environment : Development News

The 42-year-old YWCA building at 305 Wood Street received a $175,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and Eden Hall Foundation to build a new green roof.

The new retro-fitted roof will protect the building envelope from moisture penetration, with a final layer of plantscaping, and is scheduled to be completed by late Fall of this year. Benefits of the new roof will include a longer material lifespan, energy savings, sound insulation, and improved aesthetic appeal and air quality for the neighborhood.

The roof, which the YWCA hopes will contribute to securing LEED certification, will be a landmark for the green revitalization of the Wood Street corridor, and it's coming at a great time. Point Park University's new $244 million state of the art Academic Village is under construction nearby.

"In the spirit of being a good neighbor as Point Park undertakes this effort, we would like to restore and aesthetically enhance our facility to become a part of this transformation, as well as create a more environmentally friendly option that safely houses our programs and services," says Carmelle Nickens Phillips, Vice President of the YWCA's department of Development and Communications.

Following the Richard King Mellon Foundation and Eden Hall grant, several other local foundations stepped up to help provide support for the new roof, including FISA Foundation, The Hillman Foundation, the PNC Foundation, and one anonymous source.

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Writer: John Farley
Sources: Carmelle Nickens Phillips, VP of YWCA department of Development and Communications

Walter Hood is a man who literally sees the forest for the trees.

"Part of the history of Pittsburgh is people living within a wooded landscape," says Mr. Hood, the principal of urban landscape and architecture firm Hood Design, and lead consultant for the Hill District Greenprint Initiative. "With the Hill, our argument is that instead of trying to put development back into things that once existed, whether it was industrial or post-industrial, we can create a vocabulary out of this landscape, which basically owes its history to the rivers."

This concept of moving beyond Pittsburgh's industrial past, and instead attempting to better connect the city with its far more historical natural assets has been a major factor in the city's successful revitalization. In the Hill District, where development in the past has sometimes worked against this movement, many members of the community are celebrating the progress of Greenprint, a series of ongoing projects created by a partnership between Hood Design, Find the Rivers!, The Parks Conservancy, and the Hill House Association, which will help put value back into the land upon which the Hill District was built.

Leaders of these organizations announced several plans for upcoming projects at an unveiling ceremony last week, which include creating a walkable entrance to Cliffside Park, along with a new nature playground and performance space. Another project in the works is a trail, which would connect the northern perimeter of the community with its parks and open spaces. A third project entails rebuilding the well-worn staircases that connect pedestrians in the Hill to the rest of the city, as well as the Hill's own landscape.

At the unveiling ceremony, Mr. Hood referred to the Hill as one of the greenest pieces of landscape in Pittsburgh. This statement might raise an eyebrow from those who don't live in the Hill, due to negative outside perceptions of the neighborhood. Community members, however, cheered his belief, and that positive attitude towards revitalization is exactly what is hoped the Greenprint projects will reinforce, beyond merely promoting a sustainable agenda and redevelopment of green spaces.

 "We want to build on the natural and cultural landscape, but also the (Hill District's) psychological landscape," says Mr. Hood.

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Writer: John Farley

Sources: Walter Hood, principal of Hood Design

State Senator Jim Ferlo and the board of Pittsburgh Green Innovators hosted tours of the former Clifford B. Connelley Vocational School last Thursday in the Hill District, in order to explain the progress that has taken place in their project to turn the former high school into a green center for sustainable education.  The Connelley Project will be a major force in Pittsburgh's movement towards green workforce development.

The Connelley project is organized by a partnership between Pittsburgh Green Innovators, and the developer Pittsburgh Gateways Incorporated, who are currently leasing the building from the school district. The school district had to shut it down in 2004 due to funding issues.

"The building purchase will be finalized in August, once the school board has finished moving all of its equipment out," explains Deno de Ciantis, director of the Penn State Center, which plans to be an anchor program in the building.

After the purchase is made, the project will enter phase one of building construction. Both PGI and Green Innovators expect it should be completed by Fall of 2011. They intend to develop approximately 190,000 square feet of the facility's 230,000 square feet.

"Capital fundraising efforts are on track. Upgrades to the building will include deep energy retrofits, the purchase of energy production equipment, and costs associated with LEED certification," says Senator Ferlo.

Although a wide number of organizations have expressed interest in securing space at the building, de Ciantis says that leasing on spaces will not begin until after the purchase has been made. What de Ciantis and Ferlo are certain about, however, is that using the Connelley building to educate and train students and adults with the skills they need to excel in green job fields is critical to the growth of the green economy in Pittsburgh.

