Soil testing approved for Old William Penn Highway remediation
Test Boring Services was awarded nearly $18,000 by Penn Hills Council on Sept. 16 to, as resident Greg Swatchick put it, “drill, baby drill” on Old William Penn Highway for soil samples ahead of a planned landslide remediation.
Swatchick, along with some municipal officials, said they were eager for work to get underway on the arterial roadway after years of subsidence.
Earlier this year, Penn Hills received an $800,000 federal grant to shore up the road, which has been listed as a priority in past capital improvement programs.
Council requests state help with wastewater staffing
Penn Hills Council authorized a letter Sept. 16 requesting a consultant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to find staffing solutions for the municipal Water Pollution Control Department.
According to Penn Hills Manager Scott Andrejchak, the municipality has struggled to find and retain qualified wastewater workers, forcing employees who do stick around to work long hours. The department operates 12 pump stations that direct sewage either to its own treatment plants or the Alcosan system.
He said the water department’s director, Jennifer Sarver, has done “a wonderful job,” but staffing issues are endemic to the wastewater industry right now. He also warned Penn Hills may continue to be on its own to fix the problem.
“There’s no guarantee that we’re going to get this funding, but because of how important it is, I’m hoping perhaps that our state legislator and maybe our state senator will expedite it,” Andrejchak said.
Free Health & Senior Fair set for older residents
The community’s older residents are invited to a free Health & Senior Fair from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 sponsored by Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and state Rep. Joe McAndrew, D-Penn Hills.
The event will be held at the Greek Orthodox Social Hall, 12 Washington Ave. in Oakmont.
No registration is required to attend.
More than 35 organizations will be on hand to provide information.
Services and resources that will be available include:
• Free flu and pneumonia shots (bring your Medicare or insurance card)
• Free blood pressure screenings
• An opportunity to apply for or renew one’s Senior ConnectCard with Pittsburgh Regional Transit
• Responsible disposal of unused medication through Project DUMP by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office
• Door prizes
For details, call McAndrew’s office at 412-793-2448.
Verona dentist offering free care
Verona Dental Care, 625 Allegheny River Blvd., is giving back to the community with a Free Dentistry Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 11.
Patients can choose one of the following services: a free cleaning, filling or extraction.
People of all ages who are in need of dental care will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Appointments also can be scheduled by calling 412-828-1920.
Music nonprofit organizing festival in Verona
The Western Pennsylvania Center for the Arts Academy is hosting Beats & Eats, a music and food festival, from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 12 at Railroad Park in Verona.
The event will include a pet parade, a person/pet combination costume contest, a pumpkin carving contest, and food and beverage trucks. There also will be music by RMR Jazz, Carnegie Mellon Bag Pipes and more.
Sponsors include Veritas Instrument Rental.
For details or to sign up for the parade, visit wpcaacademy.org.
AARP meeting scheduled
The Plum AARP will hold its monthly meeting at noon Oct. 8 in Unity Community Church.
The guest will be Donna Groom, who sings with the Skyliners. Donations will be accepted for Christmas gifts for residents of the Veterans’ Hospital in Aspinwall. After the meeting, hot dogs and chips are available for $3. Cake, coffee and tea are free.
The Plum AARP is a social organization open to residents of Plum, Penn Hills, Monroeville and surrounding communities. Meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month, except June, at noon at the church. Dues are $15 per year.
Two hot dog lunches are served each year, and the club hosts a Christmas party, May luncheon and August social. There is entertainment or a speaker at each meeting.
The club also offers one-day or longer trips via Thomas Tours or Louise Grassi’s Tours. Newcomers are welcome at the monthly meetings.
For details, call Mary Lou at 724 327-8265.
Featured Local Businesses
Community invited to Autumn in the Hills
The Penn Hills Rotary and Penn Hills Community Development Corporation are joining forces for a fall-themed community event, Autumn in the Hills, from 2 to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department’s Memorial Park.
