Info from Mayor Peduto Office 6/2020

Report to SFCA Annual Meeting
June 2020

Hersh Merenstein, Office of Mayor Peduto

Mayor Peduto’s announcements:

-Sign up for the Mayor’s newsletter to stay up to date during COVID-19 at newsletter.pittsburghpa.gov or continue to visit pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/covid-updates for COVID-19 updates and data from the Mayor’s Office. This website can be translated in commonly spoken languages.

-Mayor Peduto has announced his 2020 street paving list. This year, nearly $16 million will be allocated to resurfacing, totaling 27 miles of streets with more to be resurfaced in coordination with utility companies. ADA curb ramps will be upgraded, and the City will be repairing concrete, brick, and block stone streets. For the full list of streets slated to be resurfaced: https://pittsburghpa.gov/domi/street-resurfacing. For an updated weekly schedule: https://pittsburghpa.gov/domi/paving-schedule.

-As Allegheny County has moved to Governor Wolf’s green phase of reopening, organized sports will be allowed to resume — provided that organizers follow safety guidelines — and permits will again be accepted for rental of ballfields and open-air park shelters. Block party permits and special event permits for outdoor groups will be allowed for groups of up to 250 attendees, though they must include a COVID-19 safety plan. Crews from the Department of Public Works are rehabilitating ballfields and other sites this week, and will be posting signage on their safe use. While crews will also seek to regularly clean playgrounds, parents and caregivers are urged to regularly make sure children wash hands and not use playgrounds if they are sick. Restrooms, water fountains, swimming pools, recreation centers and senior centers remain closed. For a full list of City amenities and functions that are beginning to reopen, please visit: https://pittsburghpa.gov/press-releases/press-releases/4034.

-The City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation and its partners distributed a total of 52,087 meals since they first started giving out food at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown in March.

-In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Peduto has allocated more $12 million in federal funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). For a full list of organizations that received funding, please visit: https://pittsburghpa.gov/press-releases/press-releases/3912.

-The Mayor’s Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) offers one on one professional financial counseling as a free public service. The FC helps clients take control of their debt deal with debt collectors, improve their credit, create a budget increase savings, connect to safe and affordable financial products and much more. Contact to schedule your FREE counseling session: 1-800-298-0237 or email fecinfo@advantageccs.org. So far, the FEC has helped 557 local residents to save over $319,000 and reduce debt by more than $223,000.

-The Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to offer a new, Rec2Tech-based Virtual Coding Camp for Pittsburgh kids. This Virtual Coding Camp builds upon the onsite computer coding workshops that took place during the 2019/20. Sign-up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rec2tech-summer-camp-tickets-109669037042.

-Citiparks’ CitiCamp@Home, a six week program, offers weekly take home STEM/STEAM projects, games, giveaways and chances to win family-friendly prizes. Conveniently packaged into To-Go Kits, each kit has everything your child needs to create great projects that have built-in literacy and math components. More information: https://pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks/citiparks-kids-citicamp.

-Mayor Peduto’s Imagination Library program in conjunction with the Dolly Parton Foundation sends a book every month to children in Pittsburgh until they reach their 5th birthday. Recently, the program sent its 30,000th book to a Pittsburgh family. To sign-up a child or grandchild in your life, please visit: https://pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/imaginationlibrary.

-For a full list of rental, mortgage, and business assistance programs offered by the City’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, please visit: https://www.ura.org/pages/covid-19

-To learn more about the Pittsburgh Water Sewer Authority (PWSA)’s Community Lead Response program, including the Mayor’s commitment to remove every lead service line in the city by 2026, please visit: http://lead.pgh2o.com/

Info from Mayor Peduto Office 6/2020