Movie Filming in Friendship/Bloomfield

Councilman Patrick Dowd’s office received a copy of a permit application submitted by OFM Productions for a movie being filmed across the city beginning later this week. They will be filming on S. Pacific Avenue near the intersection with Coral Street from August 16-20, 2010. This will involve a full closure of S. Pacific between Coral and Friendship. Coral Street will be limited to one lane to allow for production vehicles between S. Aiken and S. Winebiddle. Off-duty police officers will be provided. The production company must contact affected residents, businesses and property owners and post “No Parking” signs in advance, but there are no details on when this will be done.

Support Neighborhood Store

At the corner of S. Pacific and Friendship Avenues, neighborhood store Brian & Cooper Food Mart has been making changes to try to stock more goods needed by all different kinds of people living in the area. With local input and support, Friendship Preservation Group wants to see if this corner store could be one that is helpful to the community and suitable for young kids. You may have to pay a few cents more for some of the items, but please make a special effort to check it out in June on Thursdays or Fridays. Talk to the store manager with thoughts or suggestions and send comments to communications@friendship-pgh.org. In the end, it is to everyone's advantage to having a thriving local store!

Reminder! Penn Avenue Infrastructure Update This Week

Don't miss the community meeting for the Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan - this Thursday evening!

Date: April 16, 2009
Place: Saint Lawrence O’Toole Activity Building (corner of North Atlantic & Broad)
Time: 6:00 p.m. – Sign In/Refreshments; 6:30 p.m. – Presentation and Q&A; 7:30 p.m. – Group Breakout Stations / Discussions

The purpose of the meeting is threefold: 1) review the previous Public Meeting comments and community concerns; 2) discuss what has been completed since the last Public Meeting; and 3) detail the next steps and phases of the project including potential timelines.

The project team will be present at the public meeting to discuss and provide a better understanding of the project needs and prioritized transportation improvements.

The meeting location is accessible to persons having disabilities. Anyone who needs additional information, has special needs, or requires special aids should contact:

Patrick Hassett, Assistant Director, City of Pittsburgh, Department of Public Works, Bureau of Transportation and Engineering at pat.hassett@city.pittsburgh.pa.us or 412-255-2883.

The Mayor Comes to Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl toured Penn Avenue in Garfield, Bloomfield, and Friendship this morning as part of his "Taking Care of Business" initiative. The tour is designed to identify how the city can help revitalize different neighborhoods with signage, trees, and other improvements. With the mayor was Bloomfield-Garfield Corp. executive director Rick Swartz (with camera).

Free Prostate Cancer Screening

The Center for Urologic Care at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, in Bloomfield, will provide free prostate cancer screenings at 2 p.m., Sept. 16, in the hospital’s Mellon Pavilion. Screening is recommended starting at age 40 for African-American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer, and at age 45 for all other men. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call 412-578-7131.

BGC Board of Directors Search

Have you ever looked around your neighborhood and wondered, “What can I really do to help shape the future of our community?”

As a Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation board member, you can make a difference in our community. On Monday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m., the BGC will be hosting a “Get Acquainted” session at the Community Activity Center (113 N. Pacific Avenue) for BGC members interested in joining our Board of Directors. As a member of our Board, you would help make important decisions that impact East End neighborhoods and shape the future of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation.

How do you get on our Board of Directors? First, you need to be a member of the BGC (or willing to join), and you must live, work, or own property in the incorporated territory of the BGC (Bloomfield, Garfield, and Friendship). But most importantly, you must have a burning desire to make the kind of changes our community needs to move toward a brighter future.

The “Get Acquainted” session will introduce you to the duties and responsibilities of the BGC’s Board of Directors, as well as explain how they are nominated and elected, and give you a chance to tell us why you are the right person to be on our Board. We are especially interested in seeing some young people (ages 21-35) on our Board, so come out and learn how YOU can make a difference!

Please RSVP to 412-441-6950 x15 by noon on Friday, September 12, if you plan to attend. Pizza and pop will be served. We hope to see you there!

Bloomfield Mural Change

The Bloomfield Bridge Tavern has removed its landmark sign welcoming folks to the neighborhood – the letters of the name "BLOOMFIELD" growing out of flower pots. Pittsburgh City Paper ran an interview with the second-generation tavern owner, Steve Frankowski, who gave his reasons for the switch – nothing personal, Bloomfield, just business. We all know that Pittsburghers are slow to adapt to change, but the new mural seems like a good "branding" move for the 23-year-old establishment. Read all about it here.

The Birmingham Bridge Is Closed, but the South Millvale Avenue Bridge Has Reopened!

Good news for East Enders - the South Millvale Avenue Bridge, which closed last spring, has reopened two months ahead of schedule, making the trip into Oakland a lot easier with a direct link from Penn and Liberty avenues to Baum Boulevard. Originally built in 1893, and then completely rebuilt in 1928, the refurbished bridge should have a useful life until at least 2050.

HBO Star at West Penn

Aida Turturro, who played Janice Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos, will speak about her struggles with Type 2 diabetes from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Conference Center Auditorium, First Floor, 4800 Friendship Ave. in Bloomfield.

Sponsored by the Joslin Diabetes Center affiliate at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, the event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, call (877) 284-2000.