Allegheny Together
|
Allegheny
Together endeavors to encourage well-planned, well-designed and
geographically-focused investment in the established, urban commercial
districts of Allegheny County while respecting the unique history,
character, and built environment of each. The program aims to help
organize and empower each community to fulfill its collective vision.
Allegheny Together is a program of:
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
|
|
Please Forward this E-Newsletter!
Spread the word about the great things happening in YOUR downtown by clicking on "Forward Email" located at the bottom of this column. Thank you!
| |
|
DOWNTOWN RECOGNITION AWARD
Lehman Flower Shop
The Tarentum Business Area Advisory Committee has chosen Lehman Flower Shop as its 3rd Quarter Downtown Recognition Recipient for 2010.
When
Lehman Flower Shop opened its doors at 208 Corbett Street in downtown
Tarentum, Herbert Hoover was president, Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller
were popular entertainers of the day and the county was in the throes
of the Great Depression.
Today, more than 80 years later, the
shop remains an anchor tenant along the busy retail street. Joyce
Williams of Allegheny Township took over the business, located in a
building owned by her husband, from the previous owner 28 years ago.
She decided to forego a name change due to the shop's reputation and
long-standing history in the region.
Today, Joyce offers a
full-service shop with professional floral designs, silk arrangements
and plants and offers delivery service to areas as far north as Sarver
and south to St. Margaret's Hospital.
"I really appreciate doing
business here. Tarentum is a very friendly town and I've always met
the nicest customers," she says.
|
DOWNTOWN TARENTUM CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Farmers MarketBeginning June 16th  First Presbyterian Church parking lot Hog for DogsSeptember 19 Riverview Park Antiques in the ParkSeptember 25 8 AM to 4 PM Riverview Park BooFestOctober 23 4 to 7 PM Rain Date: October 24 from 4 to 7 PM Riverview Park To find out about fun events happening in other Allegheny Together communities, check out the Allegheny Together Events Calendar. |
PUBLIC ART IN SEASON IN DOWNTOWN TARENTUM
In
Tarentum, public works of art and beautification are taking center
stage in the borough's busy Fifth and Sixth Avenue corridors, thanks to
a trio of exciting programs, spearheaded by the Tarentum Business Area
Advisory Committee (T-BAAC). The committee was established three years
ago to jump-start the borough's revitalization efforts.
Sunflower Garden
 The
Hometown Restaurant that sits between Fourth and Fifth Avenues in
downtown Tarentum is known for their great home-cooked breakfasts and
pies, but now, thanks to a program by Growth Through Energy &
Community Health (GTECH), the diner is now the home to a growing
sunflower garden.
 G-Tech,
a Pittsburgh based non-profit social enterprise dedicated to fostering
community and growing the green economy by eliminating blight, selected
Tarentum, along with a handful of other communities, for the
beautification projects.
While the primary purpose of the
program is to improve the vistas from previously vacant, unsightly
lots, the seeds will be harvested in the fall to be used in bio-fuel.
But
for the project to be successful, a handful of local organizations
serve as sponsors to maintain, water, and weed the garden.
The project was of no cost to the borough.
List of sponsors
➢ Abundant Joy Fellowship Church
➢ Boy Scout Troop 180
➢ Kevin Bertocki
➢ All Together
➢ Allegheny County Economic Development
Ghost Sign Restoration
If
you've been paying attention, you might have seen a man hanging out on
the sides of some of Tarentum's most historic buildings. Artist Robert
Ziller, armed with paint, brushes and talent, has been busy this summer
restoring ghost signs, the on-building advertising common in the early
to mid-twentieth century.
 Thanks
to an $8,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County
for the ghost sign restoration, Ziller, by the end of the summer, will
have brought four ghost signs back to life.
The restoration of
the translucent signs is to preserve some of Tarentum's storied history
and to attract ghost sign enthusiasts to the area.
Ziller has
already completed the Coca-Cola sign on the side of Costello Printing,
a Kaufmann's ad on the side of Valley Credit Union, and Chew Honest
Scrap at Garrett's Heating and Air Conditioning, all along Fifth
Avenue. He plans to tackle his fourth and final sign, the Meet and Eat
sign at Massart's restaurant on Fifth, within the next few weeks.
So the next time you're traveling through the downtown area, look up and check out these vintage works of advertising art.
History Train Mural at JG's Tarentum Station Grille
Thanks
to a team of volunteers and supplies donated by Van Scivers and
Verner's Paint Center, the wall below Sixth Avenue that parallels the
parking lot of JGs Tarentum Station Grille will go from functional to
fabulous.