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Writer: John Farley

Sources: Deno de Ciantis, Director of the Penn Center
               Senator Jim Ferlo

Photograph Copyright John Farley

Pittsburgh is now home to the U.S.'s first community apiary -- a community garden of sorts, but instead of herbs and veggies being grown, it's bees being kept.

The apiary hosted a ribbon cutting on Friday at its new site on a strip of long-vacant, blighted land along the East Busway and across the street from local microbrewer East End Brewing Company. Beekeeping nonprofit Burgh Bees was granted a free, five-year lease from the URA and the Mayor's office, says co-founder Meredith Meyer Grelli.

"This is going to be a great site for beekeepers and also a great place for the community," says Meyer Grelli. "We wanted to come up with a site that inspires creative reuse of the urban land with an eye toward the environment."

Meyer Grelli says other apiaries around the country are oriented more to demonstration, but Burgh Bees' cooperative apiary is an entirely new model for the U.S. The apiary hosts five hives exclusively for teaching new beekeepers, and also offers space to newly trained beekeepers to keep hives of their own. It also hosts a pollinator garden that is maintained by community volunteers, including residents and students. The apiary itself is funded with donations from individuals and foundations, and by sales from honey.

Burgh Bees had will continue to operate the hives it installed this past year in Mt. Washington at the Pittsburgh Zoo, but will close its hives in Hazelwood and Braddock to focus on the Homewood headquarters.

Burgh Bees has about 400 members, and in the last two years, has trained about 110 Pittsburghers in beekeeping.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Meredith Meyer Grelli, Burgh Bees

Image courtesy of Burgh Bees

New park, new name.

Mt. Washington's Grandview Scenic Byway Park is being renamed Emerald View Park, saving Pittsburghers syllables and breath that will just be taken away again once they check out the park's views.

The 235-acre park was created in December 2005 by a unanimous vote of Pittsburgh's City Council, and declared a Regional Park by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in April 2007. The renaming process included a public voting process organized by the Mt. Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC), co-stewards of the Park with the City of Pittsburgh.

All of the park's anchor parks -- Grandview Park, Olympia Park and Mt. Washington Park -- will retain their own names, but be known as part of the larger Emerald View Park.

"One of the taglines that comes out of this naming process is that Emerald View Park is one wild urban adventure," says Ilyssa Manspeizer with MWCDC. "There's such a sense of wilderness in these woods but you're just a stone's throw away from the city, literally. We have views that amazing of Downtown Pittsburgh, and along the back, you see the West End and I-279 surrounded by lush, green hills. You see this vision of Western Pennsylvania as a very green forested area."

Earlier this May, Councilwoman Theresa Smith submitted legislation to City Council to change the name of Mt. Washington. The public hearing for approval will be held May 25.

MWCDC is currently working with Allegheny Land Trust to raise funds to add 19 acres of privately owned land to Emerald View. MWCDC hopes to raise 10% of the $224,000 through community fundraising, and is already it its 50% mark for that 10% goal.

MWCDC is also in the process of raising $3 million to develop its comprehensive trail plan. MWCDC would like to combine trail development with workforce development -- to work with youth under the age of 25 to provide green job training. The trail plan could also lead to economic development, says Manspeizer with MWCDC. Mt. Washington already has more than a million visitors a year -- Emerald View trails could engage them with the business districts beyond just the view from the Incline.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Ilyssa Manspeizer, MWCDC

Photograph copyright Brian Cohen

The Allegheny Riverfront Vision plan hosted its final community meeting last week to address development of the 6.5-mile stretch between the Strip District and Highland Park.

Perkins Eastman has been working for more than a year on the still in-progress masterplan, under a $350,000 contract from the URA.

The plan makes suggestions for the City of Pittsburgh and Buncher Co.'s joint strategy to redevelop some 80 acres of riverfront land. The City could combine parcels of its own -- including with Produce Terminal in the Strip -- with industrial properties Buncher owns. Construction could start in the Strip in 2013, with the 40 undeveloped acres behind the Produce Terminal. The City and URA will spend some $20 million in capital funds to remediate the site and prepare it for redevelopment. A 1,000-unit development -- five buildings of 200 units each -- has been proposed.

Perkins Eastman envisions a new way of looking at riverfront parcels, says principal Steve Quick.

