Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." Showtimes are 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Call (412) 673-1100 or visit their website.
The last few years have been a good time to be involved in school construction in Western Pennsylvania.
Despite the widespread regional population drain, a bump in birthrates in the 1990s in some districts increased the student population. Many local schools constructed just after World War II are beginning to require expensive repairs; even if they're structurally sound, they need technological upgrades to accommodate new types of classrooms, along with computers and Internet connections.
That's led to the construction of a new elementary school in Port Vue to replace the old Glassport and Romine Avenue schools; the replacement of Scull and Sunset Valley elementary schools in North Huntingdon and the demolition of the relatively young (OK, 37 years old) Stewartsville Elementary School, which is to be replaced by a new building on the same site; and construction of a new middle school in North Versailles to replace the 1930s-vintage Westinghouse Elementary in Wilmerding.
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So it's no surprise that McKeesport Area School District, which serves the city, Dravosburg, South Versailles Township (Coulter), Versailles and White Oak, is considering replacement of one or more of its elementary schools.
True, the district's enrollment is supposed to decline from the present 4,200 students to about 3,400 a decade from now. (Ouch.) But McKeesport's buildings are older than most. Centennial School on Beaver Avenue was built in 1921; George Washington, over in the Myer Park section of the city, was built in 1928.
The projected cost is about $30 million to $40 million.
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But here's the thing that floored me: School Director Dave Donato's comment that a new elementary school should be built near the high school.
P-G freelancer and former Daily News sports editor Norm Vargo quotes Donato as saying, "that area is an ideal site with Helen Richey Field next door and Renzie Park just across Eden Park Boulevard. Property acquisition might be a problem. But most of it is low density residential. We might be forced to consider eminent domain."
Eminent domain? You have to be kidding me.
. . .
With all of the vacant property available within the city, the idea that the school district might want to condemn property in one of McKeesport's stable neighborhoods makes my head hurt.
There are blighted neighborhoods begging for development throughout the city.
There are other neighborhoods which aren't blighted, but which have plenty of vacant property --- including Christy Park, where the old 11th Ward School was located. That building was torn down during the summer of 2006 and the property is still owned by the McKeesport Area School District!
Maybe Donato was speaking off the cuff. I sure hope so.
(A more suspicious man might wonder if Donato hopes that the district will purchase his former Ball Park Restaurant, adjacent to the high school campus and currently for sale.)
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I won't argue that after 80 years of continuous use, some of the district's elementary schools are due for replacement. Consolidating their students in a new, more modern building would likely save operating costs and result in better education.
But although I don't live within in the city limits, I'd be pretty upset if the school district is really proposing to take away taxpaying, quality residential properties when it owns empty property elsewhere.
This little "trial balloon" needs to be punctured before it floats any further.
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Stories I Missed: The Post-Gazette notes that city Mayor Jim Brewster is unhappy with the chamber of commerce, and feels the city might need to create its own chamber to improve its marketing efforts. A letter to the editor from a Clairton resident in yesterday's P-G raps the idea as a power grab.
Actually, I can see exactly where Brewster is coming from. The city is currently served by the Regional Chamber Alliance, which used to be known as the Mon-Yough Chamber of Commerce and before that, the McKeesport Chamber of Commerce.
And as far as I can tell, the RCA does sweet F.A. for the City of McKeesport.
When I look through the chamber's marketing materials, I see activities for Monroeville, West Mifflin, Jefferson Hills, White Oak ... everywhere except McKeesport, Liberty, Port Vue and Glassport.
I'll elaborate in a day or two. But if Brewster's comments shake the RCA out of taking the McKeesport area for granted, then I endorse them wholeheartedly.
It's been a while since I cleaned out the email box, and it's starting to get a little gamey ....
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Alert Reader Kyle writes:
I would just like to thank you very much for your website about McKeesport. I am a college student currently attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania and I have often wondered so much about the history of the Mon Valley.
My hometown is Finleyville, Pa., but I have spent a great deal of time in Donora, Monongahela, Elrama and McKeesport throughout my life.
