Back to
School! Special Section: Education Top five classroom trends Page 11
Township & School News Page 21
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Contents fall
•
2 013
features 11 Special Section: Education Top five classroom trends; jobs of the future; choosing the right college; paying for college.
60 Best Pets Residents share stories of man’s best friend.
31 on the cover The Brentwood High School Spartan Marching Band takes to a “new” field at Brentwood Stadium for the first home football game. Through the collaborative efforts of Brentwood Borough Council, Brentwood Manager George Zboyovsky, and the Brentwood Park Initiative under the leadership of Dr. Frank Cappetta, a new artificial playing surface under a new lighting system was installed as part of the renovations to Brentwood Park. Photos by Primetime Shots.
departments 4 6 9 22
From the Publisher IN the Loop IN Events
38 54 64
Brentwood Borough News Baldwin Borough News INCognito
Brentwood School
60
sponsored content 8 Premier Plastic Surgery and Dermatology 20 Jefferson Hills Surgical Specialists
55 T.E.K. Storage 58 Angelo Associates
IN Community is a publication dedicated to representing, encouraging and promoting the Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall area and its comprising municipalities by focusing on the talents and gifts of the people who live and work here. Our goal is to provide readers with the most informative and professional regional publication in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 3
FROM THE
PUBLISHER PUBLISHER Wayne Dollard EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Julie Talerico j.talerico@icmags.com REGIONAL EDITORS Mark Berton [South, West and Erie] m.berton@icmags.com Pamela Palongue [North and East] p.palongue@icmags.com OFFICE MANAGER Leo Vighetti l.vighetti@icmags.com ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Debbie Mountain d.mountain@icmags.com DESIGN DIRECTOR Michael Miller DESIGNERS Cassie Brkich Jim Paladino Anna Buzzelli Melissa St. Giles Sharon Cobb Tamara Tylenda
My wife, Lisa, and I with our three sons (l to r): Jordan, Brenden and Tyler, on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland.
In a few months, we will celebrate IN Community Magazines’ 10th anniversary! Our first magazine—IN Monroeville—premiered in 2004, and we’ve since grown to more than 35 publications, serving communities north, east, south and west of Pittsburgh, as well as our quarterly Designing Home Lifestyles magazine. Earlier this year, we added a new magazine to our publishing family—Faith Pittsburgh—that has received tremendous response from readers. As we enter our next decade in publishing, we thought it fitting to give IN Community Magazines a new look (see far right) to reflect our mission to become a top source of information in your community. This issue, we welcome editorial director, Julie Talerico, who has been in publishing for nearly 30 years, including the past 10 years as editor-in-chief Back to School! of Pittsburgh Magazine. We are excited to have her lead us through our next growth stage, producing and developing high-quality publications. Over the years, our school and township partners have been a vital part of IN Community, and we thank you for your support. We also thank our advertisers, many who have been with us from the beginning. As we head into fall and our kids and teenagers start back to school and college, we hope you’ll take time to read this publication. We welcome your feedback!
Contributing Writers Jonathan Barnes Heather Holtschlag Jennifer Brozak Leigh Lyons Earl Bugaile Joanne Naser Matt Fascetti Melanie Paulick Tracy Fedkoe Judith Schardt Brenda Haines-Cosola Marilyn Wempa Elvira Hoff
SUMMER 2013
2013
Case
AwArds
Special Section: Education Top five classroom trends Page 11
Township & School News
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Wayne Dollard Publisher
Tell Us What You Think!
We’d like to hear from you if you know someone in your community who is making a difference or has done something extraordinary. We’re also looking for interesting story ideas (little-known facts, history or other news) within your community. If you have suggestions, please contact Pamela Palongue (p.palongue@icmags.com) if you are in the North and East communities or Mark Berton (m.berton@icmags.com) if you are in the South and West communities. Please include your name, phone number and community magazine for which you are submitting the idea. Thanks in advance for your contributions!
4 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
To Advertise
As the largest magazine publisher in Western Pennsylvania, IN Community Magazines are direct mailed to more than 518,000 households, reaching 1.15 million readers. If you'd like to partner with us, please contact our Office Manager Leo Vighetti at: 724.942.0940 or l.vighetti@icmags.com.
Page 21
Contributing Photographers Ben Chronister Kathleen Rudolph Ginni Klein Jennifer Steenson Len Pancoast Gary Yon Primetime Shots Gary Zak GENERAL SALES MANAGER Tamara Myers t.myers@icmags.com SALES MANAGER Brian McKee b.mckee@icmags.com ADVERTISING SALES Sophia Alfaras Aimee Nicolia Pamela Arder Connie McDaniel Nikki Capezio-Watson Gabriel Negri Dan DeCesare Vincent Sabatini Julie Graff Michael Silvert Holly Hicks-Opperman RJ Vighetti Laurie Holding ICM Printing Sales Manager Tom Poljak ©2013 by IN Community Magazines. All rights reserved. Reproduction or reuse of any part of this publication is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher. Direct all inquiries, letters to the editor and press releases to:
IN Community Magazines 603 East McMurray Road McMurray, PA 15317 724/942-0940; Fax: 724/942-0968 icmags.com Please recycle this magazine when you are through enjoying it.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 5
in the
Loop What’s news in BrentwoodBaldwin-Whitehall
Baldwin Library Looking for Friends
The Friends of Baldwin Library is a new group being formed to assist the library through fundraising and advocacy, spreading the word that libraries are community assets. Membership in the Friends is open to anyone (regardless of residency) who values the Baldwin Public Library. Contact the library at 412.885.2255 for more information or email them at: baldwin@einetwork.net.
Also at the Baldwin Library
Computer Classes: Monday and Wednesday evenings by appointment. Need help? Make an appointment with Marcus to learn almost anything you want to know about using a computer. Topics can range from Windows 7 (but not Windows 8), Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer to Google and the library’s catalog. Call 412.885.2255 or email waidem@einetwork.net.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Brentwood Events: Zumba Classes on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm. Georgann Siesky will teach the class, which is one hour long, for $6 per person. Overeaters Anonymous meets at St. Peter’s most every Sunday evening at 7 p.m. For more information, please contact the church at 412.884.5225, and we will put you in touch. Alcoholics Anonymous meets every Thursday evening at St. Peter’s starting at 7 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous meets every Tuesday afternoon at St. Peter’s from 12-2 p.m. The church is located at 4048 Brownsville Road, overlooking Brentwood Towne Center, near Rt. 51. For more information, please call the church at 412.884.5225 or visit our website, www.stpetersbrentwood.org.
California New Year’s Getaway - featuring the Tournament of Roses Parade December 29, 2013 - January 2, 2014. Be one of the 1 million spectators to line the Tournament of Roses Parade route while sitting in your reserved section seats. Details at www.baldwinborolibrary.org.
Fond Farewell
After 28 years of service to the Baldwin Borough Public Library’s Library Board, 27 as president, Laverne Oberle has retired from service to the citizens of Baldwin Borough. A reception was held in her honor in June, to recognize and celebrate her years of dedication and hard work.
6 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
On the Calendar
The Joy of Christmas Craft Show Saturday, November 23 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. St. Louise DeMarillac School & Parish Center 320 McMurray Road Upper St. Clair Admission and one ticket for Chinese Auction: $2 115 crafters, bake sale, candy sale Lunch available Sponsored by the DeMarillac Guild
Free Square Dance Fun Night
Peanut Squares Square Dance Club is sponsoring two free nights of square dancing for those who would like to learn and experience square dancing: Thursday, September 19, from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m., at Sts. Simon and Jude, 1607 Greentree Road; and Thursday, September 26, from 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 799 Washington Road, Mt Lebanon. No experience, costumes or partner required. Ages 9 to 90 are welcome. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call Ruth at 412.221.1192 or Paul at 412.735.2423.
Chabad of the South Hills Offers New School
Hebrew School of the Arts: New this year in addition to our regular Hebrew School Program held at the Chabad of the South Hills in Mt. Lebanon on Sunday 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Chabad is offering a brand new once a week program on Wednesday from 4:30 - 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This new program will be divided into three separate seven week sessions and is designed to give your child basic Jewish skills and love and knowledge of his/her heritage. You can do 1, 2, or all 3 of the Wednesday sessions. You can choose to do both Sunday and Wednesday combined or just Wednesday or just Sunday. For ages 4-13 year olds. No membership or affiliation required. Affordable rates and small classes. Scholarships available. Please call 412.344.2424 or visit chabadsh.com.
Alzheimer’s CARE Training Workshop
Sept. 24, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Where: Home Instead Senior Care Center for Training and Education 2000 Oxford Drive, Suite 415, Bethel Park RSVP: 412.595.7554 or 724.222.7770 Developed by Home Instead Senior Care, the Alzheimer’s CARE program incorporates an innovative, person-centered approach to help families deal with the difficult behavioral changes that often are associated with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. The workshop, which is open to the public, will teach caregivers and other family members how to manage behaviors, encourage engagement and care for themselves while caring for their loved one. ■ Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 7
8 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
inEVENTS
WHITEHALL COMMUNITY DAY
A Message from Gregory Steele, Instrumental Music Teacher at Baldwin High School: “I think it’s imperative for us as educators to communicate the importance of community to our kids. Whitehall Community Day is a great opportunity to give back to the community that supports us. Our students did an excellent job performing at Community Day. Their hard work over the summer and during band camp has really begun to pay off.” PHOTOS BY Virgina WeiDa
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 9
E
10 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
EDUCATION BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
fall
20 13
W
hen it comes to education, too much is never enough. And in a world where job competition is fierce, parents believe the more educated their child is, the better their chances of getting that rewarding, high-salaried position that will allow them to grow as a professional, support a family and pad their 401(k). But ask any high school junior what they plan on majoring in, and you’re almost guaranteed to be met with a blank stare.
Traditional college is a smart choice, but for today’s students, other options are available that do not require a degree. The job market indicates an increasing demand for skilled trades, non-degreed and service professionals which is quickly outpacing those who can deliver it. In this special section, we take a look at college preparation — from choosing the right preschool to prepping for SATs, as well as some alternatives to college that promise a bright future without the need for a four-year degree. Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 11
5
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
Top Education Trends O
ne thing is for sure; school is not what it used to be. No longer are college students expected to sit for long periods of time in one classroom, listening to one professor while feverishly taking notes. Today, students have a wide array of schooling options, study tools and reference materials that make it easier to get the grade. Among these latest trends are:
1|
Social Media: Social media has given students access to a whole new way of communicating and learning. In today’s classrooms, professors are blogging, maintaining Twitter and Facebook accounts and even communicating with students through these mediums. Students also have access to YouTube and may even be required to produce and post videos as a part of their learning curriculum. Students may find it helpful to use social media techniques to find employment since many sites, such as LinkedIn, give job seekers the venue to create resumes and profiles that are searchable by potential employers. Graduates can also begin networking with professionals in their desired field.
2|
Online Learning: No longer is traveling to a school building and sitting at a desk beside 25 other students part of school requirements. Students who want to pursue chosen fields of study can learn from home and study at their own pace laptop style. In fact, according to the Bacon Survey Research Group, the number of students enrolled in at least one online course increased for the ninth straight year. The study reports that the number of students taking online courses has surpassed six million and nearly one-third of all students in higher education are taking at least one online course. Some universities such as the University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Johns Hopkins University and Stanford, even offer free online
12 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
courses, a trend that is expected to continue in coming years.
3|
Massive Open Online Course: Massive open online course, or MOOC, is a relatively new way for students to learn. MOOC is a course that is offered exclusively online to provide large interactive participation and open access through the Internet. MOOCs offer all of the traditional types of course materials, but also provide interactive user forums that help build communities among students and teachers and teaching assistants. These free courses only require the use of a computer and an Internet connection. As an extra incentive, there is some discussion about awarding official college credits to students who take these
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
courses, which continue to grow in popularity around the globe, as they are offered in nearly 200 countries in 44 different languages and have more than 4,500 testing centers.
4|
Better Job Market: Students graduating now may enter a better job market than students from previous years. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies expect to hire 9 percent more 2012 graduates than in 2011. And, students who have studied in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) have even greater odds of landing a job.
5|
Game-Based Learning: While still a new concept for both students and teachers alike, game-based learning, or GBL, is a method of learning that is growing in popularity and has proven to be
an effective method of teaching. These games are designed exclusively to provide educational value to students in any type of educational environment. They are designed to teach students about certain subjects, reinforce growth and development, encourage the development of new skills, or understand an event that took place in history. GBL methods include boards, cards and video games and incorporate methods like learning simulations with both serious
games and video games into the classroom. In addition, this method offers both gameplay and subject matter so that students can easily remember what they have learned and get ready to apply it in the real world. Although this method is still in its infancy, it is expected to expand in growth in the coming years. The way we learn is changing and it is broadening our horizons, our skills and our possibilities.
The number of students taking online courses has surpassed
six million
and nearly one-third of all students in higher education are taking at least one online course.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 13
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
Jobs
W
of the
Future
hile a college degree does garner some credibility and an advantage in finding a well-paying job, there has been an increase in demand for people who have the right skills, and not necessarily a degree, in certain industries. According to a recent story featured in Forbes magazine, jobs of the future are comparably “lowskilled,� meaning they still require a lot of all-around intelligence to succeed, but not a degree. For example, carpentry has experienced a 56 percent growth, and medical secretaries have seen an increase of 41 percent in recent years. Other top jobs include web developers, which has a median salary of more than $75,000 a year and has risen in popularity among those who are self-taught or who have only a minimal amount of college training. In fact, the demand for people in this field is so great that
companies do not view it as a disadvantage if the person does not have a college degree, particularly the smaller start-up companies. Plumbers can make more than $46,000, a profession that is expected to grow 26 percent in the next few years. Paralegal assistants, electricians and industrial machine repairers are also professions that can expect an annual salary of more than $46,000. Administrative executive assistants could see a salary of more than $34,000. Bookkeepers and pest control specialists can earn more than $30,000, while receptionists and skin care specialists may be paid more than $25,000. A possible reason for this recent upward trend in jobs that do not require a college degree, may be that there is a heavier demand for people who offer actual services and specific skill sets. Caring for an aging population is one of the reasons that jobs like home health aides and personal care aides
Some in-demand professions that don’t require a four-year degree.
14 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
Carpentry has experienced a growth of
are at the top of the fastest growing jobs list compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, as reported by CareerCast.com. But right below these two occupations are biomedical engineers, which anticipates a 61 percent growth by 2020. Jobs such as brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons and tile and marble setters, expect to grow at least 60 percent by 2020. Veterinary technicians and technologists are expected to grow in demand by 52 percent. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers will increase by nearly 47 percent, physical therapy assistants by 46 percent, pipelayers and steamfitters by 45 percent, meeting and event planners by 44 percent and diagnostic medical sonographers by 43 percent. These fields all rank near the top of the list in popularity and expected job growth.
56 percent
Biomedical engineering anticipates growth of
According to Forbes, many of these types of jobs do not require a college education because a person could potentially learn more about them with on-the-job training as opposed to sitting in a college classroom. Many people who enter "non-degreed" professions are self-taught and begin freelancing with a few clients. Through word-of-mouth, they are able to grow enough to launch their own business. For the most part, the trend remains that college graduates still stand to earn more in their lifetimes than nongraduates, as companies will continue to look for the bachelor’s degree on a resume. However, there is a bright future for non-graduates with much potential if they have the desire and motivation to be successful.
