Articles written by Margaret L Smykla
Sorted by date Results 1 - 17 of 17
By Margaret L Smykla 
Front Page 
May 14, 2013 EDS is working across municipal borders to improve communities along Brownsville Road and Route 51
The May 8 general membership meeting of Carrick Community Council (CCC) featured an update on the only city-county partnership in Allegheny County: Economic Development South (EDS). The EDS is the nonprofit, community development corporation for...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page April 23, 2013 Mt. Oliver swears in new councilwoman, acting police chief
Mount Oliver Mayor James Cassidy kept his swearing-in skills sharp by administering the oath of office twice during the April 15 council meeting: to the new Acting Chief, Sergeant Matt Juzwick, and to new council member Vanessa Talley. The vote to...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page April 16, 2013 Planning Forum reviews results of St. Pat's shuttle
Updates on “old business” and on a pilot program to improve St. Patrick’s Day transportation in the Carson St. corridor were the focus of the April 9 meeting of the South Side Planning Forum meeting. Candice Gonzalez, Neighborhood Initiatives...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page March 26, 2013 
Pat Malloy resigns from Mount Oliver Boro Council
The resignations of two council members, and the appointment of a new member to fill a vacancy, is the lead story from the March 18 Mount Oliver council meeting. Council member John Smith, Sr., and...
By Margaret L Smykla News March 19, 2013 
Bunco game has been going on for over half a century
In the late 1950s, some stay-at-home moms in the Mount Oliver area decided to find something fun to do without their children, but within walking distance of each another. When one of the women sugges...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page March 5, 2013 Equitable Gas to begin replacing gas lines in South Side Flats
Vowing “We want to be a good neighbor,” officials of Equitable Gas Co. kicked off a presentation on its mainline pipeline replacement program in the South Side. The community meeting was held on February 26 in the Brashear Center. Streets...
By Margaret L Smykla News March 5, 2013 Illegal parking a concern at the Zone 3 Public Safety meeting
The Feb. 20 Zone 3 Public Safety Council meeting began with news the traveling road show is back: the monthly committee meetings will be held in different communities on the third Wednesdays, starting in March. Crime prevention Officer Christine...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page February 26, 2013 Mt. Oliver settles lawsuit with council president
The last order of business at the Feb. 18 Mount Oliver council meeting is the lead story: the $50,000 settlement of the civil rights lawsuit of council President Billie Michener. The vote to approve the settlement was three yes and one abstention,...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page February 26, 2013 Borough council approves settlement, Michener receives $50K from lawsuit
Mount Oliver council President Betty “Billie” Michener’s civil rights lawsuit against the borough and past and present members of council was settled for $50,000 by three “yes” votes of the seven-member council on Feb. 18. Voting in the aff...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page February 19, 2013 Planning Forum wonders if mayor is coming to So. Side
News of proposed newcomers to the South Side -- a youth hostel and a computer/electronics recycling business -- were the focus of the February 12 meeting of the South Side Planning Forum meeting. Discussion about the invitation to Mayor Luke Ravensta...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page February 19, 2013 Student Conservation & Rebuilding Together to work in South Side Slopes
Presentations on the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh were the focus of the February 12 meeting of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association. The meeting began with President Brian Oswald introducing...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page February 5, 2013 Block Watch plans candidates’ night Redd Up events
Upcoming events such as a Mayoral Candidates Night, Spring Redd Up, and Fresh Fridays were among the topics at the Jan. 24 meeting of the Mt. Oliver City/St. Clair Block Watch. The meeting was held in the Saint John Vianney parish center before about...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page January 29, 2013 
Mt. Oliver to begin charging for vacant storefronts in boro
The Jan. 21 meeting of Mt. Oliver council -- which fell on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the Presidential Inauguration -- began with a moment of silence for Rev. King. Councilmen George Farneth and...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page January 15, 2013 Signage proposed to draw visitors to S.S. from the GAP trail
Initiatives for encouraging Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) travelers to visit the South Side was the sole presentation at the Jan. 8 meeting of the South Side Planning Forum. Other topics touched upon during the evening included the invitation to the...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page January 2, 2013 
Bhutanese refugees find a home in Hilltop communities
Kishor Pradhan lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for 14 years after being forced out of Bhutan. He arrived in the U.S. in 2005. “I felt there was an opportunity for better living here,” he said of...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page December 26, 2012 No tax increase for boro
The adoption of a 2013 budget with no tax increase headlined the Dec. 17 meeting of Mt. Oliver council. Councilmen George Farneth, Pat Malloy and John Smith, Sr. were absent. In the mayor’s report which began the meeting, Mayor James Cassidy said...
By Margaret L Smykla Front Page December 18, 2012 Planning Forum to request mayor to come to South Side
The South Side Planning Forum will formally request the participation of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl at an open meeting about public safety in the South Side to be held as soon as possible. It will be conducted at either the Brashear Center, the South...