Community Beautification, Greening, and Public Spaces Action Team

 

Meeting Minutes: Thursday, July 14th, 2011

 

Attendance: 14

 

Purpose: Connect West Oakland, South Oakland, and the Business District with the Eliza Furnace Trail and 2nd Ave and establish communication between organizations for other greening efforts.

 

1. Introductions

2. Recap Action Forum/Dialogue process

3. Review Phil Garrow’s Topographical Map of the area and a potential design for the trail

4. Sustainability projects of the Oakland Business Improvement District

• a. Contact Alex Coyne (alex@oaklandbid.org) if you want coffee grinds or if you want to donate used oil.

5. Identifying all key partners

• a. OBID, CHS, OTMA, One Call, PITT, Oakland Task Force (OTF), Graduate School of Public Health, Highmark, Carlow, CMU, Point Park, UPMC, Western PA Conservancy (surveyed this as a low-mid range cost project), Pittsburgh Trail Advocacy Group (PTAG), Technology Drive, Pittsburgh Historical Landmark, Innovation Works, URA, Allegheny Conference, BACA, Friendship Community Church, Schenley Farms, South Oakland Community Alliance, Oakland Community Council, Sponsor Change, Pittsburgh Cares, Venture Outdoors, REI, City Planning/City Engineering, Phipps Conservatory, Parks Conservancy
• b. Mt Washington CDC- They are currently building trails on similar terrain.
• c. Friends of the Riverfront- They are contracted by the city to steward the trails in Pittsburgh.
• d. Oakland Transportation Management Association- Georgia, the Executive Director of OTMA, has a close contact at Pittsburgh Historical Landmark
• e. Western Parks Conservancy & Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

6. Creating Committees

• a. Finance Committee
• b. Tina Reed (Chair), Justin Lamorella, Samuel Su
• c. Volunteer Committee
• d. Justin Lamorella (Chair), Patricia Richards, Dean Richards, Hayavadhan Thuppal, Jeriah McMillan, Jake Mohin
• e. Promotion & Distributions
• f. Michelle Panasiuk (Chair), Lizabeth Gray, Phil Garrow

7. Next Meeting

• a. Thursday, July 28 from 6-7:30PM (bi-weekly meetings) at Community Human Services’ community space
• b. Meeting Agenda: We will have a panel of guests who are experienced in trail building/trail maintenance to discuss the possible ways to approach this project: Friends of the Riverfront, Student Conservation Association, Mt Washington CDC, Western Parks Conservancy, Oakland Business Improvement District (OBID), and Oakland Transportation Management Association (OTMA).
• c. Bring a name for our Action Team (Green Team is already being used by the OPDC’s LEADS program)