61 percent
Physical therapy assistant jobs will increase by
46 percent
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 15
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
Occupations with the most job growth, 2010 projected 2020 (Numbers in thousands) Employment 2010 National Employment Matrix Title and Code
2010
2020
Change, 2010-20 Number
%
Median Annual Wage, 2010
00-0000
Total, All Occupations
143,068.2
163,537.1
20,468.9
14.3
$33,840
29-1111
Registered Nurses *
2,737.4
3,449.3
711.9
26.0
64,690
41-2031
Retail Salespersons
4,261.6
4,968.4
706.8
16.6
20,670
31-1011
Home Health Aides
1,017.7
1,723.9
706.3
69.4
20,560
39-9021
Personal Care Aides
861.0
1,468.0
607.0
70.5
19,640
43-9061
Office Clerks, General
2,950.7
3,440.2
489.5
16.6
26,610
35-3021
Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
2,682.1
3,080.1
398.0
14.8
17,950
43-4051
Customer Service Representatives
2,187.3
2,525.6
338.4
15.5
30,460
53-3032
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
1,604.8
1,934.9
330.1
20.6
37,770
53-7062
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
2,068.2
2,387.3
319.1
15.4
23,460
25-1000
Postsecondary Teachers
1,756.0
2,061.7
305.7
17.4
45,690
31-1012
Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants
1,505.3
1,807.2
302.0
20.1
24,010
39-9011
Childcare Workers
1,282.3
1,544.3
262.0
20.4
19,300
43-3031
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
1,898.3
2,157.4
259.0
13.6
34,030
41-2011
Cashiers
3,362.6
3,612.8
250.2
7.4
18,500
25-2021
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
1,476.5
1,725.3
248.8
16.8
51,660
43-4171
Receptionists and Information Clerks
1,048.5
1,297.0
248.5
23.7
25,240
37-2011
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
2,310.4
2,556.8
246.4
10.7
22,210
37-3011
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
1,151.5
1,392.3
240.8
20.9
23,400
41-4012
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
1,430.0
1,653.4
223.4
15.6
52,440
47-2061
Construction Laborers
998.8
1,211.2
212.4
21.3
29,280
43-6013
Medical Secretaries
508.7
718.9
210.2
41.3
30,530
43-1011
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
1,424.4
1,627.8
203.4
14.3
47,460
47-2031
Carpenters
1,001.7
1,197.6
196.0
19.6
39,530
35-3031
Waiters and Waitresses
2,260.3
2,456.2
195.9
8.7
18,330
33-9032
Security Guards
1,035.7
1,230.7
195.0
18.8
23,920
25-9041
Teacher Assistants
1,288.3
1,479.3
191.1
14.8
23,220
13-2011
Accountants and Auditors
1,216.9
1,407.6
190.7
15.7
61,690
29-2061
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
752.3
920.8
168.5
22.4
40,380
29-1060
Physicians and Surgeons
691.0
859.3
168.3
24.4
111,570
31-9092
Medical Assistants
527.6
690.4
162.9
30.9
28,860
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
16 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Choosing the Right College You made it. You got through grade school, succeeded in high school, and now the search begins…for the perfect college. You may already have your eye on a school, or you may be keeping your options open. Whatever your situation, there are some pointers to keep in mind when making your decision. To start, make a list of the colleges in which you are most interested. Divide the list into three categories: top choices, acceptable choices and sure-things. You also may want to add the reasons they interest you and the factors that make them unique. Seek out advice from those you trust – high school teachers, guidance counselors, friends and family members or school alumni – and ask why they favor a particular school. Also consider your educational goals and the field of study you would like to pursue. If one of your top choices does not offer that particular major, it may be safe to scratch it off your list. Another important component to consider is the social atmosphere and the type of housing accommodations the school has to offer. Do you want to attend a school where the students never sleep, or would you prefer to live in a quiet, non-party environment? Make sure the school that you choose will make you feel comfortable so you can succeed academically. Seek out printed information about the school. Directories, websites, maps and newsletters will help you navigate the campus and enable you to decide if this is where you want to spend the next four, or more, years. Lastly, talk to college representatives and staff on campus. Interview them about their likes and dislikes about the school, the academic and non-academic programs that the school offers and the types of financial aid that are available. Most importantly, make sure the school will meet your needs and help you to excel in whatever path you choose.
The SATs – Preparation is the Buzz Word You know there is no way around it. If you want to go to college, you must do well on the dreaded SAT test. This single event can lead to many sleepless nights and bouts of nervous anxiety. But if you head into the testing center armed with a few special tips, you may score well ahead of the game. For starters, begin preparing and studying for the test months in advance. Find practice tests or study guides online and upon completion of these practice exams, study the results. Find out why you scored wrong on a particular question and look at what you did right. Perhaps the best way to aid in preparation is to take challenging courses in high school. Take plenty of math and science courses and make sure that your reading comprehension and writing skills are in order. Develop a plan to study for the SATs for an allotted amount of time each day. Seek out the aid of a specialized tutoring service, such as the SAT tutoring offered at Huntington, which may not only help you with your studying, but may increase your confidence and calm your nerves. If you decide to take the test twice, learn from your experience the first time. Research the questions you got wrong on the first test and learn why you got them wrong. As the day of test approaches, do something relaxing the night before, such as reading a book and getting a good night’s sleep. Wake up early enough to eat a nutritious breakfast and plan to arrive at the testing center early. Finally, be sure you are prepared with the right materials – a valid ID for access to the testing center and several number 2 pencils. With preparation, you will find that the test-taking anxiety you initially felt, will be replaced with confidence and satisfaction.
SAT
Paying for College You have your heart set on going to college. Now you need to pay for it. Planning ahead will not only help you save money, but may save you time, as well. First, plan ahead. Simply depositing a minimal amount of money into a savings account years ahead of college will pay off big when the bills for tuition and books start to come. There are a couple of easy methods for saving. The first is to write yourself a check each month that automatically goes into your college account. Or, simply have a part of your paycheck directly deposited into the account. Also, know that you do not have to save for the entire four years of school. There are options like financial aid, grants and loans available that can help to cover expenses and minimize the economic impact on your wallet. Consider investing in a prepaid tuition program, which enables you to prepay for tomorrow’s college tuition at today’s costs. Or, choose a 529 college savings plan, which has no guarantee of earnings, but can be used at any college, for any expense, and has specific tax advantages. Websites such as SavingforCollege.com, offer valuable resources for planning and maximizing your college tuition and other expenses. Most states have a website that contains information about prepaid tuition programs or 529 college savings plans. If you are beginning to save more than five years from the college entrance date, consider investing in mutual funds through a professional fund manager. If you have less than five years before entering college, consider other options such as savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. With a little planning and some smart budgeting, paying for college is an attainable goal.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 17
BRENTWOOD - BALDWIN - WHITEHALL
EDUCATIONDIRECTORY Bidwell Training Center is a non-profit post-secondary career school. Recognized as a 2012 “School of Excellence” by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. Bidwell Training Center 412.323.4000 • www.bidwell-training.org
18 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Finding the Right Preschool Deciding on a preschool for your child is an important decision requiring a lot of thought and research. You want your child’s first experience in school to be a positive one filled with happy memories. There are several factors to keep in mind as you make your decision. Among the first, should be the location of the school. Do you want something that is close to home or close to work? How far are you willing to drive? Another consideration is the school’s reputation. Do you have any friends who send their children to the school or who know any of the staff? Talk to them while doing your research and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions. The Child Care Aware hotline, 1.800.424.2246, can give you the number of a local childcare referral agency, which can provide you with the names of preschools in the area. Before calling the school, make a list of all of the questions that are important to you, such as teacher to student ratio, the staff’s credentials, what types of activities the kids engage in and what is the level of progression from year to year. Also, be sure to ask if the school is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a sign that the school is trustworthy and reliable. If you are allowed to visit the school, take a tour and perhaps observe the class where your child would be attending. During this visit, observe how the teachers interact with the kids, their demeanor toward each other and their overall personality. Finally, observe the children themselves. If they are happy in their surroundings and you feel comfortable, it just may be the perfect school for your child!
Turn Your CommuniTY inTo a Career Join in Community magazines’ Team of Professional Sales reps
something
fresh for everyone
Overbrooke Poin offers new conc te in senior living ept
see page 14
Headline Page 34
Headline Page 47
Special Section: Education
IN Community Magazines is seeking an energetic salesperson to sell print advertising in your area.
Page 23
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Dynamic Duo:
Back to
parks and recreation Butch Truitt, South Fayette's new manager Ryan Eggleston director (right), with township
School!
School and Township News Page 29 Special Section: Education
Page 7
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Special Section: Education
Full-time is preferred, but part-time will be considered. Please contact our General Sales Manager, Tamara Myers, at t.myers@icmags.com for more information.
Page 6
School News Page 16
Fall 2013 icmags.com
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 19
InDUStRY InSIGHt
Your Health
SPonSoReD Content
PINK IS ALWAYS “IN” AT
JEFFERSON HILLS SURGICAL SPECIALISTS The month of October is an exciting month that celebrates the advances made in the treatment of breast cancer. Cure rates for early stage breast cancer are over 90 percent. Pink ribbons, hats, shoes and more are a daily reminder that there is much support for this cancer which affects one in eight women over the course of their lifetime. Despite all the positives, when a woman is faced with the reality of a breast cancer diagnosis, her thoughts often turn fearful: How am I going to get through all of this? Where can I turn? Am I going to live or die? Fortunately, having a comprehensive breast program close to home can help ease that anxiety tremendously. Led by Dr. Mark Gannon of Jefferson Hills Surgical Specialists, the breast program provides a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, well-coordinated approach for the care of breast health and breast cancer patients. The emphasis is on moving women (and sometimes men) through their diagnostic imaging, biopsy, surgery and further treatments as efficiently as possible. “Our program prides itself on how quickly we can have patients seen in our office for surgical consultation, sometimes even the same day,” said Dr. Gannon. “We are in constant communication with specialists in the program including diagnostic imaging, medical oncology, radiation oncology and plastic surgery. Every effort is made
to streamline the care and appointments needed.” Drawing on his 22 years of extensive breast surgery experience, Dr. Gannon is also the lead breast surgeon for the program utilizing the latest surgical techniques for sentinel node biopsy, breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy with immediate reconstruction in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. At the time of the initial surgical consultation, women are given a thorough explanation of their options and surgical recommendations by Dr. Gannon who allows plenty of time for questions to be answered. For most patients, the surgery is scheduled as quickly as possible, usually within one to two weeks. A key part of the efficiency of the comprehensive breast program is the nurse navigator, Brenda Cline, RN, MSN. Brenda is nationally certified as a breast patient navigator. She meets patients at the time of biopsy and then provides constant support and education as they go through their diagnosis and treatment, following them for a year or more. Brenda sees the patient with the surgeon at the initial consultation, on the day of surgery and at follow-up visits. She also expedites testing and appointments, assesses barriers to treatment such as insurance issues, and is in close communication with all the specialists involved in the patient’s care. “Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is never easy,” said Brenda. “But if we can simplify this complicated process, most patients are very pleased and grateful.” To inquire about the Comprehensive Breast Program, contact Brenda Cline, RN, MSN at 412-469-5989. For a surgical consultation at Jefferson Hills Surgical Specialists, please call 412-469-7110. This Industry Insight highlights one specialty area of Jefferson Hills Surgical Specialists. Brenda Cline, RN, MSN, CBPN-IC
Mark P. Gannon, MD
Certified Breast Patient Navigator for Imaging and Cancer Care; Member, Oncology Nursing Society; Professional Member, National Consortium of Breast Centers
Medical Director, Comprehensive Breast Program; Fellow, American College of Surgeons; Member, American Society of Breast Surgeons
Main Office 1200 Brooks Lane, Suite 170 Jefferson Hills, PA 15025
20 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Bethel Park 1000 Higbee Drive, Suite 102 Bethel Park, PA 15102
charlerOi 1200 McKean Avenue, Suite 107 Charleroi, PA 15022
BrentwOOd 3720 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227
SPeerS 17 Arentzen Boulevard, Suite 102 Charleroi, PA 15022
BRENTWOODBALDWIN-WHITEHALL City & School News
Brentwood Borough School District
Brentwood Borough News
22
Superintendent’s Message
38
Message from Mayor Ken Lockhart
23
2013-2014 School Calendar
39
New Tax Collection Due Dates
24
School Board Information
41
Capital Project Updates
26
Emergency Delays or Cancellations
43
Fall Events
27
Awards & Honors
44
Council Actions
29
School Meal Information
47
Brentwood EMS Subscription Form
31
Camp Kon-O-Kwee
48
Leaf Collection
32
Athletic Event Information
49
Brentwood Borough Police Newsletter
33
No Child Left Behind & PPRA
34
Special Services - Annual Parent Information Notice
50
Brentwood Borough Parks & Recreation Fall Programs
52
Brentwood Library Programs & Events
Baldwin Borough News 54
Commercial Recycling
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 21
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District Another school year is underway. The schools are alive with the energetic voices of new and returning students. Walking through the buildings, I see students eager and willing to learn as teachers provide the needed instruction and guidance necessary for success. A key component to student success is family support. As your district leader, it is extremely satisfying to experience the continued support our families provide to their children, as well as, to our schools. As in the past, the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) will once again provide direction for school district improvement initiatives. Approved at the August 19, 2013 General Purpose Meeting by the Board of School Directors, the CIP for 2013-2014 contains five primary goals. Those goals are for further advancements in the following areas: 1. Student performance and achievement in all academic areas 2. Curricular and extracurricular programs offered in the school district 3. Communications with all stakeholder groups 4. Appearance, upkeep, safety, and security of all facilities 5. School district fiscal matters Specific action plans for each of the goals have been developed for implementation throughout the school year. This year curriculum continues to be the major focus of improvement 22 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
S uperintendent ’ s
M essage
B y D r . R on D ufalla
initiatives. The K-12 Mathematics and English/Language Arts curriculums, as well as, the high school Biology curriculum will continue to be aligned to the PA Common Core Standards. The PA Common Core English/Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects Standards will be integrated throughout the appropriate curriculums. In addition, the PA Common Core Literacy and Mathematics Standards will be integrated into the fine and practical arts, family and consumer science, and foreign language curriculums. The curriculum initiative along with related work in instruction and assessment is part of the district’s ongoing efforts to prepare students for the PSSA and Keystone Exams. Two new faces have joined the professional staff replacing those that retired. Ms. Christina Gattens is the new librarian at Elroy and Moore Elementary Schools. Mrs. Vanessa Strassner is the new Coordinator of Special Education. We welcome these individuals to our district staff and look forward to working with them. In response to last year’s tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, two school safety and security improvements have been enacted. When students and staff returned to school, they walked into the buildings through upgraded security enhanced entrances. In addition, the Raptor visitor identification system was installed at all schools. These improvements are part of the district’s
initiative to continually ensure student and staff safety. As I enter my eighth year as the Superintendent of Schools for the Brentwood Borough School District, I continue to consider it both an honor and a privilege to hold the position. I look forward working with everyone to continually improve our school district while addressing our mission to educate and prepare our young people to meet the challenges and demands that will be placed upon them in a constantly changing world. Ronald W. Dufalla, Ph. D. Superintendent of Schools
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Brentwood Borough
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 23
Board Approves Operating Budget for 2013-2014
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
Under Act 1, the school district is required to adopt a final operating budget for the school year by June 30th. The Board of School Directors officially adopted its final budget for 2013-2014 on June 17, 2013 at its General Purpose Meeting. The $20,855,291 budget is a 7.2% increase over the operating budget from the previous school year. Creating a budget for the school district is always a challenge. For example, there was an 8.9% increase in employee health insurance costs and a 4.3% increase in the employer contribution rate to the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System. This, in addition to a minimal increase of $13,650 in state subsidy, made the challenge in developing the 2013-2014 budget just as great as it was in the previous two years. To meet that challenge, extensive reductions to original budget requests were made. Several building improvement projects were placed on hold for another year. The Board of School Directors reviewed numerous aspects of academic and extracurricular programs offered in the school district and made adjustments where possible being extremely careful not to cut programs that directly benefited the students.
