New Streetlights Make Bow; Parking Meters To Come
Category: News || By
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Call Downtown's Fifth Avenue the city's "Back to the Future" street.
New curbs have restored the street to the width it had before a 1970s reconstruction project, while new streetlights hark back even further, to the gaslight era of the 19th century.
It's the city's ongoing attempt, with funding from the state's Home Town Streets program, to breathe some life into a commercial corridor that's a shadow of its early 20th century heyday.
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In a shopping district which once boasted eight department stores --- including J.C. Penney and Sears --- and dozens of specialty shops, only a handful of retailers remain, including Natale Sporting Goods, a state liquor store and a CVS pharmacy.
Although a digital media company calling itself TruVu Entertainment recently took over the former Immel's Department Store, many other storefronts remain vacant or occupied by marginal businesses.
While few people are predicting a retail resurgence that would restore Fifth Avenue to the days when it was Allegheny County's second-largest shopping district, city officials seem unwilling to take the street's shabby appearance for granted.
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Restoring Fifth Avenue to two-way traffic between Market and Coursin streets is a necessary first step, City Administrator Dennis Pittman says.
In the 1970s, during one of several unsuccessful attempts to stave off competition from Monroeville Mall and other shopping centers, Fifth Avenue was cut to one-way traffic, and its sidewalks were widened, in an attempt to encourage pedestrian traffic.
But Pittman says potential businesses now tell city officials they're not interested in Fifth Avenue unless their customers can drive to their location from both directions, and unless they can park right in front.
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That's one reason the city is re-installing parking meters along Fifth Avenue. Council this month set the fee for parking on Fifth between Water and Huey streets at 25 cents for 30 minutes. Parking also will be limited to two hours.
City officials say the meters and the time limit will hopefully encourage turnover and make sure spaces stay free in front of stores.
Although the new meters have not yet been purchased, the poles are being installed, and the city has a vendor in mind, Mayor Jim Brewster says.
The new meters will be electronic and designed to "reset" to zero when a car leaves, he says, and will be paid for through the Downtown Business Authority.
. . .
The existing meters, which were removed, were often malfunctioning or vandalized, and many were rusty or leaning sideways. Brewster says. "They were embarrassing," he says. "From Uncle Bub's (restaurant) to the (Shop 'n Save) there wasn't one of them straight."
But Brewster and others, including Council President Regis McLaughlin, have said the city needs to be more aggressive in collecting parking meter revenue and fines.
A draft financial report
leaked this month to the Daily News by City Controller Ray Malinchak also identified parking revenue as a major source of potential income to close future budget deficits.
. . .
As another attempt to encourage parking Downtown, the lot on "Cox's Corner" --- itself once the site of Downtown's largest department store --- will get a new entrance from Fifth Avenue.
Old trees, many of them dying or dead, have also been removed and will be replaced by decorative planters, says Bethany Budd Bauer, community development director.
State officials also have given the city permission to use Home Town Streets funding to purchase a new traffic light for the intersection of Fifth and Walnut, she says.
The $929,000 reconstruction project is expected to continue through the spring. General contractor is Carnegie-based Power Contracting Co.
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Thanks for posting these pictures. I’ve been curious as to how 5th Avenue was progressing.
John M. - October 21, 2010
As a Councilman, I supported the two waying of 5th and I still do. Just since the road has been widened, there seems to be more people and activity downtown. There may not be immediate benefits of the two way street for all businesses but for the long term, it will be a positive.
Just to play Devil’s Advocate for a second, what if we put some free 30 minute parking meters on 5th? If the goal is to increase turnover and bring people into town, that should help. I would rather see more people shop in town. This would in turn, spur new shops to open to support them. The increased volume done by existing businesses and the addition of new ones would generate greater tax revenues to city coffers. You can park for free at any Mall or Strip Mall. To be competitive, we must be more consumer friendly. The pittance we collect in parking revenues on 5th is a deterrent to business in my humble opinion. I am against higher fees and fines and taxes in McKeesport. The long term answer in Mckeesport is to increase the size of the taxbase. Without new businesses and new residents, we cannot keep providing the level of service we do or support the same size of workforce. That should be obvious by the results of the Delta Report.
Jason, this is not a “political spiel” as I have been accused of posting here in the past. I appreciate having the opportunity to suggesting new ideas for the community that can be debated and advanced in your site and picked up on by whomever our elected officials are.
Potential Future Mayor - October 22, 2010
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