Articles written by Tom Smith
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Storm water fee discussed at council bi-annual meeting
The biannual general meeting of the South Side Community Council (SSCC) featured a presentation concerning storm water by Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) officials; Public safety...
Boro council hears concerns about scooters, speeders and senior residence
Mt. Oliver Borough Council's September public meeting was in-person with all council members present and along with a number of people in the gallery. Council President Amber McGough turned over the o...
Roberta F. Smith, longtime Reporter editor
Roberta A story I frequently tell is when I graduated from journalism school my mother said I could work for her until I found a real job. That was in January of 1979 and my mother, Roberta F. Smith,...
Alliance business support expands into Mt. Oliver
It's not your father's Allentown business district, anymore. Over the past six years the Hilltop Alliance (HA) has succeeded in attracting close to 50 new businesses to the small neighborhood...
Community council returning to in-person neighborhood events
Carrick Community Council's (CCC) quarterly membership meeting took place in-person and outdoors to allow for social distancing. Setting up at the Carrick Community Pavilion, the former Dairy...
Boro property owner asks for relief from penalties
The son of a Mt. Oliver property owner came to the Borough Council's August public meeting seeking relief from penalties his father had received on unpaid taxes and fees. Monte Emamzadeh, son of...
UPMC officials quizzed on status of South Side facilities
UPMC officials met last week with members of the South Side Community Council (SSCC) to provide updates on the former hospital building at 20th and Mary streets; a new proposed childcare center on...
Parking continues to be a problem for neighbors in Mt. Oliver Boro
Parking concerns on Overhill Street in Mt. Oliver Borough were on the agenda again at the Borough Council’s July public meeting. Darla Stabryla testified before the council she “never knew we had problems on Overhill Street” until she read it...
Housing Opportunity Fund helping residents stay in their homes
The Hilltop Alliance (HA) is hosting a series of on-line presentations highlighting programs of the city's Housing Opportunity Fund (HOF) in cooperation with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the...
Parking issues at Mt. Oliver Council discussed in-person
The Mt. Oliver Borough Council returned to in-person meetings in June. Attending the meeting were council members Aaron Graham, David Lowe, Amber McGough, Christina Reft and Francis Heckman, along...
Affordable housing takes many forms in South Pittsburgh
"Long-term affordable housing is the concept of having housing that is affordable for low and moderate income people on an ongoing basis," began Gordon Davidson, executive director of the Mount Washin...
Designers present plans for building and playground at 24th and E. Carson
Representatives from PW Campbell representing WAG4LP presented plans for two properties at the South Side Community Council's May Development Activities Meeting (DAM) via Zoom. The properties are a bu...
Oliver Bathhouse to undergo extensive renovations
Plans for the renovation of the Oliver Bath House on South Side were presented at the South Side Community Council's May Development Activities Meeting (DAM) via Zoom. Presenting the proposed plans...
Changes made in borough public safety departments' personnel
In a short May meeting, the Mt. Oliver Borough Council public meeting included news about personnel changes in the police and fire departments. Missing from the meeting were councilmen Nick Viglione...
18th Street signals project will affect six intersections
The South Side Signal Project incorporating upgrades to five signaled intersections and adding another one in the 18th Street/Brownsville Road corridor was presented in a Zoom meeting for public comment last week by officials from the City of...
Council seeks solution to rail riders on East Carson
The main topics of discussion at the April Zoom meeting of the Zone 3 Public Safety Council included a shooting in Carrick and "freegans" on Carson Street. Zone 3 Commander John Fisher discussed an...
Boro approves leasing on-street parking spaces
The April public meeting of the Mt. Oliver Borough Council began with a request from a local business to lease several on-street parking spaces on Brownsville Road. Ben Prisbylla, representing RE360,...
Mobility hub will feature e-scooters, transit information on Warrington
Holding its first public meeting in more than a year, the Allentown CDC (ACDC) presented a short agenda by way of Zoom last week. Tyler Abbott, ACDC president, welcomed those in attendance. "We're an...
Council expresses concerns before approving liquor license transfer
Representatives from 3 Rivers Beer, LLC appeared before the Mt. Oliver Borough Council to request a liquor license transfer for 104 Brownsville Road. Attorney Greg Szallar, representing 3 Rivers...
Biannual council meeting has safety, program updates
The biannual General Meeting of the South Side Community Council (SSCC) on March 29 covered a wide range of topics including public safety, updates from area elected officials and progress reports on...
Boro Council considers options to help Ottillia Street resident
The first order of business for the Mt. Oliver Borough Council at its March public meeting was to discuss a resident's request for steel poles to prevent cars from sliding into his Ottillia Street...
Mt. Oliver to split building inspection duties
Mt. Oliver Borough Council, at its February meeting, made a change in who will be doing the third-party plan review for building inspections. Borough Manager Rick Hopkinson said a resolution before...
New Zone 3 commander has roots in South Pittsburgh area neighborhoods
The new Zone 3 Police commander, John Fisher, took over command of the zone on Monday, Feb. 8, replacing retiring commander, Karen Dixon. Commander Dixon had led Zone 3 since the summer of 2015. A...
With fundraising down due to COVID, MOFD looks to other revenue sources
In an effort to recoup some of the costs of operating the volunteer fire company, Francis Kestner and Ron Lowrey of the Mt. Oliver Fire Department (MOFD) spoke before the Mt. Oliver Borough Council...
Mt. Oliver Council approves budget with no tax increase
In a first for Mt. Oliver Borough, due to COVID-19 precautions, the Borough Council held its December public meeting with only Mayor Frank Bernadini and Borough Manager Rick Hopkinson physically in at...