Where the Money Comes From
A breakdown of revenues (Where the Money Comes From) and expenditures (Where the Money Goes) by category is shown in the accompanying pie charts. As you can see, the majority of revenues primarily come from real estate taxes and state funding. Revenue from local real estate taxes remains in our schools to educate the children who reside in the school district. The “Other Taxes” category also includes approximately $1.8 million from the fund balance that was used to offset the difference between expenditures and revenues. On the expenditure side, the majority of the operating budget is designated for salaries and benefits. These expenditures account for 69% of the budget. This is true for most school districts. Services are comprised of three types: educational, professional, and property. They account for 18% of the school district’s expense budget. Due to the countywide reassessment of properties, it was necessary to adjust the real estate tax rate. Real estate taxes were set at 24.8044 mills for every dollar of the assessed valuation. The earned income tax and real estate services tax remain at ½%. The local services tax remains at $5. The proposed final operating budget was on public display at all district schools and the Brentwood Library from May 14, 2013 until its final adoption on June 17th.
Where the Money Goes
24 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
The meeting schedule of the Brentwood Board of School Directors for the remainder of the 2013 calendar year is as follows:
Agenda Planning Meetings General Purpose Meetings
Committee Meetings
September 9
September 16
September 30
October 14
October 21
October 28
November 11
November 18
December 3 (Organization Meeting)
December 9 (Combined Agenda/ General Purpose)
All Agenda Planning, General Purpose, and Committee Meetings are held in the Board Room in the Administration Offices of the Brentwood Borough School District, 3601 Brownsville Road. The public is always invited to attend. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. A Joint School Board/Borough Council Meeting is scheduled for October 29 at 7 p.m. in the Brentwood Borough Council Chambers.
New Visitor Procedures Instituted In order to ensure the safety and security of students and staff and the orderly operation of Brentwood Borough School District educational programs, parents/guardians and other individuals planning to visit the schools during the school day will be required to follow new registration and check-in/check-out procedures.
state issued photo identification prior to entering the school. This is not required for volunteers that have a school district issued ID badge. The secretary will scan the ID through the Raptor visitor system and the system will produce a visitor pass with the visitor’s picture, name, and date/ time the visitor came into the school.
If you plan to visit a classroom or another area of a school building during the school day, you should contact the school office and schedule an appointment prior to the date of the visit. Absent an emergency, requests to meet with a classroom teacher or other staff members should be made in advance in order to allow the administration sufficient time to make arrangements for substitute coverage if necessary.
Visitors will be expected to wear the visitor pass in a visible place. All visitors must have a pass before proceeding to any other part of the building. Visitors must remain in approved areas only, and at all times act in a manner appropriate to the safe functioning of the school environment. Any individual who engages in uncooperative or disruptive behavior will be required to leave the premises. Upon conclusion of the visit, the visitor must return to the building office, sign out, and return the visitor pass. Once the visitor has checked out, he/she must leave the school building.
Upon arrival at the school building, visitors will be expected to do the following: 1. Have photo identification 2. Press buzzer 3. Show photo identification into camera 4. State reason for visit 5. Report to the main office window For parents/guardians who are dropping off items for a student, this can be done at the window without going into the school office. As part of the registration process at the office window, visitors will be asked to provide their driver’s license or other
These procedures applicable to all Brentwood Borough School District buildings are implemented pursuant to School Board Policy 907 which is available for review on the school district website. The school district reserves the right to deny any individual entry to any school building when there is reason to believe that such an individual’s presence would be detrimental to the operation of the school and the learning environment. Policy does not permit children (students from other schools, friends, relatives) to visit a classroom for the day. Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 25
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Are you unable to attend a meeting of your school board due to a schedule conflict, but would like to review actions taken at those meetings that are often not covered in newspaper articles? If this is a question that applies to you, the answer is only several clicks away on the web. By going to the school district website at http://brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us, clicking on School Board and then Board Notes, you can view actions taken by the Board of School Directors at their most recent meeting or previous ones. School district policies are also available on the web. By going to the school district website noted above, clicking on School Board and then Board Policies, you will find the entire Brentwood Borough School District Policy Manual. Periodically, it is necessary to make revisions to various policies. Once the Board of School Directors officially adopts revisions, policies on the web will be updated to reflect those changes.
2013 Brentwood School Board Meeting Schedule
Brentwood Borough
Board Notes and School District Policies on the Web
“Golden Ager” Card Available
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
Once again as in previous years, the “Golden Ager” card will be available to Brentwood residents 65 years of age or older. The card provides free admission to all events sponsored by the Brentwood Borough School District. The “Golden Ager” card is available at the District Administration Offices in the lower level of the middle/high school during regular office hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Attention BHS Graduates from the
Classes of 1966 through 1970
If you are a Brentwood High School graduate from the Classes of 1966 through 1970 and would attend a combined class reunion if held, please contact Jim Bohn, Class of ’68, at bog3yman@aol.com or 412.916.9557. The level of interest will determine if further plans are made for this combined class reunion.
Emergency Delays or Cancellations In the event of a change in the school calendar due to inclement weather or emergency situations, necessary information for parents and students will be provided on the following television and radio stations: TV STATIONS KDKA (Channel 2) WTAE (Channel 4) WPXI (Channel 11)
RADIO STATIONS KDKA (1020 AM) FROGGY (98.3 FM) KQV (1410 AM)
In addition, the AlertNow notification system will continue to be used to contact homes in the event of school delays or school closures. AlertNow is a Web-based rapid notification and communication service that allows the school district to contact hundreds of parents within minutes and has the capability to deliver both voice and e-mail messages. In order for AlertNow to work efficiently, updated contact information is a must and should be submitted to your child’s school office. Every effort will be made for all schools to remain open as originally scheduled on the school calendar. In order to reduce the number of days the schools may be closed due to inclement weather or emergency situations, delayed starting times will be used when conditions allow. On days when delayed starting times are used, all schools will begin at 10 a.m. unless otherwise noted in television, radio, or AlertNow announcements.
26 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Chris Weaver, a science teacher at Brentwood High School, was honored by the Shaler Area Education Association. He received their Friend of Education Award for his support of public education and his assistance in their schools. Chris and his wife Carey reside in Shaler with their four children. Congratulations Chris! Chris Weaver and his wife Carey
BEA members with Julia McCarthy
BEA members Kerry Huffman and Nancy Kaminski present Julia McCarthy with the Friend of Education Award
B rentwood E ducation A ssociation H onors J ulia M c C arthy The Pennsylvania State Education Association sponsors an annual Friends of Education Recognition Dinner. This banquet is held each spring to recognize community members who serve as public education partners and advocates. The Brentwood Education Association has proudly participated in this event for the past several years. On May 2, 2013, the BEA happily recognized Julia McCarthy as their Friend of Education for her dedication and commitment to the students and staff of the Brentwood Borough School District and residents of the Brentwood community. Not only has Mrs. McCarthy served
Brentwood Borough
B H S T eacher R eceives F riend of E ducation Award
on our school board for 16 years, she has also volunteered countless hours by serving on several school and community committees such as the Brentwood High School Hall of Fame Board of Trustees and the Brentwood Park Initiative. When her own children were students in the district, she helped with Moore PTA and the Brentwood Band Parent Association. Mrs. McCarthy has been a supporter of the Brentwood Public Library for many years and has worked at the library for the past 6 years. The teachers thank Mrs. McCarthy for all her hard work and her continued support to our community. Congratulations Julia! Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 27
Brentwood Education Association Participates in Relay for Life Event
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
The Brentwood Education Association (BEA) participated in a Relay for Life event in June. For the second year in a row, during the weekend of June 21-22, 2013, several BEA members took part in the Relay held at Baldwin High School. The event was a huge success, raising more than $74,000 for the American Cancer Society! The BEA team came in fifth place, working together to raise $4,664.22! Twenty-five members participated in the event, with many of them also bringing their friends and families along to walk. These participants fundraised by asking friends and family members for donations. In addition, many other teachers, administrators, staff members and students helped by taking part in various raffles and snack/drink sales, buying paper cupcakes to display and giving donations. The Brentwood Education Association would like to thank everyone who helped with this cause. They could not have been this successful without everyone’s help. Thank you!!
Title I Summer Program 2013
28 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
The Title I Summer Program at Brentwood has been providing Elroy and Moore students with extra support in math and reading for the last five years. Typically, the program was offered to students in grades Kindergarten through fourth, but this year, a pre-K class was added to the program. This pre-K class helped incoming Kindergarten students to become acclimated to classroom routines, procedures, and expectations. The Title I Summer Program, coordinated by Robert Monaghan, is staffed by teachers throughout the district to provide small-group support and to bridge the summer learning gap. This summer, in addition to traditional teaching methods, teachers used a variety of technology to support students such as iPads, Promethean boards, and computers. All of the students were engaged and actively involved in enhancing their knowledge in math and reading. The Title I Summer Program provided a fun, active environment for summer learning.
School Survival Guide: Cafeteria 101
The Importance of Free and Reduced Price School Meals Families that have children attending any school in the Brentwood Borough School District can apply, if eligible, for free and reduced price school meals through the National School Lunch Program. Those participating in the free and reduced price school meal program receive healthy nutritious meals from the school cafeteria. Possibly, these could be the only meals that some students receive during the day. Research shows that students concentrate and perform better in school when consuming nutritious school meals. Did you know that in addition to providing wellbalanced nutritional meals to students that qualify, the number of students receiving these meals impacts those
that do not qualify? The number of students eligible for free and reduced price meals is used to determine various types of federal and state categorical aid that a school district may receive. The number of students receiving these meals is also used to determine a school district’s E-rate. Districts receive discounts on technology, advanced communications services, and library purchases based on E-rate. In addition, charitable foundations that provide funds to improve schools often base their awards on need as determined by the number of students receiving free and reduced price meals. The free and reduced price school meals program benefits all students, those in financial need as well as those that are not.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 29
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
oing through the lunch line for middle and high school students at the beginning of the school year can be both confusing and frustrating. Here are some helpful tips to make lunchtime more enjoyable. Type A meals are offered for $2.30 and are listed on the menu daily. These are referred to as reimbursable meals. Reimbursable meals, subsidized with funds from the state and federal governments, are complete meals that meet the guidelines established by the USDA. These funds help defer the costs associated with providing the meal. Type A meals consist of up to five components: meat/meat alternate, grain, fruit, vegetable and a milk. Three of the five components MUST be taken for the meal to qualify as a Type A meal. One of the items taken MUST be a fruit or vegetable. This is very important for students who are on the free or reduced meal program. Entrees are typically considered as the meat/grain component, such as a chicken sandwich (meat is the chicken patty; grain is the bun), pizza (meat alternate is the cheese; grain is the pizza dough), etc. Fruits and vegetables are separate components. There is no substitute for a carton of milk, but any flavor offered will fill the requirement. At the elementary school level, the students will be served all five components of the Type A meal. It is hoped that the students will try any new fruit or vegetable offered to them. Elementary meals are priced at $2.05. Breakfast price for all grade levels is $1.35. Milk is available for $.50. Families that have children attending any school in the Brentwood Borough School District can apply for free and reduced price school meals through the National School Lunch program. A copy of the Free/Reduced Application will be sent home with all students on the first day of school, or one can be found on the school district website for your use. Keep in mind that applications must be submitted, processed, and approved before children may take advantage of the program. Parents should also refer to School District Policy 808.2 regarding Charging of Cafeteria Meals for updates on how outstanding cafeteria account balances are handled with their students. This policy is available on the school district website. Please feel free to contact Judy Bourne, Food Service Director, with any questions or concerns that you may have. Mrs. Bourne may be reached at 412.881.4940, Extension 2500 or at bournej@brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us.
Brentwood Borough
G
Dedicated Volunteers
REDD-UP Elroy Playground
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
For the last three years, Amy Smith, a first grade teacher at Elroy Elementary School, has led a team of dedicated volunteers to beautify the Elroy playground. The first year new benches were added and the playground was given a fresh coat of paint. Last year the students painted a new mural on the playground walls. This year Mrs. Smith’s efforts paid off again. She was awarded a $750 maintenance grant from KABOOM! and the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group. With this money, dedicated PTA parents, students, and staff were able to purchase new mulch for the playground and put the true meaning of E.L.R.O.Y. (Everyone, Listening, Respect & Responsibility, Offering Help, You Can Make A Difference!) into practice.
Healthy Allegheny Teen Survey
(HATS)
The Healthy Allegheny Teen Survey or HATS is a county-wide effort that is focused on improving the health of youth in our communities. The effort will begin this fall with the launch of a phone survey with young people ages 14 to 19 about their health and well-being. The Allegheny County Health Department, the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health are conducting HATS. The completely voluntary survey will begin in September 2013. No names are attached to the responses. HATS will be conducted by phone. Interviewers will be calling households throughout Allegheny County. Parents will be asked for permission to speak to their teenage child. Before the survey is done with the teen, the parent will be asked a few questions about their health, work and education. Then the teen will be asked if they would like to participate in the survey. The survey takes about twenty minutes. The teen will receive a $20 gift certificate to thank them for their time. While the Brentwood Borough School District is not conducting the survey, the survey will provide information that will enable the school district to focus its resources, guide planning for future programs, and assist in building a healthier school community. When you receive a call from the health department about HATS, please consider participation in the survey. If you have any questions about the survey, do not hesitate to contact the lead researcher for HATS, Dr. Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, the Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She will be more than happy to answer any questions and can be reached at 412.692.8504 or at elizabeth.miller@chp.edu. 30 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Brentwood Middle School to participate in
“Wise Rides” Study
Beginning in September 2013, Brentwood Middle School students will be participating in a nationwide study to evaluate a schoolwide approach to bicycle/skateboard/scooter safety. Each participating middle school will receive up to $3,000 and this will be used to help fund the annual Camp Kon-O-Kwee program for the sixth graders at BMS. ORCAS is a research organization that creates multimedia training programs in public health and education. ORCAS received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to create a comprehensive school-wide approach to safe active transportation for middle school students. ORCAS worked with a nationally recognized expert panel to develop the Wise Rides curriculum which aims to educate middle school aged children and their families on bicycle safety. Schools will be randomly assigned intervention/control groups. All students will participate in either the Wise Rides curriculum or an alternate bicycle safety website. All groups will conduct helmet observations and administer three surveys over a period of two months and parents will be encouraged to view the materials and complete a survey. In order to participate in the study, BMS should have at least 15 students riding their bicycles, skateboards or scooters to school each day. The bicycle rack at the Brentwood Public Library will be available for those students opting to ride their bicycles. Skateboards or folding scooters may be stored in the student’s locker. If you are interested in having your child participate, please contact Nancy Kaminski at the middle/ high school, extension 2345. This is a great way to help your child get some regular exercise while helping the school fund a valuable program.
