The November 2010 Polish Hill Voice is ready for your enjoyment. The newsletter is available for download Following is the President’s letter.
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President’s letter
We are embarking on a time of preparation and planning here on Polish Hill. As the scope and pace of our neighborhood changes, the community has the opportunity to adjust and renew its focus. Through grant writing, and asking local businesses for support, the Polish Hill Civic Association has raised the funds necessary for a strategic community plan. We will work through the planning process with assistance from the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood Development. Having open community meetings combined with information gathered in recent years, we will be able to identify the issues and concerns our residents define as priorities. Keeping community consensus in mind, we will work with a professional firm to create a plan for Polish Hill. This focused approach will help us make the best use of time and resources to achieve our goals. Since the majority of our efforts are volunteer-based, with support from dedicated part-time staff, efficiency will be key to our success.
Every day we are taking steps to improve the quality of life in Polish Hill. Recently we collected twelve large boxes of household chemicals: paint, thinner, insecticide, varnish and weed killer were all disposed properly at Allegheny County’s disposal event. We will continue to lead initiatives on environmentally safe practices. The best thing we can do for future residents is to leave our community a little better than we found it.
Along with the daily, ongoing work we do at the PHCA, there is still time for friends and neighbors to gather. Our recent successes, including the PHCA yard sale on August 28, PARK(ing) Day on September 17, and the Polish Hill Flea Market on September 25, are proof that community building has its place alongside the bricks and mortar. Our connections to each other, and the network we form, is the living, breathing part of Polish Hill. The magic happens when our residents gather together — young and old, native and newcomer.
Looking back as well as looking forward, I see what we have accomplished and what is left to do. I am in my second term as President of the PHCA, still making contact with residents every chance I get. New challenges constantly arise, presenting great opportunities to learn and apply new skills. Some people may not realize that being president of the PHCA is a volunteer role. Working for the neighborhood is my continuing education and career. I just keep my day job to pay the bills.
Terry Doloughty
PHCA president
