Aug 29 2008
The Steelers' preseason game against the Carolina Panthers was still in progress when I went over to the New Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum at 9:30 last night, but the giant screens there were already tuned to the Democratic National Convention.
The Coliseum, a former trolley garage turned into a roller rink turned into a convention hall, was packed, and I do mean packed, with people. Sitting at long tables weighed down with food from the vendors present or from the KFC a block away. Standing in clusters. And in a clearing in the center of the floor, dancing.
Yeah, dancing. McFadden and Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" was blasting away, and folks in the open space were jumping up and down with the thumping beat.
Of course, there were lots of Steelers jerseys.
Folks came from all over, and to call the crowd enthusiastic would be an understatement. They had left "enthusiatic" behind three stops ago.
See for yourself ...
Aug 26 2008
Real Estate Watch
7309 Tioga Street, sold for $1,674, by sheriff's deed, to Fannie Mae Mortgage Association, is the only transaction listed last week by RealSTATs.
For those who wonder how to buy a foreclosed property: most banks and loan guarantors make it hard to learn what they have to sell. Fannie Mae makes it easy.
Calendar Notes
Nearly every week, our Real Estate Watch lists one or more homes that have gone into foreclosure. If you are a homeowner who wants to avoid foreclosure, you want to avoid the loans that are likely to lead you there. Tomorrow evening, August 27, Jennifer Germany of the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group will give a presentation to help Homewood residents avoid "predatory lending," or loans made with terms and conditions that set you up for trouble.
Ms. Germany will show a movie, "In Debt We Trust," and offer tips on what to look out for when obtaining a loan, and what to do if you feel you have become a victim of a predatory loan.
The event runs from 6:15 p.m to 7:45 p.m., at the Homewood-Brushton Family Support Center in the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
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2008 is the seventh presidential election year since I moved into Homewood, and I do not recall any candidate's campaign reaching into the community the way Barack Obama's campaign has. After helping to double the voter turnout during the primary, the Obama team is staging an event Thursday at the Pittsburgh Coliseum, 7310 Frankstown, that will provide "an opportunity for supporters to root for two teams," said spokeswoman Alison Price.
How? By watching the Steelers preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, then watching Sen. Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Admission to the 7 o'clock event is free; meals will be sold (Ms. Price mentioned barbecue).
Note to the McCain campaign: If you schedule an event in Homewood and give us the info, we'll announce that here also. Equal time, you know.
Aug 19 2008
Real Estate Watch
RealSTATs reported only one transaction in the 13th Ward last week:
7313 Race Street, for $7,000
Explore the county's listing, and you'll discover that:
1) The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosed on this property on February 5, for $1,531; and
2) The new owner lives in New York.
That new owner also bought two of the properties listed in Real Estate Watch last week: 7109 Mt. Vernon, for $6,500; and 586 Rosedale, for $9,500. Three houses in two weeks, for $23,000. Not bad.
I could not count the number of times I have heard Homewood residents express anxiety about the possibility of people from outside the neighborhood taking it over - i.e., buying up the land and buildings - apparently unaware that:
1) It's already happening, and has been for a while; and
2) That is not always a bad thing.
Obviously, if an owner in New York, or Florida, or the U.K. does not take care of their property, or allows criminal tenants to live there, they will make the neighborhood worse. But an owner who does take good care of properties and places good tenants in them, makes a neighborhood better, no matter where that owner lives or what they look like. "Absentee landlord" is not the same as "irresponsible landlord."
Homewood Calendar:
The Homewood-Brushton Community Coalition Organization's Community Day returns Saturday, Aug. 23, with the title, "Catching Up with Family." From noon to 7 p.m., there'll be games, food, music - all the things you expect at a festival. Just come down to Homewood Avenue, and you'll see the fun stuff happening between Hamilton Avenue and Bennett Street.
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Aug 15 2008
The town hall meeting at Faison Arts Academy last evening drew a crowd of 150 to 200.
In his opening comments, Councilman Burgess said, "We can only be successful as a united community."
As he has before, the councilman spoke about addressing some of the District's issues by modeling the "Boston Plan". He also touched on the possibility of creating a Transit Investment District that would capitalize one of the hot trends in urban planning, transit-oriented development.
