Dec. 2022 Est. 1985
The Northside Chronicle
Volume 38 Issue 12 - FREE -
The Community Newspaper of Pittsburgh’s Historic Northside
Northside benefits from RACP funds
Contributed photo
A project to renovate the Allegheny YMCA is set to receive $2 million from Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor
“That one question is the bigger kernel that really bloomed into what you see here today,” he said later. Members of the Northside group asked why spend money and energy going to Mars when there were issues right here on Earth still to be solved. The focus group discussed problems like food insecurity, poverty and man-made climate change. In addition to the Northside focus group, there was also a focus group of Pittsburgh students. This younger group, Harshaw explained, raised concerns about the socio-economic issues of sending people to Mars, such as how to
Multiple Northside renovation and construction projects are receiving a big boost in funding, thanks to Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). In the latest round of grant funding from the program, which was announced in the fall, a total of nine Northside-centric projects were identified as receiving funding. The amounts given ranged from $500,000 to $10 million, according to a spreadsheet released by the state. The RACP is administered by the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget, and is used for the “acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects,” according to the Office of the Budget website. For the Allegheny YMCA, located at 600 W. North Ave., the money is an “absolutely critical” piece of a wider fundraising campaign, according to Carolyn Grady, chief development officer for the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. The Allegheny YMCA is set to receive $2 million out of a requested $5 million for a major renovation of the 97-year-old building. Grady said the YMCA anticipates
See Mars, Page 4
See RACP, Page 8
Photo by Sean P. Ray
Attendees to the Carnegie Science Center’s new exhibit, titled Mars: The Next Giant Leap, use joysticks to control Mars rovers. The exhibit was unveiled at a press event on Nov. 17, and opened to the public on Nov. 19. A focus group made up of Northsiders helped inform the design of the exhibit.
From the Northside to Mars: Science Center unveils new exhibit By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor The Carnegie Science Center’s newest exhibit, Mars: The Next Giant Leap, may deal with a planet millions of miles away, but one of the central aspects of the exhibit was shaped right here in the Northside. During a press event on Nov. 17 showing off the new exhibit, Carnegie Science Center Director Jason Brown said the museum began planning the exhibit by reaching out to local business leaders, students and the Center’s own “Northside neighbors.” “So this guidance from students and from others drove our plans to develop what you’re about to see, this
INSIDE
7,400-square-foot exhibit experience,” Brown said. “It helped us realize that what makes space exploration relevant to our community here is ultimately the same set of issues that will enable us to thrive right here in Pittsburgh.” Marcus Harshaw, Senior Director of Museum Experiences, elaborated more on how the Northside helped shape the exhibit in an interview with The Chronicle. Harshaw said the Science Center assembled a focus group of Northside residents while planning for the exhibit was still in its early stages. “What we were most surprised about is our Northside group really wanted to know ‘Why Mars?’” Harshaw said.
- Development Fund luncheon returns, Page 3 - Holiday gift guide, Page 13 STORIES, COLUMNS, FEATURES & MORE - November Business Briefs, Page 15
ONLINE
WWW.THENORTHSIDE CHRONICLE.COM
- Latest Northside news - Weekly real estate transfers - Event coverage and photos