"In the past, the riverfront has been seen as a place for industry. We're looking at it now as a community-oriented place with a mixture of uses, including residential and business and low-impact industry, like the robotics and software coming out of the universities," says Quick.

The Perkins Eastman plan aims to maintain the character of the "neighborhoods on the rebound," as URA executive director Rob Stephany described the Strip, Lawrenceville and Morningside at Thursday's meeting.

Quick, with Senator Jim Ferlo, assuaged fears that this redevelopment project is anything like Soffer's SouthSide Works, which Quick calls a "standalone type of development." "We are looking for something that will spur development, something more inborn in the communities," Quick says.

Perkins Eastman suggests to:

- Add parking facilities.
- Restore the natural slope down to the river to get people closer to the water.
- Transform the Allegheny Valley Railroad into a pedestrian-friendly green path.
- Anchor the Produce Terminal with the in-development public market on one end and the Society for Contemporary Craft on the other, with restaurants and professional spaces in between.
- Capture all stormwater for storms of one inch or less (more than half the storms in Pittsburgh) through green roofs, pervious ground surfaces and trees.
- Increase the tree canopy coverage in the Strip District and Lawrenceville to about 40 percent. There are currently only about 200 trees total in the study area.
- Create bike/ped connections.
- Take into account the Allegheny Valley Railroad's planned commuter line between New Kensington and Arnold through Oakmont into Downtown.
- Create a new "Golden Triangle" by connecting Downtown and Lawrenceville, and eventually Oakland, via a trolley system that stretches, initially, between the Convention Center to 40th and Butler Streets, which Quick says needs to be more of a "civic center" than an "auto-oriented corner."

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Steve Quick, principal, Perkins Eastman

Image courtesy Allegheny Riverfront Vision plan

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Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) has announced its first U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification, as well as two new sustainable funding initiatives -- the Donor Plus program and a 10-member task force to find long-term money to run its branches.

CLP's 5,000-square-foot Woods Run location has been certified LEED Silver for its renovation completed in the summer of 2006. A plaque will be presented at its April 22 Earth Day celebration. Designed by Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects, the renovation includes new mechanical systems and thermal insulation throughout, as well as new lighting and the introduction of daylighting in all occupied spaces.

Ron Graziano, CLP facilities director, says the green renovation creates a clean, high-quality environment for its occupants, and significantly reduces operating costs. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures reduce water usage by more than 30%, and high-efficiency mechanical systems create an energy cost savings of more than 15% above that required by current building codes.

"By reducing costs to run the building, we can provide more physical, hands-on services to our customers, rather than spending those funds on utilities," says Graziano.

Several other CLP branches that have been designed to LEED standards are currently awaiting certification: Allegheny ($6 million building renovation completed in 2009), Hill District ($3.15 million renovation completed in 2008), Squirrel Hill ($4.7 million renovation completed in 2005), Brookline ($2.9 million renovation completed 2004), and East Liberty, which is expected to re-open in August 2010 after a $5.6 million renovation.

In addition to sustainable design, CLP is also committed to securing sustainable funding. Last year, the Library struggled to close the gap between increasing costs and declining revenues, due primarily to state budget cuts and level RAD funding. CLP projected a $5 million deficit by 2014 and presented an Action Plan, which included service reductions and branch consolidations and closures. That Action Plan is currently on hold until January 2011 as the Library works to find long-term dedicated funding.

In February, CLP announced the creation of a 10-member public-private task force to explore alternative funding models. That group -- which includes representatives from UPMC, Reed Smith, The Pittsburgh Foundation, the City and the County -- is holding its first meeting this week.

This week CLP is also relaunching is Donor Plus library card program, which raised nearly $60,000 in 2009. The Donor Plus card -- $30 for individuals and $50 for a family card -- is tax deductible, and includes incentives such as a unique card design, special events invitations, e-newsletter subscriptions, and a 20% discount at more than 25 area Crazy Mocha locations, including at CLP - Main.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Ron Graziano, facilities director, and Suzanne Thinnes, communication manager, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Image of Woods Run courtesy of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Riverside Development Group has completed Pittsburgh's first Net-Zero Energy home. The 1,850-square-foot residence is part of Riverside Mews, a 48-unit townhouse community developed, starting in 2007, on a former brownfield site between 18th and 19th Streets on the South Side.

