The application period is now open for homeowners to apply for a matching grant of up to $5,000 per property for residential façade (street-facing) renovations. Improvements could include:
✒ Replacing gutters, siding, windows and doors
✒ Painting trim or porches
✒ Planting permanent landscaping
✒ Repairing or replacing sidewalks, steps or retaining walls
Applications are due by March 31, 2015. An independent committee including contractors, architects and design professionals will review applications and award funds. Grants are competitive and funds are limited. Awards will be announced on April 17, 2015. Homeowners must pay for all work up front. The grant is paid out as a reimbursement check and is not paid until the work is completed.
The program application, guidelines, and design guide are available on our website or at the PHCA office. For more information, call 412.681.1950 or email us.
Representatives from People’s Gas came to the Polish Hill community meeting on March 4 to talk about the upcoming gas line work on Dobson Street. The work will affect residents on Dobson Street between Hancock Street to Herron Avenue, and residents on Harding Way and Fleetwood Way. The work is supposed to start sometime next week, and People’s Gas will send letters to customers who will be affected.
Here are some points of information that People’s Gas representatives shared at the meeting:
— Work will take place on Dobson, Harding Way, and on Fleetwood Street (to about 100 feet short of Herron Avenue). The project should take 3-4 weeks.
— There will be some disruption of service at the end of the project, when changing over to the main line. People’s will be doing pressure and safety test, which will result in outages lasting 10-15 minutes.
— Outages will be scheduled and the residents who will be affected will be contacted directly by Peoples.
Have more questions? Peoples Gas has provided a direct contact number for the project Operations Supervisor, John Walko: (412) 812-3369. The PHCA has also asked Peoples to keep our office updated about the project so we can share that information with residents.
The Allegheny County Health Department, in a partnership with Growth Through Energy and Community Health (GTECH) Strategies, is offering homeowners an opportunity to receive funds for investing in whole-home energy upgrades that reduce energy consumption and improve indoor air quality.
The Healthy Homes Incentive Program (HHIP) will provide up to $2,500 in funds to the first 100 qualified applicants who invest at least $5,000 in whole-home energy upgrades. Only non-smoking homeowners in Allegheny County are eligible to apply for the program.
Improving indoor air quality is important because the average American spends 90% of their time indoors, and it is estimated that indoor air pollutants are often two to five times higher than those found outdoors.
Participants will be walked step-by-step through the entire energy upgrade process. Homeowners receive consultation and guidance through an energy audit, which will provide an outline of the exact scope of work needed to make their home more energy efficient. The retrofits may include insulation, air sealing, ventilation, moisture control and other whole-home energy, health and safety measures.
Homeowners interested in participating should call Nicole Miller of GTECH Strategies at 412-361-2099, extension 7. Applicants will be asked to provide up to 13 months of utility data for their homes.
The program is funded by a $300,000 grant from the Allegheny County Clean Air Fund.
HHIP is being administered by GTECH Strategies’ ReEnergize Pgh Program. GTECH Strategies is a 501(c)3 social enterprise that cultivates the unrealized potential of people and places by creating opportunities in the green economy that improve the economic, social and environmental health of communities. For more information about GTECH Strategies, please visit www.gtechstrategies.org.
The Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Façade Renovation Grant Program debuted in 2013, and the response was overwhelming. Seven projects were awarded funding (we reported about those projects in the Fall-Winter 2013 Polish Hill Voice).
We’re excited to announce that funding has been secured to offer the program again in 2014. Polish Hill property owners are eligible to apply for a matching grant of up to $5,000 per property for residential façade (street-facing) renovations. Improvements could include:
✒ Replacing gutters, siding, windows and doors
✒ Painting trim or porches
✒ Planting permanent landscaping
✒ Repairing or replacing sidewalks, steps or retaining walls
Stuck on what to do? Select renovation ideas from the Pivotal Streets Design Guide. Or, sign up to meet with an architect on Feb. 12 for a free 15-minute consultation about your project. Call 412.681.1950 by Feb. 5 to secure a spot.
Applications are due by March 14, 2014. An independent committee will review applications and award funds. Grants are competitive and funds are limited. Awards will be announced on April 5, 2014. Reimbursement checks are issued when work is completed.
The program application, guidelines, and design guide are available on our website or at the PHCA office. For more information, call 412.681.1950 or email us.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh has informed us that the application period is still open for their facade renovation grant program. The program is available to six neighborhoods in Pittsburgh: Arlington, Central Northside, Garfield, Manchester, Upper Hill District, and Polish Hill.
The grant is an up-to-$5,000 matching grant for eligible owners to fix up the facade (front) of their residential property. The grant pays up to 50% of the total project costs up to a $5,000 maximum.
There does not appear to be any information about this program on the URA website. We have an informational flier at the PHCA office. For more information, contact Quianna Wasler of the URA at 412.255.6550, or email her at qwasler@ura.org.
Just a quick reminder… Saturday March 30 is the deadline to get your application for the Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Façade Renovation Grant Program in! That’s tomorrow, by 6:00 p.m.! There’s been a big response to this so the deadline will not be extended. Call us at 412.681.1950 or email us if you have any last-minute questions.
Read the original post about the grant.
(Image by Loysen+Kreuthmeier Architects, from the Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Design Guide)
If you’ve been thinking of doing some work on the outside of your house, we urge you to check out this chance to get some money to help with that. Façade renovation grant programs are offered in communities all over the country. The purpose of these programs is to make neighborhoods look better, one property at a time. In Pittsburgh, Oakland has had a façade grant for a few years; now Polish Hill has its own program.
The grant is for the street facing sides of the property — that includes areas of the property that face a street, public alley or public steps. Possible improvements include structural work, permanent landscaping, site improvements such as walkways, stair and sidewalk repairs and replacement, and retaining walls. Homeowners can also apply to do more cosmetic renovations, such as replacing windows, or correcting older or misguided renovations to make the front of the home look better. For ideas on renovation possibilities, read the Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Design Guide.
All residential properties are eligible, although priority will be given to owner-occupied properties. For more details, check out the Grant Guidelines and the Application. And please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have questions. This is a great opportunity — free money is not something that comes along often; most home improvement incentives come in the form of low-interest loans.
Pass the word along — here’s a flier to print or email.
(Examples of traditional and minimal renovations. Illustration courtesy of Loysen + Kreuthmeier Architects, from the Polish Hill Pivotal Streets Design Guide)