I have heard stories about the greatness that once was by parents and grandparents but I found it very difficult to find a decent source for information that isn't skewed by unwillingness to damage the names of the towns that once were. Most websites I visit only deal in cut and dry population statistics and refuse to address the gray, run down streets and check cashing centers next to liquor stores. ...
My mother is (excised for privacy reasons -- ed.). I once asked her why there was a bronze statue of JFK in a tiny park and she told me that he had spoke there. I was genuinely awestruck, why would JFK visit a place like this? I was told that it had been at one time one of the largest cities in PA and that is what initially sparked my interest in McKeesport.
Sorry for such explanation. I just want to give you heartfelt thanks for preserving the memory of this once great town and it's untimely downfall by sprawl and Japanese steel.
Just found your site last night and have forwarded it on to a couple other folks. I was raised in White Oak, graduated from McKeesport in 1994 and live in Chambersburg, Pa., now.
The history on this site is fascinating, especially for someone who remembers Weiner World at Eastland Mall, the drive-in up the road and passing some of the charred remains of the 1976 fire on the way to Century III Mall.
If I may make suggestions I'd recommend adding Rainbow Gardens, Paule's Lookout and Helmstadter's store Downtown. Then again, you've probably already thought of these and just haven't gotten around to them yet.
Can you help an ailing mind? Where was Bettis airport in relationship to Allegheny County Airport?
Bettis Field, also known as the Pittsburgh-McKeesport Airport, was the present location of Bettis Laboratory on the border between Dravosburg and Mifflin Township (now West Mifflin).
Alert Reader Josh writes:
I'm an avid reader of the Tube City Almanac, and a former McKeesport resident. Your blog about Aaron Slafka made me want to write to you about him.
I've known Aaron since we were in 7th grade together. He's one of the coolest guys I've ever met ...
Aaron has been an inspiration to me. Although I didn't go through something as bad as he did, he's inspired me nonetheless.
Aaron not only coped with his challenges, but actually pushed himself to get better. Many people take for granted the power of the human spirit.
I want to thank you for giving Aaron Slafka the credit he deserves. Most blogs and news sources are too busy blabbing about Brittney's bald head or Paris' night-vision late night romps. What you have provided is REAL NEWS.
Whatever else Myron Cope was, he was a gentleman.
A little more than five years ago, I interviewed him for my day job, and while I had him on the phone, I profiled him for Pittsburgh Radio & TV Online. His publicist promised me only 15 minutes. Cope gave me an hour.
A few weeks later, I got the attached note. He valued my opinion? Yoi.
I found out I wasn't alone; Cope wrote thank-you notes to nearly everyone. That's the kind of guy he was.
If you ever listened to his nightly talk show, you know how generous and gentlemanly he could be with callers. A certain talk show host on the station where Cope used to work liked to deride him. That guy's not fit to carry Cope's microphone.
Forgotten amidst all of Cope's catchphrases and the outlandish videos he made for WTAE-TV was the fact that he also was a graceful writer. All of his books (except his autobiography) are out of print, but they're worth seeking out at used bookstores or the library.
Carnegie Library in McKeesport doesn't seem to have any of them, but I'll bet they could request them.
(You'd better hurry. I just checked, and most of the copies have "holds" placed on them.)
This morning, I wrote an obituary of Cope for PBRTV, but all you really need to know is this: In a field filled with many frauds and phonies, he was real.
And in a business cluttered with imitators, he stood out as a true original.
Bye now, Myron.
Do you ever wonder who reads the Tube City Almanac?
Well, indulge me for a minute in some behind-the-scenes minutiae.
You may not know this, but I'm spying on you. Er, sort of. I have Google Analytics running on the website; it tracks where visitors come from, how long they spend on the site, how often they visit, etc.
After nearly 9 months of gathering data, I can spot a few trends.
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Literally Hundreds of Readers: We have about 3,500 visitors per month. Of those, about 1,200 people are regular, faithful readers who visit at least once per week, according to Google Analytics.
Geez, you people are starved for entertainment.
No, I'm very flattered and intimidated that more than one thousand people check in regularly. Thanks for reading.
Also, although some people come here via search engines, many of you come directly to the Almanac, which means you've set a bookmark. Again, thank you.