A mural, 170 feet in length, will be painted along the
wall and will depict a locomotive pulling eight to 10 cars. Each car
will showcase a scene that represents a period of Tarentum's long
history, from the arrival of the Shawnee Indians, the area's first
residents, to famous people with ties to Tarentum. One scene includes
Evelyn Nesbit, whose steel baron husband murdered her ex-lover, famed
architect Stanford White, in Madison Square Garden in 1906.
Work
on the project is currently underway by a team of local artists, who
are volunteering their time and talents to the project.
|
HEALTHY DOWNTOWN BUSINESS PROGRAM
Allegheny
County Economic Development, Allegheny County Health Department, and
Town Center Associates (TCA) are currently implementing a new "Healthy
Downtown Business Program" in the Allegheny Together communities.
This new program has been created to make it easy for downtown business owners and their employees to implement regular exercise into their daily routine.
Each downtown business owner and all of their employees are eligible to
participate in this program, which is the first phase in creating
healthier business districts in Allegheny County.*
In August,
TCA visited all of the Allegheny Together downtown businesses to let
them know about the program and to provide them with:
· A Free "Allegheny Together Pedometer"
· A "Walking Route Map" of their downtown to make it easy for them to gauge the distance they walk each day, and achieve their mileage goals
· A Downtown Business Directory to encourage downtown businesses to support one another's businesses
· A Walking Log to keep track of their progress (which will be collected by TCA in October)
· Other handouts provided by ACHD to encourage and support healthier downtown businesses
All
of the above documents are also be available at DowntownFirst.net,
making it easy for businesses to access additional copies, etc.
During the month of September, downtown business owners and employees will track their steps walked using a free Allegheny Together pedometer.
Each week of the program, TCA will be selecting participants to receive
prizes to encourage their continued participation. An award, based on
the average number of steps walked per employee, will be given to the "Healthiest Downtown Business" and the "Healthiest Downtown Business Employee" in each Allegheny Together Community.
|
WALKING FOR WELLNESS
Facts, Figures and Tips
The goal is to walk 10,000 steps every day!
The average person's stride is about 2.5 feet, which means:
2000 steps = 1 mile
10,000 steps = 5 miles
Setting a goal:
Use
the first couple of days of your walking challenge to find out how many
steps you typically take each day. Then, make a goal to increase your
daily steps by 500 steps each day. For example, if you walk 2000 steps
per day, make your goal for week 1 to walk an average of 2500 steps
each day.
Benefits of walking:
· Lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) and raise HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
· Reduce risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
· Reach or maintain a healthy weight
· Lower blood pressure
· Improve self-esteem and confidence
· Build muscle strength
How to increase your steps:
· Park further from the store
· Go for a walk during your breaks
· Do a lap around the mall before shopping for anything
· Walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator
· Walk the dog or walk with a family member or friend or walk alone and enjoy the peace
· Leave the TV remote near the TV-get up when you want to change the channel or volume
· Walk around your living room during TV commercials
Where to walk:
· Your neighborhood
· Parks and trails
· The mall
· Museums
· Treadmill
Courtesy of Allegheny County Health Department
|
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS DESIGNATION PROGRAM
Allegheny
County Economic Development and Town Center Associates (TCA), in
partnership with Sustainable Pittsburgh, are launching an innovative
new "Sustainable Business Designation Program" to recognize
downtown-based businesses that are making efforts to implement
sustainable business practices. Through the support of Allegheny County
Economic Development, the new program is being launched in the
Allegheny Together communities this summer.
The Sustainable
Business Designation recognizes businesses for implementing actions
that are simultaneously good for their bottom line, the environment,
and the social fabric of their communities. Businesses that incorporate
sustainable practices into their operations are showing their
intentions to improve their performance, and as such, stand out as
valuable contributors to their local community business districts.
This
Sustainable Business Designation is reflected for each qualifying
business in the business directory for their town, available at
DowntownFirst.net. The "Sustainable Business" designation helps
consumers to identify and choose businesses who are committed to
sustainability and who view sustainability as core to their mission and
business model.
TCA and Sustainable Pittsburgh staff have been
visiting each Allegheny Together business owner to personally let them
know about the program. They will provide the business owners with
information on resources available to businesses to assist them in
implementing more sustainable practices: ultimately saving the
businesses money, and having a more positive impact on the environment.
