Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Here's a video of the May 7 VIP Meet the Candidates panel.
All Verona voters heading to the poll on May 21 can learn about the candidates. This video was filmed during last week's Verona in Progress Meet the Candidates forum. Running are: Mayor—Incumbent David Ricupero, a Democrat, is running unopposed. Council—Four four-year council seats are open. Those running on the Democratic ticket are incumbents Patrick McCarthy Jr., Rhoda Gemellas Worf, William Futules and Peggy Suchevich, as well as Robert Brayer, Janet LoAlbo, Sylvia Kresevich Provenza and Leo Bickert. Merle Balkovec is unopposed in the Republican ticket. For a look at who is running in other local races, click here. Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
There are several code enforcement issues throughout the borough that officials are hoping to address.
Verona officials are working to tackle several code enforcement issues throughout the borough. Last week, officials discussed a handful of properties that have been troublesome for some time. They agreed to take a Union Street property owner to court and to demolish another property on Parker Street. Borough code enforcement officer Mark Stanton said the owners of 179/181 Union St., a duplex, have been cited and found guilty in district court numerous times since 2011 for code violations on the property. Currently, a tenant lives on one side of the duplex without a permit, and Stanton said he believes one side also does not have pipes. "We get no compliance," he said. "We've tried every effort to deal with these people." At Stanton's …
Monday, April 15, 2013
People won't be able to smoke at borough parks soon.
Verona Borough parks will be deemed smoke-free zones. Last week, council approved a resolution prohibiting smoking at all borough parks and playgrounds, including Riverbank Park and the parklet near the borough building. The borough has teamed up with Tobacco Free Allegheny—an organization with a mission to change the community norms surrounding tobacco, making it uncommon to see, use or be negatively affected by tobacco or tobacco smoke pollution—for the Young Lungs at Play effort. The goal of Young Lungs at Play is to reduce childrens' exposure to second-hand smoke, as well as pollution of cigarette butts in the parks. Brittany Huffman, a program assistant with Tobacco Free Allegheny, said the organization would provide the signs for …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
This is the first step in revitalizing Verona's business district.
More than 40 volunteers spent their Saturday morning beautifying the Borough of Verona. The volunteers helped plant new trees along Allegheny River Boulevard, the borough's business district. The new trees are the first step in Verona's revitalization plan. About 17 trees—among the species are Elms, Cherry Plums and Japanese Lilacs—were provided by TreeVitalize, a broad-based public-private partnership created to increase public awareness of the importance of community trees, and to reverse the loss of tree cover in the state’s metropolitan areas. The borough's streetscape plan also calls for new and improved lighting throughout lower Verona. After hours of hard work, the volunteers enjoyed lunch and refreshments at Trinity Lutheran Church…
Thursday, April 4, 2013
These Verona students used math and creativity skills to redesign a borough park.
Sixth-graders at Verner Elementary School in Verona are putting their math and creativity skills to work in an attempt to redesign a borough park. The 6th grade math students have been working on a Connected Mathematics unit called “Covering and Surrounding”. In the unit, students learned how to find the area and perimeter of shapes—triangles, squares, rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and circles. Teacher Ashlee Cosentino was able to use a STEAM grant this year (an initiative to combine science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) to incorporate a project-based learning activity for the students. "To engage students in the project, I made it relatable and realistic to the world they live in," she said. Students were …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
This year's primary election will be May 21. Take a look at who filed to be on the ballot.
There are several government seats—council, school board, mayoral—up for grabs this year in Plum, Oakmont and Verona. This year's primary election is on May 21. Republicans and Democrats are seeking their party's nomination to appear in the general election ballot in November. Here's a look at who filed to run in local races. Mayor—Incumbent Richard Hrivnak is running unopposed in the Democratic ticket. Republicans Dave Majernik, Joe Tommarello (currently on school board) and former councilwoman Christine Scardina-Gazzo are hoping for their party's nomination during the primary. Tax Collector—Incumbent Harry Schlegel, a Republican, is running unopposed for the party's nomination. He will face Democrat Jeff Russo, a former school board …
Monday, April 1, 2013
If you have a few hours to spare, consider helping the community on Saturday.
The Verona Borough revitalization begins on Saturday with tree planting! The community is invited to help plant trees provided by TreeVitalize along Allegheny River Boulevard. Anyone interested in volunteering can sign up at www.paconserve.org/300 to volunteer or contact Bridget Seery at 724-977-8374 or turtlegirl7_@hotmail.com. Volunteers will meet at Trinity Lutheran Church, 701 Allegheny River Boulevard, to help plant 17 trees in pits along the business district. Work will occur from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are asked to wear old clothes and boots. Coffee and lunch will be provided. ___________________ Plum-Oakmont Patch is on Facebook and on Twitter. Don't forget to sign up for our daily email newsletter by clicking here.
Monday, March 11, 2013
The reloadable plastic smart cards are intended to eliminate the need for paper passes and tickets, according to the Port Authority of Allegheny County.
The Giant Eagle store in Verona is among nearly 50 of the grocery chain's locations that will begin selling and renewing the Port Authority's new ConnectCard. The reloadable smart cards are intended to replace paper transit passes and tickets, according to a statement from the Port Authority. Transit patrons can purchase weekly or monthly passes and load that amount onto their cards, then present the cards to ride a Port Authority vehicle. The Verona Giant Eagle is located at 200 Allegheny River Blvd. Other nearby stores include the ones in New Kensington, 200 Tarentum Bridge Road, and Monroeville, 4680 William Penn Highway. Both stores will permit customers to buy and load a card for weekly or monthly use and to check their balances. …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Here's a roundup of items discussed at the February regular council meeting.
Verona Council discussed many items at its regular council meeting earlier this month. Here's a look at some of them: Millage Verona Borough's overall assessment has increased, but the borough's millage rate will remain steady for the time being, according to Solicitor Craig Alexander. Under the reassessment, taxing bodies can't receive more than 5 percent in property tax revenue so as not to use the reassessment as a major tax increase. Currently, Verona is expected to realize a 9.4 percent increase in property tax revenue, but Alexander said there are a lot of pending appeals, which could drop that number. "More often than not, the numbers are lowered," he said. "There's still a lot pending, and I don't think the 9 percent will be …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Verona's revitalization project is coming along, and lights could be installed between the summer and the fall.
Work to install new lights around Verona Borough could begin sometime this year—possibly in the summer or the fall months. Members of the Verona Business District Advisory Committee—along with the Allegheny Valley North Council of Governments—have been working on plans to revitalize Verona's business district for several years, and now that the design work is complete, they're ready to start preparing bid documents for potential contractors. The borough already has received a $143,000 grant through the county's Community Development Block Grant program. Verona Borough must contribute an extra $21,485 in cash or in-kind services. Mike Vento, the architecture and design chair for the VBDAC, said the committee also is waiting to hear if it …
Heidi Dezayas
10:31 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
I am, too! This is going to be a great thing for the town! more ›