For more than thirty years, Brentwood students have been attending the Camp Kon-O-Kwee program in the spring of their sixth grade year. The program was initially started by then school nurse Nell Beiber as a way to bring the students from the two elementary schools together to get to know one another and to provide environmental education in a unique setting. The program also stimulates and improves cooperation among students, teachers, community, and the environment. The program continued for many years under the direction of Ed Manfredi, 6th grade social studies teacher, until his retirement two years ago. Since then, 6th grade science teacher Mike Cramer and middle/high school nurse Nancy Kaminski have assumed the responsibility of co-directing the program. The sixth grade team and other middle school faculty members accompany the group and supervise all activities. Ten senior students are also chosen to serve as counselors for the threeday camp. These seniors must complete an application and an interview process and are expected to help supervise activities and assist the 6th graders as needed. Camp Kon-O-Kwee/Spencer is a YMCA camp located north of Pittsburgh near Zelienople. Students arrive at camp on
Mr. Joyce instructs students before they begin their canoeing experience
Mr. Cramer gives instructions to 6th graders and their 12th grade counselors;
Wednesday morning and stay until Friday afternoon. The camp provides many outdoor activities including fishing, archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, obstacle course, a climbing wall, ropes course, and hiking and exploring the camp area. Students also participate in a program offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and have the opportunity to learn about snakes from a local herpetologist. They are kept very busy for three days, and lights out is a welcome relief for all! Students and counselors sleep on cots in heated cabins, and meals are prepared by the YMCA camp staff. Any and all special dietary needs are considered. Mrs. Kaminski administers all medications and addresses any illnesses or injuries that might occur during camp. The cost of attendance for each student is approximately $135. Students are encouraged to participate in two hoagie sale fundraisers to pay for their camp experience. Parents can also make payments throughout the school year. Although camp is not mandatory, all sixth graders are encouraged to attend. Mr. Cramer and Mrs. Kaminski will work with families when there are financial or other special concerns. This year’s sixth graders will attend camp on May 7, 8, and 9, 2014.
Students canoeing on Conoquenessing Creek
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 31
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Brentwood Sixth Graders Enjoy Camp Kon-O-Kwee
Everyone’s favorite time – food is great and lots of it
Brentwood Borough
Helmets and safety harnesses are a must!
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
e t u t i t s b Su ed d e e N l e Personn
on substitute e desire to th ry, s a ta e h t cr a se th , stodian dividual cu in , n e a rs u u o n y r, Are stitutes teache orker? Sub w l basis as a a a n ri o te si a fe cc an o ty, or ca onnel that nal, securi place pers io re ss to fe d ro e p d para If you are ys nee as are alwa t meetings. a re a ce n se a e d n th in bstitute list or atte for illness ol district su t o n h sc se b e rown in a th re n a ment o ct Nancy B ta ce n la p co in se a d le intereste es noted, p .2227. e categori at 412.881 ce ffi O n in any of th o ati t Administr the Distric
USA Today High School Sports All schedules for middle school and high school athletics and activities can be found at www.usatodayhss.com. This website is used by high schools throughout the area to keep the community up to date on school events. Those visiting the website will have “live” information about Brentwood athletics and activities including team and season schedules; daily, weekly, and monthly events; student transportation; event locations; scores; opponent information; and schedule changes.
Admission Fees Set for Athletic Events The admission fees charged for various athletic events sponsored by the Brentwood Borough School District are as follows: • Football-Adult $5, Senior Citizen $4, Student $3 • Basketball-Adult $5, Senior Citizen $4, Student $3 • Volleyball-Adult $3, Senior Citizen and Student $2 • Swimming-Adult $3, Senior Citizen and Student $2 In addition, active military personnel will be admitted free of charge with military ID. For any athletic events not noted above, admission is free.
32 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
NCLB Notification Addressing Professional Qualifications Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), parents have a right to request professional qualifications of their children’s teachers or paraprofessionals. Parents have the right to ask for the following information: whether Pennsylvania has licensed the teacher for the grades and subjects he or she teaches; whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which Pennsylvania licensing criteria have been waived; the teacher’s baccalaureate degree major and whether the teacher has any advance degrees, and if so, the subject of the degrees; and, whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. Please contact your building principal if this information is desired.
PPRA Notification The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) requires school districts to notify parents requesting consent for their children’s participation in certain school activities. Considered “protected information surveys,” these activities include student surveys, analyses, or evaluations that concern any of the following areas: • Political affiliations or beliefs of the student or student’s parent • Mental or psychological problems of the student or student’s family • Sexual behavior or attitudes • Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior • Critical appraisals of others with whom respondents have close family relationships • Legally recognized privileged relationships, such as with lawyers, doctors, or ministers • Religious practices, affiliations, or beliefs of the student or parents • Income, other than as required to determine program eligibility This requirement also applies to the collection, disclosure or use of student information for marketing purposes and certain physical exams and screenings. If there is ever a need for a “protected information survey,” parents will be notified in advance by the building principal. Parental consent will be requested prior to the administration of these surveys.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 33
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Federal public law 107-110, section 9528 of the ESEA, “No Child Left Behind Act,” requires school districts to release student names, addresses, and telephone numbers to military recruiters upon their request. The law also requires school districts to notify students and parents of their right to opt-out of having this information released. If you would like to exercise your right to opt-out, please submit this in writing to your child’s building principal.
Brentwood Borough
Student Information Release Opt-Out
SP ECI A L SE RV I CE S -A N N UA L SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN Determining Eligibility: Your child may be eligible for special education if your child:
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
Brentwood Borough School District
> >
Has a physical, sensory, mental, or emotional disability, and Needs special education as determined by an evaluation team.
Indications of Physical, Sensory, Mental, or Emotional Disability: Some indications that your child may be a child with a disability in order to meet the first part of the two-part definition are: > Difficulty performing tasks that require reading, writing, or mathematics, > An emotional disturbance over a long period of time which affects your child’s ability to learn, > Consistent problems in getting along with others, > Difficulty communicating, > Lack of interest or ability in age-appropriate activities, > Resistance to change, > Difficulty seeing or hearing that interferes with the ability to communicate, > Health problems that affect educational performance, including attention problems. Your child may need specially designed instruction that isn’t normally needed by other children in the general education classroom to make progress in school. This need for special education is the second part of the two-part decision to qualify a child for special education services. Screening: The Brentwood Borough School District has a screening process within each student’s home school that identifies students who may need special education. This process includes: screening preschool and early intervention students in the spring and summer prior to their entering kindergarten; screening students for speech and language services in Kindergarten and by referrals throughout the school year; routine health screenings, including height, weight and vision, for all students Kindergarten through 12th grade, hearing (K-3, 7, 11), physical exams (K, 6, 11), scoliosis screening (6, 7), and dental screenings (1, 3, 7); monitoring student progress on reading and math performance assessments (K-11) at selected intervals throughout the year; multidisciplinary team referrals; screening student records (discipline reports, progress reports, standardized test scores); screening referrals to the Student Assistance Program and; and screening student enrollment records throughout the school year.
34 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
For students with academic or behavior concerns, an intervention is developed based on the results of the screening. The student’s response to the intervention is looked at closely and if screening activities have produced little or no improvement within 60 school days, the student will be formally referred for an evaluation for special education. Parents may request that the evaluation take place without going through these screening activities. The Evaluation: The evaluation process collects the information that will be used to determine if the student needs special education and, if so, the types of programs and services needed. The evaluation shall include information provided by the parents; review of school records (attendance, report cards, standardized test scores); information provided by the classroom teacher and school nurse; screening by speech and language therapist; observation of the student’s behavior in the classroom; curriculum based assessments; evaluation by a school psychologist; and input from an occupational or physical therapist, if therapy may be needed. The student may be referred for the evaluation in several ways: > The parent may ask the school to evaluate the student for special education at any time. This can be done by sending a letter to the student’s school principal. The Permission to Evaluate will then be issued. > The school may contact the parent and request permission to have the student evaluated. The parent must consent in writing to the student’s evaluation. School officials cannot proceed without the parent’s written permission on the Permission to Evaluate form. If permission is not received and the school continues to find that an evaluation is necessary, they may ask for a due process hearing and get approval from an impartial hearing officer to evaluate the student. All evaluations needed to determine the student’s eligibility for special education will be provided by the student’s school district at no charge. Results of the evaluations will be made available to the parents for their review. The parents may also get evaluation reports from professionals outside the school district and send them to the student’s school. The results of these outside evaluations will be considered in determining if the student has a disability and needs special education. Evaluations must take into account the student’s language skills and ethnic background so that the testing and evaluation will not be unfair for the student of a different race or culture. Tests are given in the language or form that is most likely to give
must provide written input before the meeting. If the parents choose to not attend the IEP meeting, it may be held without them.
If the student is eligible, a reevaluation is conducted at least every three years unless the student is intellectually disabled, in which case reevaluations are conducted at least every two years.
IEP Timelines: The IEP will be completed within 30 calendar days after the evaluation team issues the Evaluation Report. The IEP plan will be implemented as soon as possible, but no later than 10 school days after the IEP is completed. The student’s program is reviewed every year at an IEP meeting or more often if requested by the parent or any other IEP team member.
The Evaluation Report (ER): The Evaluation Report will include information about the student’s skills, social behavior, learning problems, learning strengths, and educational needs. All evaluations and reevaluations include a review of the testing and assessments that were conducted, information from the parents, classroom observations, and the observations of teachers and related service personnel. The evaluation or reevaluation will also tell you what additions or changes are needed to help the student take part in and progress in the general curriculum. The Evaluation Report will indicate if the student has one or more disabilities and if the student needs special education. It may recommend the type of programs and services the student needs. The ER may state that the student is not eligible and does not need special education services. The parents will receive a written notice of this determination and have the right to dispute it at a hearing. The entire evaluation process will be completed within 60 calendar days, excluding summer vacation, from the date the district receives the parent’s written permission on the Permission to Evaluate form. A copy of the ER will be given to the parents. If the parent does not agree with the ER, they may submit a dissenting opinion, which will become part of the final ER. The Individualized Education Program (IEP): If the student is eligible for special education, a team meeting with parent involvement is scheduled for the student. The IEP will be written at the meeting and will include a description of all the programs and services necessary to help the student be successful. The IEP team uses information that is contained in the ER to write the IEP. Required members of the IEP team are: The child’s parent(s); at least one of the child’s general education teachers (if the child is, or might become, part of general education classes); at least one special education teacher; the school district administrator/local education agency representative; someone who can interpret the evaluation results, who may already be a member of the team; a representative from a vocational-technical school if a vocational-technical program is being considered for the child and; at parent request or that of the school district, other people who know the child well or who have worked with the child. The parent may bring an advocate to advise them or anyone else who will be able to add information about the child’s educational experience. One person may fill more than one of the above roles. Mandated members of the IEP team may be excused from the meeting if the parent and the school district agree in writing. If a member is excused and his/her area of expertise is being discussed, he/she
Educational Setting: The IEP team will consider different classes or schools to determine where the program can be delivered. The first consideration will be the general education classroom in the student’s neighborhood school. The law requires that students with disabilities be placed in situations that will provide as many opportunities as appropriate to be with students who are not disabled. This is called placing the student in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The LRE is the general education classroom in the neighborhood school unless the IEP team determines that the special needs of the student cannot be met there even with supplemental aids and services. The Appropriate Class: The classroom chosen for the student will depend upon the amount and kind of special instruction or services the student needs. A special education teacher may be able to provide instruction in the general classroom (Inclusion). For some students, placement in a special education Itinerant, Supplemental or Full-time classroom for some of the day is necessary. Students who receive most of their instruction in basic academic subjects in special education classes will still have opportunities to participate in other activities in school with general education students. These opportunities might include participation in elective subjects such as art or music, belonging to a general homeroom, socializing in the lunchroom, and attending assemblies and other enrichment programs with general education students. The IEP team decides what type of support class is appropriate for the student with special needs. These classes are formed around the learning needs of students who are assigned to them: Learning support class – for children whose greatest need is for help in academic areas such as reading and math; Emotional support class – for children whose greatest need is for social, emotional, and behavioral help; Life Skills support class – for children whose greatest need is to learn skills that will allow them to live and work independent of their families; Sensory support skills class – for children who require help in dealing with disabilities resulting from limited vision or hearing; Speech and language support class – for children who have difficulty speaking and communicating; Physical support class – for children who need programs that consider their physical disabilities; Autistic support class – for children with autism; Multiple disabilities support class – for children with more than one disability, the combination of which results in needs requiring many services and much support. Notice of Recommended Educational Placement (NOREP): Upon completion of the IEP, the parent will receive a NOREP. The NOREP will indicate the educational placement for the student
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 35
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
accurate information, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so. Evaluations also take into account the student’s disability to be sure the results are reliable.
Brentwood Borough
PA R E N T I N F O R M AT I O N N O T I C E
and requires parent approval in writing before the school district will begin implementation.
Brentwood Borough School District
Basic Rights for Parents: Parents have a right to be notified of the safeguards that serve to protect the rights of their child who is a child with a disability or thought to be a child with a disability. These are called procedural safeguards. The school has the duty to inform parents of these procedural safeguards: > Upon initial referral or parental request for an evaluation; > With notice of a disciplinary change in placement; > Upon the first occurrence of filing for a due process hearing.
BREHNT SC OOWOO L DI ST D RIC BORTOU News GH News
rentwood Borough
In addition, the law requires parents to be informed: > When the school proposes to change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, and the provision of a free appropriate public education or refuses a parent request to change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education; > Of the student’s progress toward annual IEP goals on a periodic basis, such as quarterly; > Of the procedures to maintain the privacy of the student’s education records. Only those who need to work with the student will see the student’s record. For additional information contact Vanessa Strassner, Coordinator of Special Education, telephone 412.881.4940, extension 2216, or e-mail vstrassner@brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us.
THE GIFTED STUDENT Determining Gifted Eligibility: Mentally gifted is defined as “outstanding intellectual and creative ability, the development of which requires specially designed programs or support services, or both, not ordinarily provided in the regular education program.” A child may be eligible for gifted education if he/she: > > > >
36 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Is a year or more above grade achievement level for the normal age group in one or more subjects. Demonstrates an observed or measured rate of mastering new academic content or skills that reflect gifted ability. Demonstrates achievement, performance, or expertise in one or more academic areas. Shows early and measured use of high-level thinking skills, academic creativity, leadership skills, intense academic interest areas,
>
communication skills, foreign language aptitude, or technology expertise. Has documented, observed, validated, or assessed evidence that intervening factors are masking gifted ability.
Screening and Evaluation: The term mentally gifted includes a person who has an IQ of 130 or higher and other factors that indicate gifted ability. Gifted ability cannot be based on IQ score alone. If the IQ score is lower than 130, a child may be admitted to gifted programs when other conditions strongly indicate gifted ability. The other factors to be considered include: achievement test scores that are a year or more above level; observed or measured acquisition/retention rates that reflect gifted ability; achievement, performance, or expertise in one or more academic areas that demonstrates a high level of accomplishment; higher level thinking skills and; documented evidence that intervening factors are masking gifted ability. The Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation (GMDE): A Gifted Multidisciplinary Evaluation is a process to gather the information that will be used to find out if a child qualifies for gifted education and, if so, the types of programs and services needed. Part of this process includes an evaluation by a certified school psychologist. A child may be referred for the first GMDE in several ways: > Parents may request the school to give their child a GMDE at any time, but there is a limit of one request per term. The parent may ask for this evaluation by sending a letter to the school principal. > A child’s teacher may also ask to have a child evaluated. The Gifted Written Report (GWR): A multidisciplinary team reviews all materials and prepares a GWR that recommends whether a child is gifted and needs specially designed instruction. As a member of the GMDT, a parent may present written information for consideration. The GWR must include the reasons for the recommendations and list the names and positions of everyone who was part of the team. The entire GMDT process must be completed within 60 calendar days, excluding summer vacation, from the date the school district receives the parent’s written permission on the Permission to Evaluate form. The Gifted Individualized Education Program (GIEP): If the GIEP team decides the student is gifted and in need of gifted education, the team writes the GIEP at the meeting. The GIEP is based on the unique needs of the gifted student and enables the gifted student to participate in acceleration or enrichment programs, or both, as appropriate, and to receive
Parent Rights: At all times, a parent has certain rights with all gifted education services received by their child: > > >
The right to be notified about a child’s program and progress and any changes that take place; The right to approve or reject programs and testing; and The right to privacy.