Shelley Martz, neighborhood planner with the City Planning Department, made a presentation about the Ninth District, reporting demographic information such as income levels and age distribution. City Budget Direcort Bill Urbanic, gave a presentation on the budget, in which he compared the city to contests on the weight-loss competition reality show, "The Biggest Loser." By reducing spending, making services more efficient, and limiting borrowing, the city has moved from having a deficit to having $151 million in the bank, he said - but "We're only a couple of doughnuts away from being back in the same situation" as before.
Then Councilwomen Darlene Harris and Tonya Payne joined Burgess on the stage, and the floor was opened for members of the public to speak their mind. Councilman Burgess read names from a sign-up sheet, and folks came forward to speak. They were asked to keep their comments or questions within a three-minute limit, but some speakers continued past the buzzer and the flashing light.
A few people spoke about specific problems, like an elderly woman who said that her house has a party wall and that the house next door, which is vacant, leaks water into her home. She said that she has called the city to have inspectors come out to deal with the problem.
"I even called 311," she said, referring to the Mayor's Response Line.
"I'll make sure we get the inspectors out," the councilman promised.
Others spoke more generally. Andre Mobley, a community organizer with Acorn, asked what has happened to the city's "Redd-Up" campaign. He said that his group has been working with young people to clean lots and playgrounds.
"Our problem is, we aren't getting any participation from the city," he said. "A lot of residents have been calling 311 and not getting a response."
B.J. Coleman complained about the lack of workers "who look like us" at the many construction sites around the city, and brought several people to their feet when she exclaimed, "The problem is racism is still alive and well in Pittsburgh."
Once a crowd of people have their anger aroused, they are not easily answered, but Ms. Payne and Ms. Harris both tried. Ms. Payne pointed out that she had observed four black workers at a job site, which brought derisive comments in response - "Four, out of hundreds!" - that sort of thing.
Councilwoman Harris said that during her term as a member of the city's School Board, the board approved a program for the schools to help students get into the building trades.
"The Pittsburgh Public Schools have yet to implement that," she said.
Councilman Burgess said that he had helped an African-American contractor to gain a $60 million dollar contract for the reconstruction of Garfield Heights.
Then there were the speakers who used their time at the microphone not so much to address the members of Council as members of the audience, apparently seeking applause more than they were seeking effective government.
In the end, Burgess' staff had a list of specific problems to deal with on behalf of specific constituents, along with the ongoing task of figuring out how to serve a district that is decidedly not united: a early speaker from Lincoln-Larimer said that all of the attention is being focused on Homewood; later, a speaker from Homewood said that Homewood was being ignored for Lincoln-Larimer.
Or was it vice-versa?
If you're a city resident, you can see for yourself. The meeting is to be televised on the City Channel, channel 17, next Friday and Sunday at 7 p.m.
Aug 12 2008
After work Friday, I attended a graduation ceremony for a group of young people who spent the summer as Fellows of the CORO Center for Civic Leadership.
The focus of the 2008 Community Problem Solving Fellowship was Homewood, and they asked to interview me. We met one morning at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA and they peppered me with questions. Toward the end, one of the questions was something like, "What can we do to help Homewood?"
"Move here," I answered.
Homewood may need a lot of things, but one of the things it needs most, like the City of Pittsburgh itself, is new residents. Not to displace the current residents, but to help fill up the vacancy.
But folks generally don't move to a neighborhood to meet that neighborhood's need; they move there to meet their own.
Which raises the question, "Why would anyone move to Homewood?"
When I moved to Homewood in January 1984, it was because the apartment I found in Homewood was the first one I could afford.
Is there anyone out there who has moved to Homewood within the past five years? If so, why did you move there? Or, if you've been in Homewood for longer than five years, why are you staying?
The Fellows concluded that economic redevelopment is key to Homewood's future, and that entrepreneurship, folks starting businesses, is key to economic redevelopment. As opposed to, say, trying to attract a mega-business.
Does Homewood have the entrepreneurs needed to fuel economic growth? Or do we need to import them? What do you think?
NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Antoine L. Smith was acquitted of homicide charges in the death of George Caldwell.
P.S.: If any of you in the Ninth District have concerns or questions for Council, but are unable to attend Thursday's meeting, you can express them here. I will attend the meeting and attempt to raise those concerns and questions.
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Aug 11 2008
At 6 p.m. Thursday, 8/14, Councilman Ricky V. Burgess and other city council members will come to the Helen S. Faison Elementary School, 7430 Tioga, for the latest in a series of town hall meetings being held in each district. There will be presentations on the city budget and on "certain land-use issues," according to Councilman Burgess' chief of staff, Shawn Carter. Residents will also "get to tell City Council what they think the priorities should be" in the Ninth District.
