Volume 28 No. 1 January 2012
St. Nicholas application of economic hardship denied By Kelsey Shea
Photo courtesy The Children’s Museum Work on the T tunnel that runs under the river continues as its March opening date draws closer and closer. The Stadium Authority and ALCO Parking voted to sponsor free rides.
North Side station finds sponsorship for free rides By Kelsey Shea On December 21, The Stadium Authority voted to sponsor free rides from the North Side T Station, which will open in March of 2012, to Downtown Pittsburgh for the next three years. The Stadium Authority, who owns much of the land the T runs through, and ALCO Parking, a private parking company that own lots on the North Shore, have agreed to pay Pittsburgh Port Authority a lump sum of $160,000 this year to cover the cost for riders departing or arriving at the North Side Station adjacent to PNC Park. The three-year deal will increase
INSIDE
by $5,000 annually, and the Stadium Authority and ALCO will have the option to expand the contract beyond the initial three years. Though ALCO and the Stadium Authority hope that free fares will utilize parking space on the Northside for Downtown workers and visitors, Jeremy Waldrup, CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, predicts it will bring more people, business and foot traffic to the Northside. “A free, frequent and fast transit link will have the effect of essentially extending the borders of
See T Station, page 6
-Holidays on the Northside 4 STORIES, COLUMNS, -Cooking with Cans 7 FEATURES & MORE -Chef Alfredo 9
Last week, the city Historic Review Commission denied St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic parish’s application for economic hardship, which would have allowed for the demolition the old church. The parish, which is now located in an historic church building in Millvale, was denied permission to demolish the old church because it had a buyer with plans for its reuse. The Northside Leadership Conference is interested in purchasing the church and turning it into a Croatian immigrant museum, a project supported by the Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation and the Croatian Ambassador. NSLC marketing studies show that the museum would see around 25,000 visitors a year. The NSLC’s plan for the site also includes a bike and pedestrian loop trail that will go through Troy Hill and Historic Deutschtown as an extension of the North Shore trail. The marketing study estimates that the trail would attract an additional 25,000 visitors. “If we are able to pull this off, it’s 50,000 visitors to the Northside,” said Mark Fatla, executive director of NSLC. “And the beautiful thing about 50,000
people is that they all have wallets.” Father Dan Whalen, administrator of the St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic parish in Millvale, said he was not shocked by the Historic Review Commission’s decision and is focusing on moving forward, noting that “you have to live with the decisions that were made.” He said that a museum would be an acceptable reuse of the church. “We’re still, and always have been, negotiating with the Northside Leadership Conference,” said Father Whalen, but noted they are “keeping all legal options open” as well. The old church sits along Route 28, where it was once the center of Pittsburgh Croatian community on the Northside. It became an historic landmark at the wish of several parishioners in 2001, but was vacated in 2004, when the church moved to Millvale due to dwindling size of the parish. Initially when Whalen took the position, he said he hoped to make a profit for the parish by selling the old church, but that is no longer the case. “At this point, I’m just trying to stop the financial bleeding,” he said. He estimates that maintaining the church costs the parish about $1,800
See St. Nicholas, page 6
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