For additional information, contact Vanessa Strassner, Coordinator of Special Education, telephone 412.881.4940, ext. 2216, or e-mail at vstrassner@brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us.
PROTECTED HANDICAPPED STUDENTS Students who have disabilities, which substantially limit their participation in, or access to school programs, but who do not need special education, may qualify for reasonable accommodations in the general education classroom under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These services will be provided by the Brentwood Borough School District without cost to the student or family. The required accommodations are those, which are needed to afford the student equal opportunity to participate in and attain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities without discrimination. The rules (Chapter 15) are different from those for students needing special education who qualify by meeting the two-part criteria listed above. In compliance with state and federal law, the Brentwood Borough School District provides to each protected handicapped student without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student’s abilities. In order to qualify as a protected handicapped student the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability, which substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program. These services and protections for “protected handicapped students” are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled in special education programs. For further information on the evaluation procedures and provisions of services to protected handicapped students, contact your child’s school principal.
SERVICES FOR PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN The Early Intervention System Act (Act 212) entitles all preschool age children with disabilities to appropriate early intervention services. Children experiencing developmental delay in the areas
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is responsible for providing services to infants and toddlers, defined as children from birth through two years of age. For additional information contact Alliance for Infants and Toddlers, 2801 Custer Avenue, Second Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15227 (telephone 412.885.6000). The Pennsylvania Department of Education is responsible for providing services to preschool age children from age three to school age. For additional information contact the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Dart Program, 475 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, Pennsylvania 15120 (telephone 412.394.5736).
CONFIDENTIALITY OF STUDENT RECORDS The law guarantees that the student's school records are kept confidential. Only those who have an educational interest in the student will be permitted to see the student records. Someone has an educational interest if that person teaches the student or otherwise is responsible for some aspect of the student’s education. The district maintains a record of individuals who access a student’s educational records. Records cannot be given to anyone outside the school system without parent permission unless there is a legal reason for doing so. The privacy rights of parents and students are mandated by federal legislation known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA – 20 U.S.C. 1232g, 34 C.F.R. Part 99), state regulations (Chapter 14 – Special Education Services and Programs, Chapter 12 – Student Rights and Responsibilities), and district policy. The different categories of information maintained by the school district are as follows: educational and health records, personally identifiable information, and directory information. With the exception of school officials, receiving school districts, Federal, state or local officials or authorities to whom information is specifically required to be reported or disclosed pursuant to Federal or state statute of regulations, educational and health records and personally identifiable information cannot be disclosed or released without parental consent or adult student (a student who is 18 or older, married, or attending an institution of post-secondary education) consent. Directory information means information, which would be considered not harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. This information includes the following: student’s name, address, e-mail address, photograph, date and place of birth, courses taken, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, and the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student. Complaints asserting FERPA violations are filed with and reviewed and investigated by the U.S. Department of Education, Family Policy Compliance Office, Washington, DC 20202-4605. For additional information contact Vanessa Strassner, Coordinator of Special Education, telephone 412.881.940, extension 2216 or e-mail vstrassner@brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 37
B REHOOL N T WOOD BOR GH N ews SC DI STRI C TOU N ews
Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA): Upon completion of the GIEP, the parent will receive a NORA and a Notice of Parental Rights for Gifted Children. The NORA will indicate the educational placement for the student and requires parent approval before the school district will begin implementation. The Notice of Parental Rights for Gifted Children describes your rights and the procedures that safeguard your rights.
of cognitive, communicative, physical, social/emotional and self-help development may be eligible for intervention services. If you have questions regarding difficulties your child may be experiencing please contact one of the following agencies.
Brentwood Borough
services according to the student’s intellectual and academic abilities and needs.
Briefly Brentwood
Borough News
A MESSAGE FROM THE DESK OF
MAYOR KEN LOCKHART
I
t is that time of year again when autumn quickly approaches. The long hot summer days begin to fade. The days begin to get a little shorter and the nights a little longer. However along with the fall comes football (high school, college, and Steelers!) as well as fall festivals, craft shows, and events that are more enjoyable with the cooler weather. Brentwood Borough has a few events as well and I would like to take this time to focus on a few of them.
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
Please try to attend the Borough’s Oktoberfest activities on Thursday, October 3, from 5 – 8 p.m. This will take place in the Sankey Avenue Business District and will provide you and your entire family with music and dancing. Of course there will be food!! I am sure there is more information in this edition of the IN Community Magazine. This event is being sponsored by the Brentwood Business Owners Association and the Brownsville Road/Sankey Avenue Business District. Before you know it the snow will be falling, lights will be twinkling, and that fat guy in a red suit will be coming to Brentwood (no, I do not have a red suit!) This year the Borough will be trying something different and hosting Light-Up Night on Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 4 - 8 p.m. along Brownsville Road. Help us welcome Santa Claus with a parade and the lighting of the Borough’s Christmas tree. This event also is being sponsored by the BBOA and the Borough of Brentwood and is sure to be a great event for the entire family. One of Brentwood’s strengths is the people and the sense of community one feels when they are all gathered together at a Borough event or simply enjoying an autumn/fall day by walking along Brownsville Road. I hope you are able to make it to one of these events or any other community event that will be occurring in the future. Once again Sue and I want to wish all of the blessings of the Holiday and our best wishes for a healthy and successful New Year.
Mayor Ken Lockhart
38 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
SAVE THE DATES: Oct. 3
Oktoberfest, 5–8 p.m.
Oct. 12 EMS Craft Show
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Oct. 26 Redd-Up-Day
10 a.m. –2 p.m.
Oct. 31 Halloween, 6–8 p.m. Nov. 5
Election Day
7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Dec. 7 Light-up Night
4–8 p.m.
Borough Offices Closed on the following dates: Nov. 11
Veterans Day
Nov. 28 & 29
Thanksgiving Day
& day after
Dec. 25
Christmas Day
Jan. 1, 2014
New Year’s Day
Brentwood Food Pantry: Thank you for your generous support during the 4th of July Parade. Your donations are deeply appreciated as we continue to serve the Brentwood area. As you know, the Brentwood Food Pantry is located at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church and distributes canned and boxed foods, paper products, and other non-perishable products (including cleaning items) to over 100 families in the Brentwood area. Please continue to donate maybe a few of the items in your pantry or make a monetary donation to keep this outstanding program available to our residents year round. It is through your generosity and the many volunteers that devote their time to this successful program. The Brentwood Food Pantry is very appreciative of the volunteers and donations it receives; thank you and keep donating. Hunger is an everyday occurrence! Meals on Wheels: This program is comprised of volunteers willing to give their time to make sure the meals are delivered to the Borough residents that are elderly or unable to care for themselves due to ill health. Volunteers are always welcome. Please come and join the force to support our elderly so they can enjoy your smile and small talk. Your volunteer time and consideration of others is appreciated. Thank you for caring.
Congratulations to Robert H. and Robert S. winners of the 50/50 and Pirates basket, respectively. Thank you for supporting the 4th of July festivities! Safety Changes: On the recommendation of the Safety Committee and for the safety of the employees, safety glass was installed for security in the lobby of the Borough Administration Office, main lobby and the double doors that enter the second floor; the electronic doors are operated by designated security numbers to enter those areas.
No Solicitation: Stickers are available at the Administration Office. Complete the application form on the Borough website www.brentwoodboro.com and submit to the Borough to obtain the sticker to place on your window or door. This will eliminate the door-to-door solicitation at your house.
IMPOR TANT O F NOTIF FICIAL ICATIO N: PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING CHANGE: NEW TAX COLLECTION DUE DATES BEGINNING IN 20I4!!
NEW TAX COLLECTION DUE DATES BEGINNING IN 20I4!! The Brentwood Borough Tax Forms for the year 2014 will be mailed to residents beginning March 1, 2014 and by March 1 of every year thereafter; If paid prior to April 30, 2014, then the resident shall receive a 2% discount. The Face Amount is due on June 30th, 2014 The 10% Penalty will be assessed after July 1, 2014 If you have any questions, please contact Borough Tax Collector, Fay Boland @ 412.882.5383 Ext. 1129
NOTE: The Brentwood School District and Allegheny County Tax Collection Due Dates will remain the same as in previous years. Approved by Brentwood Borough Council on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at the Borough Council Meeting!
DON’T FORGET YOUR VOTE COUNTS! JJJJJJJJ
The General Election is Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
VOTERS REGISTRATION FORMS AND ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING! Registration application deadline is Monday, October 7, 2013. All Absentee Ballot Applications must be received prior to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 and the Absentee Ballot must be received prior to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 1, 2013. Mail to: Allegheny County Elections Division, County Office Building, 542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2953. Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 39
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
Brentwood Library: Sponsor of “Sunday Steelers” on the Big Screen in the Program Room at 1 p.m. on the following dates: 9/29, 10/23, 11/10, 11/27, 11/24 and 12/8. Bring your Terrible Towel and enjoy the games with your neighbors. Reminder: On 11/10, same as the “Sunday Steelers” we will have our infamous “Annual Chili Cook Off," so make sure you enter your best recipe and be prepared to feed the hungry crowd.
Brentwood
?
Did You Know:
Borough Manager’s Message “We must love them both, those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it.” - Thomas Aquinas George Zboyovsky, PE
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
I am going to be seeking a lot of different opinions as I begin the 2014 Budget Process as well as the Strategic Planning process for next year’s Council retreat. Some of those opinions will come from borough staff and department heads and some will come from the mayor and members of council. I will distribute surveys and ask that they complete them with their ideas, goals, agendas, and “wish lists” for particular areas of the Borough. I am one who appreciates an active role in any process. Back in my engineering days, no project was ever accomplished by one person. We always had a “project team” and everyone’s ideas were welcomed. It is usually through this process that ideas are developed, molded, adjusted, and tweaked until you have the plans or goals that are the best design. The most vital component in this exercise is YOU, the RESIDENTS of the Borough! Why shouldn’t you have some say in what is planned and budgeted for your Borough? Sure, you have an opportunity to review the final budget prior to passage (10 days according to State Law), however you should be given the opportunity to send in your ideas or areas of concern. So now is your chance!! I would like to invite you to serve on the “Brentwood Borough 2014 Budget Team.” Below is a sample of what I gave to the members of council and Borough department heads. If you like, you can complete the brief survey and return it to me. You can also simply email me your thoughts or ideas regarding the Borough and areas that should be given more priority than others in any format you wish. 1. Rank the top three (3) areas that you believe should be a priority in 2014. (Mark first with a “1,” second priority with “2,” and third with “3.”) New or Renovated Municipal Building Phase III of the Park Renovations (Bleachers and Press Box) Streets and Infrastructure Improvements Recreation Programming Library Attracting Younger Families Attracting New Business Brentwood Pool Improvements Crime Prevention/Police Department Code Enforcement Improving Borough Services (make them more efficient) RT 51 Corridor Improving the Image of Brentwood to Outside Individuals Lowering Taxes Marketing of Brentwood Borough Other ( ) 2. How much per month, total, would you be willing to pay for the following services? Police protection, streets plowed in the winter, roads paved and maintained, adequate stormwater system, fire protection, park ball fields, football stadium/track, street lights, code enforcement to ensure properties are maintained in the Borough, delinquent tax collections to ensure everyone is paying their fair share, ambulance service, school crossing guards, and to have a community pool. These are only 13 generalized services that the Borough provides each year. There are many more services not listed as well as those intangible items that the Borough 40 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
provides. I would just like to know what you feel is an acceptable monthly fee to have the above amenities. (Think of what your last cable bill was or your cell phone bill was last month.)
$300/month would be fair based on all that we receive. (I know homeowner associations that charge more per month.) $200/month would be a steal based on the quality of services we receive. $100/month (Cable and internet is a lot more than this per month.) $65/month but I would not know how they would be able to do it. (My cell phone costs me more each month.) $20/month (I spend more in coffee each month.) Other ( )
Remember, this is only a survey to try and feel the pulse of the community. The “comments” by each selection is just my way to trying to put things in perspective when we think of some other “luxuries” we pay for each month. For example, what is more important, having HBO to catch the next episode of Boardwalk Empire or a good DPW Department with equipment to ensure my roads are plowed so that I can get to work in the morning or take my sick kids to the hospital? 3.
Understanding that half of the above services are provided through the Borough’s collection of property taxes each year, and the fact it has been 7 years since the last time the Borough raised property taxes, would you rather the Borough raise property taxes incrementally each year to keep up with inflation and cost of living or would you rather they wait until it is absolutely necessary and raise them 3 or 4 mils all at once? Or, would you rather the Borough begin cutting the services mentioned in item 2 above?
Raise them incrementally each year to maintain our current level of service as well as plan for current and future capital projects. Only increase taxes as a last resort even if it amounts to 3 or 4 mils to pay for current services as well as capital projects required to keep Brentwood sustainable. Cut as many of the above services as it takes to keep taxes at current levels. Other ( )
If you want to be involved in the 2014 Budget Process just complete all (or part) of the above and send me the results either by email (gzboyovsky@brentwoodboro.com) or regular mail to the Brentwood Borough Offices, 3624 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227. I just ask that you mark the email subject heading or envelope with “2014 Brentwood Budget Survey.” I will put the above on the Borough’s website as well. I will respect everyone’s opinions and plans as I am sure they are as important to you as mine are to me. Just to make sure that we are getting legitimate surveys returned, only those with a valid name and address will be considered. On behalf of my wife Michelle and I, we would like to thank everyone for their continued support and wish everyone a blessed Holiday Season!
“Temporary Inconvenience – Permanent Improvement” Or, “Please excuse the mess while we make repairs to better serve you.” Whatever way you like, there is a lot of work currently taking place in the Borough with more to come. All of these are adding to the beauty and sustainability of the Borough for many years to come.
PHASE I & II PARK REDEVELOPMENT Status Update:
Phase I Description: Construct two (2) new ballfields, construct new regulation size deck hockey rink, basketball court, and tennis court. Install new ADA parking area near pool. Install new ADA walkway from parking lot to new dek hockey area. Estimate Based Bid Construction Cost: $743,748 Actual Awarded Cost: Contractor:
$529,651 Vento Landscaping and Construction
Addition of Lighting to Court Area and one new ballfield: $325,000 Contractor: Musco Lighting Total: $854,651.00 Schedule/Status: Contractor will be mobilizing after school is let out for the summer. Due to the need of topsoil they start on the Court area first before moving to the ballfields. Estimated completion date is September 2013.
Phase II
Description: Construct new 400 meter track and install new synthetic turf multipurpose field. Estimate Based Bid Construction Cost: $1,481,936 Actual Awarded Cost: Contractor:
$1,091,000 Vasco Sports Contractors
Addition of Lighting to Court Area and one new ballfield: $229,000 Contractor: Musco Lighting Total: $1,320,000 Schedule/Status: Contractor has mobilized and has already accomplished a lot of earth moving activities. Estimated completion date is August 30, 2013. Due to the aggressive bidding nature that still exists, the Borough was able to add lighting to the ballfield and dek hockey area that was not proposed until future phases. The total cost for Phase I and Phase II with the additional lighting is still below the estimated costs. Remember, these two phases are being funded through $1 million in grants and a $300,000 donation to the Borough from the BPI. Your generosity and hard work made these projects a reality. (THERE IS STILL A LOT TO DO!) Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 41
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
REBUILDING BRENTWOOD FOR THE FUTURE!