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U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!: The vast majority of Almanac readers are from the United States. (Duh.) But we have several regular readers in Canada, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.
(To our Canadian visitors I say, "How's it goin', eh?" And to our reader in the Netherlands, I think I know who you are. Bring me back some tulips next time.)
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Wyoming? Why Not Oming?: We have no regular readers in Idaho or Wyoming. What did I do to tick them off?
Most of the readers are from Pennsylvania, naturally, followed by New York and California (tied for second), Ohio, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Connecticut, Georgia and Virginia.
I'm assuming the out-of-state readers are former McKeesporters. If you're from out of state and you've never commented, post something in the comments and let me know why you read.
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Picksberg Proud: Google indicates that the top two cities sending visitors are Pittsburgh and Our Fair City, as you might have guessed.
In fact, the Almanac has almost 600 regular readers in McKeesport proper.
Other cities in the top 10 include Carnegie, McKees Rocks, Homestead, Bethel Park, Braddock, Wilmerding, Turtle Creek and Houtzdale, Clearfield County.
Google tracks cities based on where the users' Internet connections are based. I suspect a lot of the Carnegie, Bethel Park and McKees Rocks visitors are from Internet service providers based there --- Comcast has a big facility in McKees Rocks, and the former Adelphia Cable system has one in Bethel Park. If your Internet connection comes via cable, maybe that explains why those boroughs rank so high.
But the only thing in Houtzdale is the state prison.
Geez, I'm sorry, guys. Let me know if yinz need a cake with a file in it.
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Most of You Read at Work: Readership is highest from Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday readership declines noticeably.
With that in mind ... get back to work!
The letters you are about to read are true. Only the stamps have been removed to protect the Postal Service.
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Marketing Manager
Century III Mall
West Mifflin, PA 15122
Dear Madam:
You recently wrote a letter to the editor to note that Century III Mall is "lively and well" and that rumors of the mall's demise were exaggerated and untrue.
A few weeks later, the county notified West Mifflin Borough and West Mifflin Area School District that the taxable value of your property had been lowered 41 percent.
If business is so good, why did Century III need to appeal its assessment?
And why do commercial real-estate brokers tell Ron DaParma of the Tribune-Review --- on the record and for attribution --- that Simon Property Group is still circulating marketing materials that offer the mall for sale?
Finally, just how dumb do you think we are?
On second thought, ignore that last one.
Signed,
The Editor
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A--- G----
----- News Agency
Clairton, PA 15025
Dear A----:
My apologies for not writing sooner. I just found out your name this week.
Since Thanksgiving, you have been delivering the morning paper to my house, Monday through Saturday. I never asked for delivery, and unfortunately, these papers are hitting the recycling bin instantly.
Then you started sending bills in the name of the person I bought my house from, three years ago. Your latest bill demands a "past due" balance of $25.98.
I called the Post-Gazette, but they didn't have a record of a subscription in my name.
A----, either someone is playing a joke on us, or someone is trying to commit fraud by charging me for a service I didn't request.
So, should I call the state Bureau of Consumer Protection? Or do you just want to tear up those bills and stop delivering the paper?
Sincerely,
The Editor
. . .
Manager
----- Restaurant
West Mifflin, PA 15122
Dear Sir or Madam:
I ate in your new restaurant several times this month to write a review for my modest website, Tube City Online.
I am happy to report the food was good and the prices were reasonable.
But about the service: A few days ago, I stopped for breakfast with an old friend. The place was packed, which is always a good sign.
One voice could be heard above the din of the crowd. It was a particular waitress who apparently thinks it's "colorful" or "funny" to insult the customers, loudly.
At one point, she came over to tell my friend and I to "shut up."
"You're here to eat, not gab," she said. "Other people need this table. Finish up and get out. Ha! Just kidding."
Yeah, it was hysterical.
Also, I'm no prude, but I saw a number of families with kids there, and their parents were fairly horrified at the vulgar jokes the same waitress was loudly telling.
Anyway, are you sure this woman works for you? I'm worried that someone from Denny's or Eat'n Park is trying to get you closed, and sent a double agent over to sabotage the place.
Sincerely,
The Editor
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