As with the rest of the development, the Net-Zero home was designed by Perkins Eastman Architects and Strada, and built by Sota Construction Services, Inc., which has built many LEED-designed projects, such as Blackbird Condominiums and Artist Studios in Lawrenceville, WYEP Community Broadcasting Center on the South Side and the Felician Sisters School and Convent in Moon Township.

The Net-Zero home generates as much power as it uses on an annual basis through an 8,000-watt photo-voltaic roof mounted array. The townhome's energy use is minimized through super-insulation methods, a geothermal heat pump, LED lighting, and other energy measures including Energy Star-rated products.

Through the Energy Star HERS rating system, a score of 100 means a home meets energy requirements, explains developer Ernie Sota. An 85 gets a home Energy Star status. "We're at a -4," says Sota, who has been involved in green building since the 1970s.

The Net-Zero home's energy performance was achieved and certified in collaboration with expert energy consultants and engineers of MaGrann Associates.

The house is listed at $489,000, and is being marketed by ERA Lechner & Associates, Inc. Federal tax incentives, including a geo-thermal tax credit, are available. A public open house will be held at the home at 1820 Merriman Way on Sat., April 24 and Sun., April 25 from noon to 4 p.m.

To date, 14 homes of Riverside Mews' planned 48 have been completed. Of those, 12 have been sold and are occupied, and two remain model units. Six more units are under construction, two of which have already sold. Homes range from 1,800 to 3,000 square feet. All homes in the development -- not just the Net-Zero home -- are designed and built to be energy efficient.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Ernie Sota, Sota Construction Services, Inc.

Photograph courtesy of Sota Construction Services, Inc.

An East Pittsburgh housing project is starting construction this month on major renovations that will take about two years to complete.

The project is creating between 100 and 150 jobs, says Jack McGraw with Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA).

Prospect Terrace, owned by ACHA, was awarded almost $4.5 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to make energy-saving and green updates. The rest of the funding for the $7.4 million project comes from the county. The eco-friendly facelift is projected to save more than $85,000 a year in gas and electricity costs.

Prospect Terrace was originally constructed in the mid-1960s, and has not been renovated since.

The work will include all new geothermal heating and cooling systems for 94 units of existing housing, new Energy Star roofing, triple-glazed windows, and Energy Star appliance and lighting. New bathrooms fixtures will be installed, low VOC paints will be used, and new landscaping--including trees for shading and an outdoor picnic area--will be added. Street lighting will be energy-efficient LED.

The renovations are designed by Lami Grubb Architects, and the general contractor is Liokareas Construction Company.

"Prospect Terrace will be a model for green public housing. Pittsburgh should be proud," says Suzan Lami with Lami Grubb Architects.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Soures: Jack McGraw, Allegheny County Housing Authority; Suzan Lami, Lami Grubb Architects

Image courtesy of Lami Grubb Architects

Larimer--the in-transition neighborhood behind the Bakery Square complex--continues to be a hub of community development.

Last month, Public Allies Pittsburgh and Larimer Green Team organized a community-wide cleanup with residents and with participants from the Kingsley Association, GET:Larimer, Pittsburgh Cares and the Boys and Girls Club. Bags, gloves and other supplies were provided by Senator Jim Ferlo's office. Despite the early-on rain, about 60 volunteers participated.

In conjunction with the cleanup, Public Allies did some community canvassing to find out what Larimer residents want to see happen in their neighborhood. Priorities included creating jobs and cleaning and maintaining vacant properties, as there are currently more vacant than inhabited lots in Larimer, says Joel Moore from Public Allies. One of Larimer's most noted projects that re-purposes vacant property is its community garden at the corner of Larimer Avenue and Mayflower Street. The 17-bed food garden was planted in 2009, says Julie Pezzino with Grow Pittsburgh, and will expand this growing season.

With the information attained during last month's canvassing, Public Allies is working with the Kingsley Association to create a resident outreach and leadership program. The initial goal is to recruit at least 10 Larimer residents who previously have not been involved in their community, and to help them become the "voice of the residents," as many leaders in Larimer's revitalization are not neighborhood residents.

Public Allies and Kingsley Association will hold at least two focus group events, and will continue with survey work. One goal, says Moore, is to increase attendance at Kingsley Association activities, and also to get residents more involved in everything from the Larimer Consensus Group to the community garden.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Joel Moore, Public Allies; Julie Pezzino, Grow Pittsburgh

Photograph courtesy of Public Allies

County Executive Dan Oronato has launched "Allegheny Grows," an initiative to encourage urban farming and community gardening on vacant lots and blighted properties throughout the region.