Brentwood
Capital Project Updates
REBUILDING BRENTWOOD FOR THE FUTURE!
Continued...
NEW MUNICIPAL COMPLEX PROJECT Brentwood officials are reviewing references and interviewing architectural firms before making a decision on who they will bring on to design either a renovated Borough Building or new Borough Building. A parallel design process and study will be conducted by the winning firm on which alternative is the most economical as well as most efficient to operate. More to come... stay tuned...
2013 Paving Project – Brownsville Road and Hillson Avenue Borough officials are committed to getting back on track with the much needed repairs to the 31 miles of Borough streets. To demonstrate their seriousness of developing a long term sustainable approach to maintaining and repairing the Borough streets, Brentwood Council has approved $800,000 in the 2013 Capital Improvement Fund dedicated to streets. Unfortunately this does not go a long way and will cover the cost of only two (2) roadway projects. • Hillson Avenue from Dauphin Street to Shadewell will involve total reconstruction. Estimated cost = $300,000. • Brownsville Road from Hillson Avenue to East Brentridge Avenue will involve milling and repaving as well as repairs to the stormwater system. Estimated cost = $500,000. Hillson Avenue is slated to begin in the spring. Don’t worry; Brownsville Road is scheduled to begin in mid-July, AFTER the 4th of July race and parade.
2013 New Department of Public Works Facility
Description: Design/Build a new 12,000 square foot building to be used as a Department of Public Works facility. Estimated Design and Construction Cost:
$2,900,000
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
Actual Awarded Cost: $1,321,676 Contractor: Allegheny Construction Group Additional items requested by the Borough:
$89,322
Paving of the DPW Parking Lot:
$125,538
Total: $1,536,536 Difference from Estimate:
-$1,363,464
Schedule/Status: Contractor has been working at the site since early May. Estimated completion of the project is October 2013.
We just ask everyone for their patience during this exciting project! More information will be available on the Borough’s newly revised “web site” for project updates, meetings, and progress. www.brentwoodboro.com.
42 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Thursday, October 3, 2013 from 5 - 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Brentwood Business Owners Association and Brownsville Road/Sankey Avenue Business District at the Brownsville Road Sankey Avenue Business District German Music – Food - German Beer Join the fun! Eat Drink and Dance to the Music! Hope to see you there!
BRENTWOOD EMS
ANNUAL OCTOBER CRAFT SHOW It’s that time of year when all the ”crafters” come out in full force to display and sell their wares at the Annual Brentwood EMS Craft Show. The craft show will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at St. Sylvester’s Church, lower level, at 3754 Brownville Road, Pgh., PA 15227. For those interested, there is something for everyone in the vast category of “crafts.” The sky is the limit for vendors that are so proud to sell their wares at great prices. There are approximately 50 vendors, a Chinese Auction, snacks, beverages and much more. While browsing around you may run into some friends; we suggest you stop at the food court area and order a snack or one of the delicious items for lunch. This is an annual fundraiser for the Brentwood EMS and we ask that you participate and support your local EMS. Admission is free. The Brentwood EMS welcomes donations for the Chinese Auction; please call the EMS business office at 412.884.8740. We thank you for your continued support throughout the year.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN A SCARY AND FUN TIME IN THE BOROUGH! THURSDAY, OCTOBER, 31, 2013 – Brentwood Borough will celebrate Halloween on Thursday, October 31, 2013 from 6 -8 p.m., throughout the Borough. As the children dress in their new and exciting costumes, disguised as Angels, Devils, Princesses, Witches, and every scary creature you can imagine; we ask you to please be cautious and drive carefully! Please leave the porch light on for the safety of the children walking along the sidewalks, walkways and steps. This is a fun night for children and time for adults to enjoy as their children surprise their friends and neighbors in their pretty or spooky costumes while walking door-to-door collecting their favorite treats. We ask the parents to walk with the children and make this a memorable night for them. For more tips to ensure a fun and safe Halloween visit www.halloween-safety.com. Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 43
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
Oktoberfest Streetfair
Brentwood
7th Annual
COUNCIL ACTIONS
The following are highlights of Council Actions during their monthly meetings and do not reflect all items and issues discussed. Official meeting Minutes are available on the Borough website at www.brentwoodboro. com
May 20, 2013 Agenda Meeting • Authorize the Borough to change
the Tax Collection Due date to the following and authorize the Borough Manager to begin to notify the public. Mailed to Residents beginning March 1, 2014 and by March 1 every year thereafter; If received prior to April 30, 2014, then the resident shall receive a 2% Discount. The Face Amount Due on June 30th, 2014 The 10% Penalty will be assessed after July 1, 2014.
• Accept the Agreement for the 2013
•
operation of the Brentwood Pool Concession Stand that will be run out of the Brentwood Civic Center with Mr. and Mrs. Robert Schwarz. Approve to change the Agenda meeting from Tuesday, June 18, 2013 to Monday, June 17, 2013 and to advertise this change in the South Hills Record.
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
May 28, 2013 Council Meeting • Authorize the Borough’s Labor Counsel to write up an Agreement appointing Susan Toth as the HR/ Finance Director at the annual salary of $47,000 with the provision of providing her the option to return to the Bargaining Unit after six (6) months. • Approve the Minutes from the April 16, 2013 Agenda Meeting. • Approve the Minutes from the April 23, 2013 Regular meeting. • Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the General Fund in the amount of $463,772.04. • Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the Sanitary Sewer Fund in the amount of $298,684.84. 44 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
• Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the Brentwood Park Initiative Fund in the amount of $7,624.86. • Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of $61,139.53. • Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the Non-Uniform Pension Fund in the amount of $1,873.52. • Ratify the payment of the bills from April 01, 2013 through April 30, 2013 from the Police Pension Fund in the amount of $21,237.74. • Renew the Support Agreement with Harris School for the Borough’s Accounting/Payroll Software (AKA ProSoft) for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014 in the amount of $6,877.08. • Approve the Work Authorization from The Gateway Engineers to assist the Borough in design and development of construction documents for the East Willock Culvert/Manhole Repair Project in the amount not-to-exceed $10,000.00. • Approve Change Order No. 23 from Allegheny Construction Group for the removal of the rear French drain and installing in 2-feet lower to collect additional ground water from the New Department of Public Works Building Site in the amount of $4,767.00. • Adopt Resolution No. 2013-25, “2013 Fourth of July Celebration.” May 28, 2013 Regular Meeting Council Action
• Approve to revise the Brentwood Facility Rental Policy as follows: Waiving the annual pool fee for licensed medical professionals for those residents who require such assistance ONLY while accompanying
and providing such services for said resident. Waiving the annual pool pass fees for all Brentwood Volunteer Fire Company, Brentwood Emergency Medical Services, and Brentwood Police Department members and their immediate family who are in good standing upon providing proof to the Borough. • Approve the Brentwood DUKES request for use of Stadium football field from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. on the following dates: August 31, September 7, September 14, September 28, October 5, and October 12, 2013 for purpose of hosting home football games. • Authorize the SBM Electronic’s Quote for the Police Department phone system in the amount of $8,828.00 to be paid from the Capital Improvement Fund, Budget Line Item 18-495-000, Unreserved Balance. • Renew the Agreement with Eye for Detail for Police Vehicle Interior Cleaning for the Period of May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014 at a cost of $80/vehicle. • Adopt Resolution No. 2013 – 27, Support Redd Up Day/Pitt Make A Difference Day – October 26, 2013
June 17, 2013 Agenda Meeting • Verify the color (dark) blue in accordance with the formula No. 8514 provided by the contractor and engineer. • Approve the turf style be all green at no additional cost. • Authorize the contractor to use Vegas Gold Outline at no additional cost. June 25, 2013 Regular Meeting • Approve the Minutes from the April 8, 2013 Special meeting as submitted. • Approve the Minutes from the April 9, 2013 Special meeting as submitted.
• Accept the resignation of DPW employee Michael Dulski effective Friday, June 28, 2013. • Authorize the Borough Manager to advertise the open position in the Department of Public Works for Brentwood Borough. • Approve the Work Authorization by Gateway Engineers to prepare a complete and geotechnical investigation of the current stadium bleacher area in a not to exceed amount of $9,500.00 to be paid from the BPI Fund 15-454-313 Engineering Services.
• Approve the request from BVFC to
•
•
assist with the financing of the repairs to their truck in the amount of $17,000 and authorize the transfer of $17,000 from the Operating Reserve Fund to the General Fund for this expense. (For Engine No. 116-1) Approve the request from Brentwood EMS to assist with the financing of the repairs to their truck in the amount of $12,328.18 and authorize the transfer of $12,328.18 from the Operating Reserve Fund to the General Fund for this expense. (Medic No. 531 and Medic No. 532) Approve to go with the three (3) firms listed in the Borough Manager’s memo and any additional firms to be added by Council must be submitted to the Borough Manager by Friday, with the six million dollar figure for the structure from the architectural firm and “Not to exceed six million dollars.”
July 16, 2013 Agenda Meeting
• Authorize the DPW remove the Little League backstop and two benches and other items affiliated with that. • Authorize to revise the color of the new Brentwood Borough Stadium Track from Blue to Clay color red. • Ratify Change Order No. 1 associated with the installation of a new conduit as submitted by Vasco, in the amount of $19,535.00. • Approve the Stadium Light Pole Locations based on the recommendation from Musco Sport Lighting as presented. • Approve the request from Rick Gralish for the Brentwood Dukes Cheerleaders to use the area between the Brentwood High School and Brentwood Library for practice from July 29, 2013 until the Stadium is ready to be used. • Adopt Resolution No. 2013-31, “SHACOG CD 40- Brownsville Road ADA Ramps”. • Authorize to waive the Brentwood Pool season pass fees for all full time, part time, or seasonal Borough Employees for 2013.
July 23, 2013 Agenda Meeting • Accept the Minutes of the June 18, 2013 Agenda meeting as submitted. • Accept the Minutes of the June 25, 2013 Regular meeting as submitted. • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 the General Fund in the amount of $333,132.46. • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 from the Sanitary Sewer Fund in the amount of $29,506.5 • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 from the Brentwood Park Initiative Fund in the amount of $7,976.50. • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 from the Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of $74,026.67. • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 from the Non-Uniform Pension Fund in the amount of $2,120.36. • Ratify the payment of the bills from June 01, 2013 through June 30, 2013 from the Police Pension Fund in the amount of $22,301.82. • Enter into an Agreement with the Allegheny County Southwest Tax Collection District. • Adopt Resolution No. 2013-28, “Amending Police Pension Plan – Investment Policy Statement.” • Adopt Resolution No. 2013-29, “Amending the Non-Uniform Pension Plan – Investment Policy Statement.” • Approve the renewal of the Workers Compensation Insurance Renewal with Housing and Redevelopment Insurance Exchange (H.A.R.I.E) and the State Workers Insurance Fund (SWIF) for the Fire Department in the total amount of $201,533.00 effective August 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014 and authorize payment to HARIE for the one-time 5.5% subscriber fee of $9,629.00. (Note: the only other agency willing to provide the Borough a quote was SWIF. Their quote was $243,250.00). • Adopt Resolution No. 2013-30, “EPA Consent Decree – Feasibility Study.” • Award the Brownsville Road Paving Project contract to Morgan Excavating (continued)
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 45
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
• Approve the Minutes from the May 20, 2013 Agenda meeting as submitted. • Approve the Minutes from the May 28, 2013 Regular meeting as submitted. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the General Fund in the amount of $382,281.68. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the Sanitary Sewer Fund in the amount of $82,148.55. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the Brentwood Park Initiative Fund in the amount of $2,885.20. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the Capital Improvement Fund in the amount of $173,738.51. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the Non-Uniform Pension Fund in the amount of $4,548.77. • Ratify the payment of the bills from May 01, 2013 through May 31, 2013 from the Police Pension Fund in the amount of $24,418.61. • Approve the agreement between the Teamsters Local 205 and Ms. Susan Toth, pertaining to Ms. Toth’s duties as Finance/HR Director. • Revise the Brentwood Facility Rental Policy as follows: • Waiving the pool fees for all full-time Brentwood Borough Employees and immediate family which include DPW, Administration, Police, and Police Clerical.
Brentwood
COUNCIL ACTIONS in the amount of $513,283.75 with a completion date by October 15, 2013. • Award the Hillson Avenue Road Reconstruction Project contract to Morgan Excavating, in the amount of $141,410.00. • Approve the Borough’s requested Change Order from The Allegheny Construction Group to provide preventative maintenance for waterproofing at the New DPW Building Site in the amount of $6,818.00. • Approve the various Independent Contractor Agreements pending the final review by the Borough Solicitor. • Approve the request from Recreation Director Paula Simmons to proceed with the organizing of a six (6) week
High Tech Learning Computer Class from October 3, 2013 to November 14, 2013 and approving the fees of $130 per Brentwood resident and $150 for non-residents to attend. • Approve the request from Chief Robert Butelli associated with the hiring of two (2) probationary Police Officers and authorize the Civil Service Commission to prepare and provide a certified list of eligible candidates. • Approve to promote Officer Adam Zeppuhar to the rank of Sergeant in accordance with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement and Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations.
continued...
• Approve to promote Officer Matthew
•
•
DeLallo to the rank of Sergeant in accordance with the current Collective Bargaining Agreement and Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations. Authorize the Borough Manager to advertise a Special Council meeting for August 13, 2013 and August 14, 2013 beginning at 6 p.m. for the purpose of conducting interviews with the five (5) Architectural Firms who have submitted proposals associated with the Borough Municipal Building Project. Approve to purchase Builder’s Risk Insurance associated with the new DPW Building from Travelers Insurance in the amount of $2,500.00.
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
Congratulations Congratulations to Mike Dulski, a laborer in the public works department since April 28, 1975, recently retired. Mike was known to the residents as the “Street Sweeper” operator as he drove around the streets cleaning and removing the debris in an effort to maintain the nice appearance of well-maintained roadways. Mike also manned the animal control issues within the Borough by removing the injured/ dead animals alongside the roadway. As the weather changed, Mike drove the salt truck when the weather called for the removal of snow/ice. Mike is well known within the Borough and we wish Mike a great retirement and a long healthy life.
46 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
"Happy Birthday" to long time local physician.
Dr. Lee H. McCormick, M.D., a certified family practitioner, graduated from the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine in 1958 and served his internship at South Side Hospital and residency in internal medicine at Montefiore Hospital. Dr. McCormick is also certified by the American Society Addiction Medicine and serves as Medical Director of drug and alcohol recovery services at both Jefferson Hospital and Braddock Medical Center. Dr. McCormick has also maintained an active involvement in organized medicine at the county, state, and national levels. Dr. McCormick has maintained offices in Jefferson and Clairton. Dr. McCormick has served as President of the Allegheny County Medical Society as President in 1994 and member and officer of numerous Medical Societies, Health Programs and the American Medical Association. However, as we congratulate Dr. McCormick for his long medical career, on August 19, 2013 we send our best wishes for a very Happy Birthday. With this in mind, Dr. McCormick will celebrate with his lovely wife, Barbara, children and grandchildren.
PALS is a playgroup that meets weekly during the school year on Wednesdays from 9 - 11:30 a.m. in the Brentwood Civic Center. Children ages 0-5 are invited to attend with a parent or care-giver for preschool activities, crafts, special guests, books, games, Holiday parties, snacks, field trips, and FUN! Cost per year: $40 per child/ $10 per additional sibling For more information or to register, please contact: Brooke 412.886.1572 or e-mail: brentwoodpals@gmail.com
‌and be a PAL!
