Nov. 2022 Est. 1985
The Northside Chronicle
Volume 38 Issue 11 - FREE -
The Community Newspaper of Pittsburgh’s Historic Northside
Catching up with the new principals
Photo by Sean P. Ray
Carl Watson is Pittsburgh Morrow PreK-8’s new principal. He is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Public Schools system. By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor
While teachers are the school personnel students most often interact with, principals also play a vital role in the education of students. Pittsburgh Public Schools in the Northside received three new principals this year, each representing a possible change in direction for their respective schools. The Chronicle caught up with these new principals, asking them to introduce themselves to the wider community and also to talk about how their first few months in office have gone, as well as their vision for the future.
Carl Watson - Pittsburgh Morrow PreK-8
Carl Watson is no stranger to Pittsburgh Morrow PreK-8. He’s served as a teacher there and even as vice principal, though he’s spent the last four years at Perry Traditional Academy. As such, when he got the opportunity to become Morrow’s full-time principal, it felt like something special. “I feel like I’m back home,” Watson said. A graduate of the Pittsburgh Public Schools system himself, Watson grew up as a “proud resident of Manchester,” as he put it. See Principals, Page 10
INSIDE
Photo by Sean P. Ray
This unusually large spotted lanternfly was among the many participants in the Spring Hill Civic League’s Halloween Parade and Fall Festival on Oct. 21. The outfit based on the invasive insect won most creative costume at the festival. Turn to page 20 for more pictures from the event.
Designs for Davis Avenue pedestrian bridge shown off, city collects feedback By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor Riverview Park fans got their first look at the final design for the planned Davis Avenue pedestrian bridge during a virtual public meeting on Sept. 29. The bridge will replace a former vehicular bridge which was demolished in 2009 and connected Brighton Heights to Riverview Park. While city officials did take public feedback from attendees at the meeting, the designs shown represent most of how the bridge will look overall once finished. Should all go according to plan, construction of the bridge is planned to begin in the spring of 2023, and likely finish in the fall of 2023, according to Ryan Whittington, design team
- Concern for Riverview Park’s future, Page 3 - Troy Hill’s new lighthouse, Page 4 STORIES, COLUMNS, FEATURES & MORE - Rep. Abney makes Chronicle debut, Page 7
project manager with HNTB Corporation, which is working with the city on the project. The bridge will continue from Davis Avenue and cross over Woods Run Avenue, connecting to the paved trail system that runs throughout the park. As mentioned, the bridge will be pedestrian in nature, allowing for people walking or riding bicycles, but not for motorists. The planned bridge will have a 12-foot wide pathway for people to cross, and will be designed to look like weathered steel. Lights will be installed along the bride’s railings, ones which will illuminate the bridge path but not spillover onto homes beneath the crossing. Whittington explained that pieces of the bridge will be built off-site for better
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quality control. These prefabricated pieces will then be delivered to the bridge site and lifted into place. The existing stone abutments from the vehicular bridge will remain, as Whittington said inspections found they were sturdy enough to be reused. “We were happy to report they could indeed carry the loading of a new bridge,” he said. Improvements will also be made to Davis Avenue and the park loop on either side of the bridge to accommodate the new structure. The width of the road approaching the bridge, for example, will be narrowed, and plants will be added to create a “gateway See Meeting, Page 9
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