The program offers startup materials, as well as technical and educational assistance.

Nine municipalities will participate in the inaugural year. McKees Rocks and Millvale will create urban farms with the partnership of Grow Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; and Bridgeville, Elizabeth Borough, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Stowe Township, Swissvale, Tarentum and Verona will develop sunflower bioenergy gardens with GTECH Strategies.

Urban farms and community gardens offer a host of environmental, economic and social benefits, says Kevin Evanto with the County. Gardens can combat blight, cool urban areas and reduce runoff from rain and pollutants in the air. Additionally, explains Julie Butcher Pezzino with Grow Pittsburgh, "Gardens bring fresh produce to communities in the most simple way possible--by communities growing food themselves. They can save money on grocery bills and can supplement their incomes by selling their vegetables."

With $19,704 from the County, the McKees Rocks project will further expand the eight-bed farm already established in the Bottoms neighborhood by the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation, Youth Advocate Programs and several borough residents. When completed, there will be a total of 15 vegetable beds.

With another $19,704 committed to Millvale, the County will work with the borough, Millvale Community Development Corporation and Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone to develop a brand-new farm of 15 raised beds on a cluster of vacant lots on Butler Street.

The County will provide between $4,000 and $5,000 to each Bridgeville, Elizabeth Borough, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Stowe Township, Swissvale, Tarentum and Verona for planting sunflower gardens on vacant lots in their business districts. With the assistance of GTECH Strategies, the communities will harvest the sunflowers to produce biofuel, and the sunflower seeds will be packaged and sold to the East End Food Co-Op and Whole Foods.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Kevin Evanto, Allegheny County; Julie Butcher Pezzino, executive director, Grow Pittsburgh

Photograph copyright Caralyn Green

Already a bastion of conscious eating, Franktuary is taking steps to be even more eco-friendly and accessible.

The gourmet hot dog shop already gives 2 percent of all profits to charity; serves the ever-popular grass-finished, organic, all-beef Locavore dog; offers auto-free bike delivery in the Downtown area; and has plenty of vegetarian options, including the tofu frank, salads and soups.

Now, the lunch spot in the basement of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, at 325 Oliver Ave., is taking steps to leave an even smaller carbon footprint. With the help of two CORO Fellows, who worked with Franktuary from January until recently, the eatery has starting planning a composting program that will get under way once the warm weather's here to stay; will be temporarily taking chicken products off the menu until a more sustainable poultry source is established; is transitioning from disposable to permanent flatware; and has vowed to move away from Styrofoam cups and containers once the current supply is exhausted. Also, Franktuary has eliminated all high-fructose corn syrups from the beverage case and--at the recommendation of a Fellow with cerebral palsy--Franktuary has lowered the waste/recycling area so that it's more accessible for customers in wheelchairs.

Frankuatry's mission, co-owner Megan Lindsey says, is to "redeem fast food, one frankfurter at a time."

"We are really concerned about stewardship," Lindsey says. "Franktuary is in a new phase of existence. We've really redefined our vision. We want to be an educating force in the food industry, which sounds pretty insane, given how small we are. I really think, though, that people latch onto good practices when they see them done well, done truthfully, done without guilt hanging over their heads."

Franktuary's biggest green push is yet to come, though. This April, Franktuary will open a second location--on wheels. Unlike the store, which has mixture of "organic and regular products," says Lindsey, Franktuary's roaming food truck will serve only grass-feed beef and locally made vegetarian patties and hot dogs, as well a locally made pirogues and homemade soda. The truck will keep customers informed about its whereabouts via social media, and has plants to team up with nomadic local bakeshop, The Goodie Truck.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Megan Lindsey, Franktuary

Image courtesy of Franktuary

A LEED-designed residence for older adults is currently under construction in Verona. The model unit of The Grandview at Longwood opened March 3, and the facility is slated to open in September 2010. Construction started in mid-2008.

The 89-unit apartment building is part of a multi-phase $69 million expansion project at Longwood at Oakmont Retirement Community, an affiliate of Presbyterian SeniorCare. Previously, the facility completed a major renovation of its 59-bed Hanna HealthCare Center, and after completing The Grandview, renovations will start on the clubhouse, and the community will introduce additional wellness programming.

The Grandview will feature an 89-spot underground parking garage, and units in the five-story building will range from 1,300 to 1,800 square feet.