Brentwood Emergency Medical Service
2013
Brentwood Emergency Medical Service
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 47
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
Come Join Us‌
Brentwood
Did you know that PALS (Preschool Activities Learning Shop) has served the children of Brentwood for nearly 40 years?
Redd-Up Day
in Brentwood October 26, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013 is designated as “Redd Up Day” in Brentwood. Volunteers and community groups will be canvassing the Borough from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you wish to participate, volunteers will be gathering at the Brentwood Community Room at 10 a.m. In conjunction with Citizens Against Litter and “Pitt make a Difference Day”, volunteers are needed through the Borough to “Redd Up” the debris, unsightly trash, brush and shrubs. Come join us along with a busload of Pitt students and let’s “Redd Up” Brentwood! Volunteers can earn four (4) community service hours! For additional information to register for this activity, please contact Public Works Supervisor Robert Mackewich at 412.884.1500 Ext. 113 or email rmackewich@brentwoodboro.com. Volunteers are to meet at the Community Room. Reminder: During the fall season, take a little time to assess the exterior of your property by sweeping and discarding the debris, and miscellaneous items that somehow land on your property; it expresses a more aesthetically pleasing community. Good job!
Well the summer is behind us and the colorful season of fall is in our midst. As you know, warm temperatures begin to drop and the colors of the leaves become more vibrant. It’s a great time of the year to take a short drive and appreciate the beautiful weather and scenery. The downside of this season (no pun intended) is the multicolored leaves begin to fall from the trees and cover the grassy areas and roadways, which brings to mind the season of “Leaf Collection.” During this time we ask the residents to rake the leaves on a weekly basis and place in brown biodegradable bags at curbside, after 5 p.m., prior to pickup day. Leaves, twigs, grass and other debris are not to be placed near sewers or manholes. For more information regarding refuse, recycling and leaf collection please call Allied Waste Services at 1.877.788.9400 or visit our website at www.brentwoodboro.com. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy the fall season because old man winter is right around the corner. Leaf Collection in Brentwood will begin on Monday, October 28, 2013 and continue through Friday, November 22, 2013. The biodegradable bags are available for purchase at your local hardware store.
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
National DPW Week
Enjoying a Luncheon! 48 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves.
Hello and I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. School will soon be back in session so please be careful when driving and keep alert for the many students walking to and from school, especially when they are crossing the streets. Also, please pay special attention to the directions of the School Crossing Guards as they have the same authority as police officers when directing traffic. Congratulations to officers, Adam Zeppuhar and Matthew DeLallo, who were recently promoted to the rank of sergeant effective July 23rd, 2013. In addition, the Brentwood Police Department is in the process of hiring two additional police officers that will bring the department up to full staff. The written examination and oral interviews have been concluded and the background investigations are being conducted. When the testing has been completed, two officer candidates from the eligibility list will be recommended for the position.
Congratulations are in order for Sgt. M. Delallo (left) and Sgt. A. Zeppuhar (right) on their promotion to Sergeant
Several Brentwood officers will be receiving commendations for their work in investigating the numerous robberies and assaults that took place in the area of Sankey Avenue near Brownsville Road. Officers have filed charges on two individuals in regards to the investigation. Sincerely, Chief Robert D. Butelli
A Child’s Delight ~ Brentwood Light Up Night The Brentwood Business Owners Association in conjunction with Brentwood Borough will sponsor the “Annual Light-Up-Night” on Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 4–8 p.m., with the lighting of the Christmas tree at 6 p.m., at the 4100 block of Brownsville Road. Despite the cold chill in the air, this annual event brings out approximately 1,000 residents and guests from surrounding communities welcoming the celebration of the holiday season. Of course, the main guest is the “Round Jolly Old Fellow” in the red suit (Santa Claus) accompanied by his lovely wife, Mrs. Claus as they begin their busy season delivering holiday cheer to the children across the world.
Come and join in the festivities featuring: • Holiday Parade with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving by sleigh • Photos with Santa • Live Holiday Music Entertainment by local disc jockey • Various Vendors – Food/Informational items
• Chinese Auction • 50/50 Raffle • Turkey Challenge
We supply the fun and excitement; you bring the family and friends to enjoy the innocent smiles on the children as they become surrounded by the joy of the holiday season. Ho, Ho, Ho, Happy Holidays to one and all!
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 49
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
Newsletter
Brentwood
Brentwood Borough Police
Brentwood Borough
Park and Recreation
Brentwood Borough Recreational Department strives to provide a full calendar of exciting, informative, and recreational opportunities and familyfriendly activities. There are programs targeted towards every age! For more information and updates of programming or events, go to our web page at www.brentwoodboro. com Departments > Park & Recreation. You can also like us on Facebook “Brentwood Borough Park and Recreation” or Follow us on Twitter @BrentwoodRec. Registration for classes and programs can be done in person at the Brentwood Borough Building, online, or print out registration form and mail to: Recreation Director Paula Simmons 3624 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
Got a new program idea? Want to share your skills with others? Feel free to contact Recreational Director, Paula Simmons, at psimmons@ brentwoodboro.com to start your own class!
50 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
<<< Fall
Adult Programming *Registration details on Brentwood Borough website. SPECIAL EVENT
Outdoor Yoga In Sanskrit, Yoga translates as “yoke” or “union,” meaning bring together. Urban Prana Yoga seeks to unify the community through a FREE, all level Yoga class outside in the fall air. This class welcomes all ages and all levels: please bring a towel or mat as well as water. When: Saturday September 21 Time: 9 a.m. Where: Civic Center Patio (inside civic center if it rains) (located on Park Drive) Fee: FREE *NO registration needed
#001 Hip Hop Cardio Hip Hop Cardio is structured to offer an intense cardiovascular workout, using a blend of aerobic, plyometric, strength and basic Hip Hop movements. The class is ideal for anyone looking to tone muscles, achieve weight loss and/or increase stamina, all while indulging in a fun-filled dance activity that avoids the monotony of traditional cardio training. Instructor Amy Winters Thumpston is a Brentwood native, an interior designer, a fitness instructor, a runner and a health coach. Amy holds several fitness certifications and is also Heartsaver/AED certified. When: Every Saturdays (starting 9/28 till 12/21 * NO class 10/6) Time: 9 a.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (located on Park Drive) Drop-In Fee: $8/class Brentwood residents, $10/ class non-Brentwood
Programing >>>
residents (no pre-registration need) **Special: 6 class Punch Card for $45 (or ONLY Amy Thumpson’s Fitness classes). Register online at the Brentwood Borough Website. Card can be picked up at class.
#002 Zumba Come dance to the rhythmic beats of salsa, merengue and reggaeton... all while burning calories and having fun. Zumba is one of the fastest growing exercises around. Who says you can’t have fun while working out! Come see what everyone is talking about! Instructor Shawna Shannon, a Baldwin-Whitehall native, has been an instructor for 12 years. She is AFAA certified as well as being a certified Zumba instructor. When: Every Tuesday (9/24 till 10/28, 11/12 till 12/17) Time: 6 p.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (located on Park Drive) Drop- In Fee: $8/class Brentwood residents, $10/ class non-Brentwood residents **Special: 6 class punch Card for $45 (for any of Shawna Shannon’s Fitness classes) Register online at the Brentwood Borough Website. Card can be picked up at class.
#003 Senior Latin Dance We will be moving and shaking to some slower Latin beats. A perfect pace for those who want to learn some new steps and stay active. Instructor Shawna Shannon, a Baldwin-Whitehall native, has been an instructor for 12 years. She is AFAA certified as well as being a certified Zumba instructor. When: Every Thursday (9/26 till 10/31, 11/14 till 12/19)
Time: 10 a.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (located on Park Drive) Drop-In Fee: $8/class Brentwood residents, $10/ class non-Brentwood residents **Special: 6 class punch Card for $45 (for any of Shawna Shannon’s Fitness classes) Register online at the Brentwood Borough Website. Card can be picked up at class.
#004 Cardio-kick and Sculpt A great mix of kickboxing and muscle sculpting. Bring your own weights and have a blast as we sculpt and tone all over. Don't forget the calorie burn as we kickbox through this 1 hour class. Instructor, Shawna Shannon, a Baldwin-Whitehall native, has been an instructor for 12 years. She is AFAA certified as well as being a certified Zumba instructor. When: Every Wednesday (9/25 till 10/30, 11/13 till 12/18) Time: 6 p.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (located on Park Drive) Drop-In Fee: $8/class Brentwood residents, $10/ class non-Brentwood residents **Special: 6 class punch Card for $45 (for any of Shawna Shannon’s Fitness classes) Register online at the Brentwood Borough Website. Card can be picked up at class.
Youth Programming *Pre-registration required for ALL Youth Program. Registration details on Brentwood Borough website
#101 & #102 Kids Can Cook Jump start your child’s health and interest in the culinary arts. Instructor, Lisa Silberg,
Jump start your child’s health and interest in the culinary arts. A hands on learning experience with Lisa Silberg, a certified Health Coach, member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners & graduate of the culinary program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Spend quality time with a favorite youngster while contributing to your healthy lifestyle. This class will focus on the benefits of better eating habits for you
Age: Grade 4th through 8th Fee: $25 Brentwood Resident, $30 non-Brentwood resident Max 12 participants
#105 Adventures in Minecraft (Hi-Tech Learning) Join with other Minecraft enthusiasts/fans/pros to complete a series of fun challenges and the ultimate collaborative project to demonstrate your crafting skills! Share and learn tips, tricks, and create new worlds with others in this ultimate digital environment. All students will take home instruction on how to access a free version of the application and their completed projects at the conclusion of the program. When: Every Thursday from 10/3 – 11/14 (No Class 10/31) Time: 5-6:30 p.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (on Park Drive) Age: 8 to 12 years old Fee: $130 Brentwood Resident, $150 non-Brentwood Resident Max 20 participants
#106 Mobile Game Design (Hi-Tech Learning) #104 Bees are Bee-utiful Learn what all of the Buzz is with honey and the ones responsible for making it!! Lisa Silberg, local Beekeeper & member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, will teach your children the benefits of honey and how to incorporate it into your family’s diet. We will taste several different local honey brands and make muffins incorporating their choice of honey they tasted to take home to the family. Please provide your child with a ½ dozen muffin tray that they will use during class. 2 day class. When: Wednesday December 11th & 18th Time: 4-5:30 p.m. Where: Brentwood Community Room
This is your chance to create and publish a game you and your friends can play on any mobile device. Students will use special software (GameSalad) designed to allow the creation of complex games using a visual, drag and drop interface. Once students finish their games, they will have the ability to publish them in HTML 5 so they are available for play on iPhone, iPad, Android Devices, Kindle, and Nook. When: Every Thursday from 10/3 – 11/14 (No Class 10/31) Time: 6:45- 8:15 p.m. Where: Brentwood Civic Center (on Park Drive) Age: 9 to 13 years old Fee: $130 Brentwood Resident, $150 non-Brentwood Resident Max 20 participants
#107 & #108 Jump Start Sports Dek Hockey Instructional and recreational dek hockey program for children ages 3 to 6. Players are taught the basics of passing, shooting, positioning, offense and defense in a fun-oriented program. Then they apply what they’ve learned in low competition games. Safe floor hockey equipment will be provided. Program Directors from Jump Start Sports will run the program and direct the instruction. When: Every Monday from 10/14 – 11/18 Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m. (#107 for 3 & 4 year olds) 6:30-7:30 p.m. (#108 for 5 & 6 year olds) Where: Brentwood Dek Hockey Rink (on Park Drive) Fee: $60 Brentwood Residents, $70 non-Brentwood Residents
#109 & #110 Jump Start Sports Brentwood Little Hoop Stars Instructional and recreational basketball program for children ages 3 to 6. Players are taught the basics of dribbling, passing, shooting, positioning, defense, and rebounding in a funoriented program. Then they apply what they’ve learned in low competition games. When: Every Tuesday from 10/22 – 11/26 Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m. (#109 for 3 & 4 year olds) 6:30-7:30 p.m. (#110 for 5 & 6 year olds) Where: Moore Elementary Gymnasium Fee: $60 Brentwood Residents, $70 non-Brentwood Residents
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 51
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
#103 Healthy Eating Habits with Juicing and Smoothies
and your children through juices and smoothies! When: Sunday November 3rd Time: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Where: Brentwood Community Room Age: 6 years old and older accompanied by an adult Fee: $30 Brentwood Resident (1 adult and 1 child), $35 nonBrentwood Resident, $7 dollars additional Sibling Fees includes instructional seminar, supplies to make smoothies, and a full tummy at the end the class!!
Brentwood
certified Health Coach, member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners & graduate of the culinary program at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, will inspire your child to see the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Each class is an opportunity for your child to learn lifelong habits that may even rub off on the entire family. Let your child lead the way in helping your family learn a cleaner way of eating and feeling better. We will create a healthy vegetarian dish for each child to take home for your family dinner! Please provide one oven safe casserole dish that is approximately 9x13. Each Session is different but separate cost. #101 Session 1 When: Monday, September 23rd Time: 4-6 p.m. Where: Brentwood Community Room Age: 4th – 8th grade Fee: $20 Brentwood Resident, $25 non-Brentwood Resident Max 12 participants #102 Session 2 When: Monday October 21st Time: 4-6 p.m. Where: Brentwood Community Room Age: 4th – 8th grade Fee: $20 Brentwood Resident, $25 non-Brentwood Resident Max 12 participants
3501 Brownsville Road Pittsburgh, PA 15227 412.882.5694 • www.brentwoodpubliclibrary.org
Brentwood Library Enrichment. Lifelong Learning. Community Center
Fall 2013
at Brentwood Library
Story and Music Times for Little Ones Musical Mondays - At 11 a.m. is for children age 2-5. A program full of singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Book Babies - 10 a.m. every Thursday, is a program especially for babies aged birth to 18 months and their caretakers. Program includes songs, rhymes, and stories. Toddler Tales - Thursday at 11 a.m., is crafted for children aged 18 months to 3 years. The program includes stories, songs, finger plays, and a craft.
BRE NT WOO D BOR OU GH News
rentwood
Preschool Parables – Tuesdays at 11 a.m. is for children 3 years old and older. Program includes a variety of stories, songs and finger plays. The program concludes with freeplay and a snack. Family Storytime – Quarterly we have a special event storytime in the evenings for families. For the fall we will be visiting the Fire Hall. Date TBA.
Events Especially for Elementary School Aged Kids Each Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
3rd Week - Gaming (K – 2nd) Join us in the Program Room for Wii and Xbox gaming! Snacks included!! 4th Week - Gaming (3rd – 5th) Join us in the Program Room for Wii and Xbox gaming! Snacks included! 5th Week – Movie (K – 5th) – On the odd chance we have a 5th week, we will show a movie. (October)
Something fun for Teens on Fridays 1st Week @ 3:15 p.m. - Rec Room - Stop by after school and enjoy pool, air hockey, ping pong, and basketball in our downstairs Rec Room! Snacks and drinks are available for purchase, so bring your change! 2nd Week @ 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Teen Night @ the Library – The library is closed, but not for teens! Come have a snack, use the computers, play on the Xbox and Wii, and just hang out. 3rd Week @ 3:15 p.m. – Belly up to the Food Bar – Join us for a make your own snack bar and book talks.
We are going to try something new with our Elementary kids in the fall and divide our kids into two groups grades K-2nd and 3rd – 5th.
4th Week @ 3:15 p.m. – Library Craftsters – Hang out in the teen area and create cool crafts. Learn to make things or teach if you know and want to share something.
1st Week – Storytime (K – 2nd) – Hear some stories, sing some songs, do a craft and have a snack.
5th Week @ 7 p.m. – Movie Night @ the Library – We will show an age appropriate movie for our Teens in November (the only month this season with a 5th Friday).