Come; learn; be heard.
Real Estate Watch
Another busy week in the 13th Ward, according to RealSTATs...
7102 Apple Ave., for $55,600. The seller, Advanced Rental Properties Inc., bought this house for $10,800 May 23, the same day that it was foreclosed on for $1,674 by Wells Fargo.
7317 Bennett St., for $20,000, being sold out of foreclosure by Deutsche Bank, who took the property on Oct. 18, 2007 for $1,556.
7109 Mt. Vernon St., for $6,500
586 Rosedale St., for $9,500, being sold out of foreclosure by Wells Fargo, who took the property on May 7 for $1,868.
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Aug 05 2008
The latest report from RealSTATs shows an uptick in transactions in the 13th Ward:
7146 Kedron St., for $6,200
7148 Monticello St., for $14,000. This marks the third time in less than a year that this property has changed hands. On September 26, the Bank of New York acquired it through foreclosure for $1,593. On June 20, Foreclosure Depot LLC, based in Jersey City, N.J., bought it for $4,000. Thus, Foreclosure Depot made $10,000 in two weeks when it sold to it to Lux Realty LLC on July 3 for $14,000 (the only "Lux Realty LLC" that I have found is in Satellite Beach, Fla.).
The county website shows that the tax bill for 7148 Monticello is still being mailed to Foreclosure Depot. That suggests that it took back a mortgage when it sold the house, so Lux Realty is probably paying interest that will boost Foreclosure Depot's profit beyond $10,000.
Nice work if you can get it.
7116 Mt. Vernon St., for $1,506, by sheriff's deed to Bank of New York Trust Co. NA
7213 Race St., for $1,710, by sheriff's deed to Wells Fargo Bank.
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Aug 04 2008
It has been a month since the introduction of our new format for "My Homewood." Actually, the redesign encompassed the entire Post-Gazette NOW Web site. There's a whole host of new features for you to enjoy, including the ability to customize the Web site, to comment, to rate blog posts, and to interact personally with other members of our online community. If you have registered, perhaps you're already doing all of those things. If you haven't registered yet, what are you waiting for? Please join in, and let your voice be heard.
If you have already registered, and have been exploring the Web site's new features, what do you think of the changes?
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Aug 01 2008
There was a double homicide in Homewood yesterday evening. For some reason, when I read the story, this part jumps out: "two armed men ran out of the woods..."
Why are there woods in an urban neighborhood?
Maybe if there were no woods, the killers would have had no place to jump out from.
After a point, vacant lots, like vacant houses, become more than ugly; they become dangerous, because of what or who can hide there.
So here's a question: Who owns the "woods" that the killers emerged from? Who is responsible for keeping that land trimmed so that killers can't hide there? Dead people? Out-of-state people? The City of Pittsburgh? (A remarkable portion of Homewood's property owners are in those categories).
Anybody want a job?
In case you haven't seen the flyers or TV news stories yet, the City of Pittsburgh is hiring. The ads highlight firefighting and police officer positions, but there are also openings for other jobs.
For more info, and to apply, show up at the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation Activity Center, 113 N. Pacific Avenue on August 13, at 5 p.m. There'll be an overview of City employment, followed by a recruiting session for police and firefighter positions. The program is scheduled to end at 7 p.m.
A lot of folks have worked together to make this happen - BGC, Wireless Neighborhoods, Weed & Seed, the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center, Diverse City 364 - so if you need a job, go. And take a friend.
Calendar Notes
The Community Empowerment Association is presenting their 5th Annual Black Family Reunion this weekend at Mellon Park. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with too many activities to list here - check their MySpace page.
As a run-up to that, there'll be a panel discussion this evening on "Hip Hop, the Black Family & Community Survival" at the CEA's space at 7143 Fleury Way. I wish the last word of that title was something like "Development" or "Renewal" or "Prosperity." But don't let that keep you from going.
(Hey, Lee - if you register here, you can post event info here directly and cut out the middleman - me!)
Finally, a group of folks who do walking tours around different parts of the city are hiking through Point Breeze, North Point Breeze, and Homewood tomorrow, starting at the intersection of Thomas Boulevard and North Lang Avenue at 10:30. They call themselves Urban Hike. Check them out.
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