Seventy percent of the units have already been sold, says Jim Pieffer with Presbyterian SeniorCare.

"We really believe in the cost savings of being energy efficient, and in being good stewards of our resources. We also think our potential residents are committed to the idea of going green," says Pieffer. "The choice to go green is really just keeping up with the Pittsburgh market. A lot of people don't realize it, but Pittsburgh is one of the greenest cities in America. This effort is in keeping with that spirit."

Lancaster-based architecture firm Reese Lower Patrick & Scott designed The Grandview, and the general contractor is Mistick Construction.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Jim Pieffer, senior vice president, and Patricia Kornick, director of communications, Presbyterian SeniorCare

Image courtesy of Presbyterian SeniorCare

Do good for yourself; do good for the world.

Eating locally not only tastes better and is better for your body, but also has a positive impact on local economies (imagine what we could do with all those dollars kept in our communities rather than siphoned off to multinational corporations). Agriculture is a top industry in Pennsylvania, with many farmers and food producers located right here in western Pennsylvania. With the goal of connecting the region's food growers and makers with the region's food buyers and eaters, Penn State Cooperative Extension, Allegheny County and co-sponsor Chatham University, in collaboration with PASA, have launched the first-ever Local Food Showcase.

The Local Food Showcase runs 1 to 4 p.m., Thurs., March 11 at Chatham University's Anderson Dining Hall. The entrance fee is $5, and parking will be available in the University's Library/Theatre Lot accessible via Murray Hill Avenue.

"If you grow food, cook food or eat food, this event is for you. We invite anyone with an interest in where their food comes from, anyone looking to make connections for the upcoming growing season," says Heather Mikulas with Penn State Cooperative Extension.

The event will present resources for finding local sources of fresh and processed foods for retail, restaurant, wholesale, CSA (community supported agriculture), farm markets and home use. There will be demonstrations, tastings and educational information on local farms, biofuels, composting and gardening.

The 40-plus participating vendors include the expected--East End Food Co-Op and tons of farms, including Kretschmann, Cherry Valley Organics and Frankferd--as well as local eateries Six Penn/Parkhurst and Enrico Biscotti, Purple Spoon Jams and Lebanese food from Najat's Cuisine.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Heather Mikulas, Penn State Cooperative Extension

Image courtesy Penn State Extension

For architect Anne Chen of EDGE studio, the Larimer Energy and Environment Community Outreach Center has been a fun exercise in green design--an opportunity to explore and combine all the eco-friendly technologies on the market. But for low-income residents in the East End, the center is less of a playground and more of a classroom on how to save money by saving the world.

The center will help low-income residents in Larimer-Lincoln, Homewood, East Liberty, Bloomfield and Garfield make their homes more energy-efficient through education and resources, and be a "one-stop shop" to learn more about, and apply for, utility assistance programs. Additionally, the facility will demonstrate all the money-saving green technologies it advocates, such as rainwater harvesting, LED lighting, low-water use plumbing fixtures, geothermal walls, solar panels, urban gardening and more.

The center will break ground on its renovations in April, and is expected to be open by August 2010. The design team includes: EDGE studio, Fukui Architects, Allen & Shariff Corporation and KAG Engineering. It will be located on the URA-donated site of a former BP Gas Station at East Liberty Boulevard and Larimer Avenue.

"This is a really cutting edge, progressive project," says Megan Stearman with the URA. "It's using all sustainable design practices to combat poverty- to lower energy costs in the neighborhoods that are typically lower-income. This is something we haven't seen before."

On Thurs., Feb. 11, the URA approved a commitment of $100,000 toward the project, and is seeking state approval for $85,000 towards $450,000 budgeted for the project. Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc. (PCSI) has dedicated $800,000, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, toward staff and management. PCSI is getting the programming up and running now at its Hill House offices. PCSI began hiring in Nov. 2009, and has already filled 10 of the budgeted 24 green jobs, says Annette Condeluci with PSCI.

The Larimer Energy and Environment Community Outreach Center is a partnership of the URA, Senator Jim Ferlo, local utility companies, Conservation Consultants, Inc., Larimer Green Team, Penn State University Cooperate Extension, Action Housing, the Kingsley Foundation and PCSI.

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Writer: Caralyn Green
Sources: Anne Chen, EDGE studio; Megan Stearman, URA, Annette Condeluci, PSCI

Image courtesy of EDGE studio