2nd Week – Rec Room (3rd – 5th) - Enjoy pool, air hockey, ping pong, and basketball in our downstairs Rec Room! All kinds of snacks and drinks are available for purchase, so bring your change!
Teen Advisory Board – Teens, if you are interested in participating in a Teen Advisory Board contact Miss Tracy at the Library or email her: oneillt@einetwork.net
52 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Classics Book Club – 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. - Do you love the classics, or maybe you’ve always wanted to explore those canonical books but never had the opportunity? Join us! The September selection is, Northanger Abby by Jane Austen, October is Paradise Lost by John Milton and November is The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Cook’s Book Club – 4th Tuesday of each month from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. – We’ll meet to discuss cook books and other books that feature food. Of course we’ll try out some of those recipes for ourselves, too, so bring your appetite and a dish to share! Upcoming dates are 10/22 and 11/19. The Mystery Book Club will meet every six weeks on a Tuesday to discuss “who done it” in the mystery of choice. Books are chosen by members at meetings. Check our website or call the library for more information. The Time Travelers Book Club meets every six weeks to discuss a novel. The group members chose the next selection at the book club meeting. Call the library today for information and to reserve your copy of the current selection.
Programs for Adults Bingo! - On the 3rd Thursday of each month, meet in the Program Room at 2 p.m. to enjoy a light meal, play Bingo and win prizes! It’s free! Classic Movie – Join us every Friday at 2 p.m. to view a classic movie. Computer Classes—free classes are offered once a month. Registration is required and each month features a different topic. Crafters Circle - Join fellow area crafters to work on projects or learn a new craft. Crafters Club is a patron-run club which meets every Monday at 6 p.m. Evening Coffee Hour – Bring your laptops or tablets, use our free wifi and enjoy a cup of good coffee for a nominal fee. We just got a Keurig! Every Monday – Thursday 7 p.m. Game Day - Wake up with games, word puzzles, logic riddles, and plenty of coffee! Game Day is held every other Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Patron Birthday Party-We celebrate our patrons who are celebrating a birthday in the current month. The “party” is held the 2nd Wednesday at 10 a.m. Sit and Fit—Not able to walk long distances but still want to exercise? Join our Sit and Fit crew on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. in the program room. Follow a DVD and get healthy! Wii Games - Join us at the 1st Thursday each month for Jeopardy, the 2nd Thursday for Bowling, and the 4th for Carnival Games. We start at 2 p.m. in the program room. Are you new to using the Wii? No problem! We’ll teach you how to play! Wise Walk –Lace up your sneakers and join us every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in September and October for a mile walk.
Special Events for Fall Family Costume Party! Friday, October 18th 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Show off your Halloween costume while you join us for games, stories, crafts and snacks. Registration required at www.brentwoodpubliclibrary.org. Masquerade Ball Friday, November 1st 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Don’t let the kids have all the fun this season. Join us in your favorite costume (strongly encouraged, but not required for attendance) for an evening of masked fun. Registration required at www.brentwoodpubliclibrary.org. Brentwood Brews Times and dates TBA We are considering starting a brew club at the library in conjunction with South Hills Brewing Supply Company. If you have any interest in learning how to brew beer by brewing with a group at the library, please contact Stephanie either by phone (412.882.5694) or email (denisons@ einetwork.net). There will be a fee to cover the cost of supplies for this group. The fee will be determined by how many participate. All participants must be over 21 years of age because we will all have beer to take home at the end of the process.
Movie Mondays - Watch a recently released feature film and enjoy some popcorn every Monday beginning at 2 p.m. in the program room!
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 53
B RE N T WOOD BOR OU GH N ews
(New members are always welcome! If you’re interested, call 412.882.5694 or stop in.)
Brentwood
Book Clubs for Adults
3344 Churchview Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15227 412.882.9600 www.baldwinborough.org
RECYCLING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THE LAW Baldwin Businesses: Help Us Make a Difference!!!!! Commercial Requirements
aldwin
BAL DWI N BO R OU G H News
If you would like assistance in setting up a program for your business or establishment, you can contact your trash hauler. For technical assistance, or for more information, contact the Borough Administrative Offices at 412.882.9600.
54 Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
PA Act 101 requires Baldwin Borough to document the recycling efforts of commercial and institutional establishments. This includes the separation of office paper, magazines, periodicals, glass, aluminum, plastics and leaf waste. Please contact your local hauler to set up a program, which can save you money and help to protect the environment.
Sponsored Content
Business Spotlight
Sponsored Content
BEFORE
cles Motorcy e! Welcom rley
ur Ha Store yo is winter! th with us
P
T.E.K. STORAGE
A Welcomed Neighbor Cleans Up and Starts a New Business for Whitehall
rior to Thomas Kesten buying 3 Weyman Road, it was literally a dump. Old husks of rusted out vehicles, tires and debris were scattered about the property, creating an eyesore that warranted the thick row of trees behind the homes of Woodycrest Drive to screen the view. A few months ago, however, that all changed with the establishment of T.E.K. Storage, a self-storage facility that not only offers customers easy access from Saw Mill Run Boulevard, but offers neighbors a quiet, clean alternative to what they’ve always known. “It was an old junkyard for years and we cleaned the whole place up and made it a nice place in the community from what it was,” Kesten said. For their efforts, Kesten, and his father, who’s also named Thomas and also happens to be his partner in business, received an Outstanding Community Service Award from the borough at the recent Community Day. For the Kestens, awards are just one step along the way to a great investment experience. Every new business needs dependable customers and for T.E.K. Storage, Kesten knows his business is local in every sense of the word. “We just opened a few months ago, and it’s been good so far,” he said. “In this business, it’s all neighbors and local people because people typically don’t drive more than five or seven miles to store their belongings.”
At T.E.K. Storage, customers looking to store large and small belongings have a choice between 5-foot by 10-foot units and 10-foot by 10-foot units, which correspond approximately to the size of a walk-in closet and half of a one-car garage, respectively. There are 150 units to choose from on site. The units are not climate controlled, but they are secure, with security cameras keeping an eye on the entire facility. Keypad access at the gate ensures that no one comes on site who isn’t supposed to be there. Access hours are liberal, but not 24 hours a day, so no one will be lurking about in the wee hours of the night. T.E.K Storage also offers customers more than reasonable rates, with a current special of buying three months with the fourth month free. “We try to cover all bases because you never know what a customer’s storage needs are going to be,” Kesten said. “Some people tell me they’re only going to be here for a few months, or that they’re in a holding pattern until they can get their living arrangements figured out. And others tell you upfront that they’re going to be here forever, so we try to be prepared for every eventuality.” For more information, call T.E.K Storage at 412.492.4660 or go to tekselfstorage.com online to make a reservation or fill out the contact form. The website even provides free tips for packing for storage units to make your experience as stress-free as possible.
Buy 3 Months Get One Free Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 55
Sponsored Content
Business Spotlight
Sponsored Content
Established Family Business Remodeling a Generation of Homes When Lou Angelo got into the construction business, the Beatles had just hired a drummer named Ringo Starr to fill the seat of Pete Best. Now, nearly 50 years later, Angelo Associates and its 12 employees are still remodeling homes and making homeowners more comfortable through his work. “I started off working in this business parttime, while working full-time days as a school teacher,” Angelo said. “My father was a building contractor, and since then, the business has evolved from building houses into a remodeling company. Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, Angelo Contracting Company operated as a partnership. In 1990 we made a planned reorganization. At that time, I chose to form a closely held S-Corporation, so that future transitions in management and responsibilities could occur smoothly and without interruption. I chose the name Angelo Associates because it reflected my desire to maintain a close working team of professionals who would support the customer-oriented Angelo business philosophy.” Angelo said business remains strong in this economy and that moving from new construction to increased volume of kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors, has been great for his business and his clients. Kitchen and Bath Manager Lisa Hurley, Certified Kitchen and Bathroom Designer said remodeling homes allows people to add to their biggest investment, stay in the comfort of a living space they’re used to and provides for homeowners to stay current with trends and styles in the industry. “Today, you’re seeing less tubs and more highend showers,” Hurley said. Angelo said with the new homes, the biggest trend is towards openness in the bathroom. “People seem to want spacious, open showers,” he said. “Most of our showers are done in ceramic or porcelain tile.” Angelo said kitchens are trending upscale as well. “Certainly, the countertops have changed through the years. The highest percentage of our top sales are done in granite and that is probably because of the wide range of availability and consequently reduced cost. We’re a factory dealership for Wood-Mode and Brookhaven Cabinetry and we do a very impressive volume in frameless cabinets,” Angelo said. Hurley said frameless cabinets are a more European style of cabinet, giving homeowners more storage space for their money because 58 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
they don’t have the typical cabinet frames that people are used to seeing. “You don’t see any columns between the double doors,” Angelo said. “It’s all doors with no obstructions. Installation precision is really, really important for frameless cabinets. It’s not for the do-it-yourselfer in general.” Complementing their kitchen and bath work reputation, Angelo Associates has made a name in window and door renovations and has been a Certified Pella Contractor since the certification program was instituted. Window/Door and General Remodeling Manager Dean Papciak said, “We are well equipped and experienced for the structural hard jobs such as adding or enlarging window and door openings, and frequently incorporating a significant new look for the exterior as well as the interior.” Angelo Associates also excels in deck work and bringing people together outside their patio door. “With deck work and exterior siding and trim, the trend today is towards synthetic materials,” Angelo said. “Even in the very high end jobs, people are asking for mostly synthetic, low maintenance materials. There are some very interesting natural jungle mahoganies that we’ve worked with. They’re durable, and they work well, but are generally more expensive.” If you don’t see ads for Angelo Associates, don’t be surprised. As with any good professional, their business tends to come from referrals. “Most of our business comes from word of mouth,” Angelo said. “They’ve been referred from a past customer. For the past several years, our sales were over 94 percent by referrals on average. We’re really happy about that because it’s based on what we have shown we can and will do.” That’s not a bad track record for a business headed toward its half-century mark. Angelo said he’s proud of where he’s been and foresees many remodeled homes to come in the future. Another aspect that Angelo’s proud of is the fact that customers can get a live person on the phone and service within 24 hours in an age of automated telephone menus. Office and showroom hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, and Saturdays by appointment. “We’re good at remodeling. We’re good at building strong ethical relationships,” Angelo said. “And we’re pretty good at sticking around.” For more information on Angelo Associates, go to angeloassociates.com or call 412.655.3430.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 59
t s e B s t e P E O
Duke
ur dog, Duke, is the best pet in the world. He is a 1 year old German Shepherd. Duke has just received his Canine Good Citizen and level 1 search and rescue certifications. When not “searching for his man,” Duke likes to relax poolside in his Baldwin Borough back yard with his family. ■
– Our thanks to the Toth family for submitting their story. 60 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Errol Flynn
rrol Flynn is my beagle pointer mix. Errol was a New Year’s Eve rescue from Animal Friends, who was badly abused, including being thrown down steps, tied outside in rainstorms and abused by a man on a motorcycle. He was returned to Animal Friends five times before he found his forever home on February 1, 2009. Errol had a lot of trust issues with people because of his past. I met Errol at the Alley-up For Animal Friends Bowling Event, which is where I fell in love with him. He put his head on my shoulder and that was it. I filled out the paperwork and on February 1, 2009, I went to Animal Friends and brought Errol home. I told Animal Friends I would not put Errol through any more pain or return him. He found his forever home. Errol brings me so much happiness and joy. He is happy and has a forever home. He still does not like motorcycles, but he is getting better with men. As a result, I am now a volunteer at Animal Friends. ■ – Our thanks to the Barnes family for submitting their story.
Officers: President, Steve Gardiner - Eber & Associates Insurance Vice President, Mary Ann Laudato - Pittsburgh Asphalt Treasurer, Barb Allemang - Allemang Concrete and Masonry Secretary, Mary Dilla
Members of the BOARD: Margie Benson - Benson Lincoln Christine Crompton - John F. Slater Funeral Home Dottie Coll - Two Men And A Truck Ron Dufalla PhD - Brentwood School District Sean Hayes DC - Hayes Chiropractic Randy Lutz PhD - Baldwin Whitehall School District Debbie Maddock - First Commonwealth Bank David Schultz - Legacy Lanes Virginia Weida - Virginia Weida Design
Events and Activities: Chamber Luncheon: Upcoming lunch dates: October 3, November 7, December 5th. Next Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Networking Luncheon:Upcoming dates: October 11, November 8th, December 13 51 Corridor Communities Golf Outing September 23rd at South Hills Country Club Visit our website www.bbwchamber.com for updated events and activities All locations are subject to change; please check the web site.
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 61
Special Value Coupons
ADVERTISE
YOUR COUPON HERE Contact 724.942.0940 or sales@incommunitymagazines.com
62 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
Business Directory
Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall | Fall 2013 | icmags.com 63
inCOGNITO
Did you know?
Baldwin-Whitehall Native Held Captive in Communist China
64 724.942.0940 to advertise | Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall
I
nternational intrigue struck Baldwin-Whitehall in 1951, when native daughter Laura Lau became one of 42 Americans jailed in China during a missionary trip with her husband for the Free Gospel Missionary Society. The Laus were an active missionary family, who were no strangers to the chaotic atmosphere of China in the 1950s. Mrs. Lau had been kidnapped by Chinese bandits and held hostage when the Japanese took over the mission they led at the start of WWII. After her release, she found refuge in a former German mission in South China. The region was one of the last to be overrun by the Communist Party. Mrs. Lau, her Chinese-American husband, David, and their three children, John, Faith and Merton, spent time in Chinese prisons, charged as spies before their release in Hong Kong and long journey home. Their release was negotiated by diplomats in Geneva, Switzerland, with David left behind, freed, but working in a church near Canton. Their story made headlines, highlighting the inhumane practices of the nascent Chinese Communist government, and furthering the “Red Scare” of the 1950s here at home. Mrs. Lau, who was 53 at the time of her release, died in December of 1964. Her mother, Ida Augenstein, was interviewed by the The Pittsburgh Press in 1952, which recounted Lau’s story and Augenstein’s nightly prayer vigil for her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren to come home safe. At the time of the interview, all that Augenstein knew about her daughter’s whereabouts was correspondence that was dated Valentine’s Day 1951, that instructed her mother not to send any more letters and telling her she would not receive any letters for a while. With most of the United States’ consulates shuttered in China, Augenstein had no recourse except to rely on prayer until her family arrived home. ■
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PITTSBURGH, PA PERMIT NO. 887
603 East McMurray Road, McMurray, PA 15317 724/942-0940 www.icmags.com
before we were printers, like you, we were customers...
WINTER 2014
Pittsburgh
& lifestyle
balance
& Beauty
50 wise
Co nn ec t You r Bus ine ss Wit h Tod ay’ s Tec hno log y
buys
create your
space
IT CONSULTIN G
NETWORKS
INFORM ATION TECHNO LOGY
SECURITY
HOSTING
CLOUD SERVI CES
5432 ANY STREET WEST, TOWNSVILLE STATE 54321 | p: 555-543-5432 | f: 555-543-5433 WWW.YOURW EBSITEHERE.
COM
Best quality anD Best PriCing in PittsBurgh. We can beat nearly every price. let us quote your printing job. Our products range from catalogs and magazines, to direct mailers and postcards to coupons, maps and much more. Whether you’re printing 500 brochures or 100,000 magazines, we’re equipped with a full-time staff, dedicated to serving P R I N Tyour I N G printing and mailing needs.
Corporate Brochures • Flyers • Direct Mail Postcards • Magazines • Catalogs
PRINTING
Contact us today for all your printing needs.
724.942.0940