Plans
are also underway to create a workshop for Allegheny Together business
owners. The workshop will help to inform business owners of resources
available to assist them in integrating more sustainable practices into
their operations.
|
NEW PRINTABLE DOWNTOWN FIRST DIRECTORY
Print it Out. Post It On Your Refrigerator.
Find Downtown Businesses, Fast!
The
new printable Downtown Tarentum First Directory makes it
easier than ever to choose Downtown Tarentum businesses, first!
The
printable version of the directory provides customers with useful
contact information for downtown businesses, including business
categories, business names, and contact information. Additionally, the
directory shows which businesses are located in the downtown are
"Certified Local, Independent Businesses" and will soon also provide a
"Sustainable Downtown Business" designation for businesses that meet
established criteria.
Using innovative technology, the printable
directory PDF is automatically updated each time a change is made by a
business owner or TCA to the online Downtown First directory. This
helps to ensure that the directory you print out is up-to-date. Also,
because the directories can be printed on demand, it saves money and
paper (and helps the environment) by not requiring that an entire set
of directories is reprinted each time updated business information is
available...A win for the environment, and for our community!
Check it out today at! Visit the Tarentum First home page on www.downtownfirst.net and you'll see the link to "Click Here for a Printable Directory" in the "Search Our Business Directory" box.
Thanks for choosing Downtown Tarentum First!
|
FIND AVAILABLE PROPERTIES IN DOWNTOWN TARENTUM!
Are
you looking to open a business in your downtown? Or, do you have a
storefront available for sale or lease and need to reach the people
looking for space?
Town Center Associates has created a way for the people who need space in downtowns to find
the right property. . . and for landlords to find the right tenant!
The website www.downtownproperties.net offers
up-to-date information on all of the commercial storefronts in your
town available for sale or lease, in nearly thirty communities in
Beaver, Allegheny and Lawrence counties. This FREE service allows
owners to "list" their available storefronts that are for sale or
lease, and provides a photo of the property, the address, and
appropriate contact information.
For further information, contact Town Center Associates at 724-728-0500.
|
PHLF OFFERS ASSISTANCE WITH
ALLEGHENY TOGETHER INITIATIVES
During this past summer, there were a number of construction
projects either underway or set to take place in the near future. There
are at least ten façade improvement projects taking place in various
Allegheny Together communities at various stages in the process. When
complete, the buildings will look their best and contribute positively
to their respective downtown areas. Remember, PHLF is available to work
with you and your property on a façade improvement project, and there
are funds available through Allegheny County's Allegheny Restores
matching grant program. The next round of applications will be accepted
in the fall, but we can start the planning process now so that all the
details are worked out ahead of time. Through PHLF you can also have an
interior designer come to your place of business and give you great
suggestions on creating eye-catching window displays, paint choices,
and any other interior improvement you are considering. PHLF
recently completed a number of planning documents for the two newest
Allegheny Together communities, Coraopolis and Bellevue. Both
communities received a detailed strategic plan that identified key
buildings in the downtown area, recommendations to increase foot
traffic, a traffic and parking analysis, design guidelines, and a
zoning and code review. Together, these documents will help quantify
trends in the downtown area, and help identify areas of strength and
opportunities to leverage. PHLF
is working with business owners and community members on a number of
long-term initiatives as well. We are here to assist each community
with identifying real estate development opportunities, and to create
restoration plans. Please contact David Farkas at 412-471-5808 for more
information on any of the items mentioned here.
|
|
STAY UP TO DATE ON DOWNTOWN TARENTUM
With Our Quarterly E-Newsletter
You are
reading the Tarentum FOCUS: your quarterly downtown e-newsletter. By using
e-newsletters instead of print newsletters, we can send the information about
our downtown revitalization efforts to a greater number of people and save
paper--a win for the community and the environment!
To
receive your copy of the e-newsletter via email, simply send an email to
tca@towncenter.info and indicate your email address, as well as the name of the
town or towns for which you'd like to receive the e-newsletters. You can
also call Town Center Associates to sign up at 412-577-7447.
Please also
take a moment to forward this email along to your friends, colleagues, family
and neighbors, and encourage them to sign up today! This will help to inform
(and involve) more citizens about the revitalization efforts taking place in
our downtown. |
|
This e-newsletter was created by Town Center Associates for the
Allegheny Together Program of Allegheny County Economic Development.
For more information about the Allegheny Together program, please visit
www.alleghenytogether.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