There will be live music, food, drinks, vendors and axe throwing.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Drag Queen Bingo to benefit pit bull outreach
The Proper Pit Bull is marking Pit Bull Awareness Month with a Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser Oct. 5 at Universal Banquet Hall, 2240 Main St. in Penn Hills.
The nonprofit organization raises awareness of pit bull breeds through education, advocacy and outreach. All proceeds from the event go back into the Pittsburgh area to help both homeless pit bulls and those with owners but need assistance.
Tickets are $35 each in advance, $40 at the door, and include eight games and a buffet dinner.
Doors will open at 5 p.m., with dinner starting at 5:30 and bingo following at 7.
There will be raffles, special games and food. The event is cash only. Attendees 21 and older are invited to bring their own alcohol.
Tickets can be purchased in advance through Eventbrite at https://tinyurl.com/3py2uyyb.
Blood donors sought for fall drive
The American Red Cross is encouraging donors of all blood types and platelets, especially those who have never donated before, to consider doing so for the month of October.
According to the Red Cross, only three out of 100 Americans donate blood. Donations are critical to keep the blood supply stable during the fall months.
Donations of all blood types — particularly those with type O, the most transfused type — are needed.
Anyone who donates through Oct. 31 will receive a $10 Amazon gift card by email and will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of three $5,000 gift cards. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Treat.
To make an appointment, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
Prospective donors also can enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or to seek more information.
A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 and older in most states, weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.
Calling all ghouls and boos: Sign up for costume parade
The Penn Hills Parks & Recreation is planning a Halloween Parade in the Park from 11 a.m. to noon Oct. 26 at Penn Hills Community Park.
Families are invited to come dressed in their favorite costume. The parade will start at 11:15 a.m.
Prizes will be awarded for the scariest, cutest and most creative costumes.
Space is limited, and registration is required by Oct. 21.
To register, call 412-798-2147.
Spooky Night at the Races to benefit Rosedale firefighters
The Rosedale Civic Association is organizing a Spooky Night at the Races fundraiser for the Rosedale Volunteer Fire Department from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Oakmont Elks, 101 Washington Ave.
Costumes are optional, but there will be a $50 prize for the best costume.
The cost is $15 per person and includes a buffet dinner.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 and the start of races at 6. There will be a cash bar.
Proceeds will be used to purchase personal protective equipment for Rosedale firefighters.
To purchase a ticket, send an email to rosedalecivicassociation222@gmail.com.
Halloween Bingo boasts $1,000 jackpot
The Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Department No. 7, 125 Universal Road, is planning a Halloween Bingo on Oct. 19.
Doors will open at 4 p.m., and bingo will start at 5:30.
There will be a $1,000 jackpot, as well as a 50-50 and other raffles.
Tickets cost $20 and include one six-card sheet for each of the 20 regular games. The jackpot is $1,000.
Special bingo games will be sold separately.
Food and drinks, including alcoholic beverages for those 21 and older, also will be available for purchase.
To purchase tickets, call 412-247-1892 or visit www.phvfd227.store.
Meeting to offer update on VOPP trail
Friends of the Riverfront is organizing a public meeting to provide an update on the VOPP trail from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 10 at Oakmont Carnegie Library, 700 Allegheny River Blvd.
Featured Local Businesses
The VOPP Trail Connector will stretch from the Allegheny riverfront in Verona and connect Oakmont, Penn Hills along Plum Creek to Boyce Park in Plum — hence the VOPP name.
In 2022, Friends of the Riverfront worked with Penn Hills to raise funding to complete the design and engineering work for the 14-mile trail project. That work is being conducted by TranSystems through December.
According to the Friends of the Riverfront website, the first phase of design and engineering was completed in early 2023 and focused on the section in Verona and Oakmont. Survey and drone work is being completed on the remaining trail corridor to identify logical segments of the trail.
Fall craft festival set
Plum Mason Lodge 799 will host its second annual fall craft festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 5 at the lodge, 9521 Saltsburg Road in Plum.
There is no cost to attend.
The event will take place rain or shine.
Insurance fair planned at senior center
Penn Hills is hosting a health insurance fair for seniors from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Penn Hills Senior Service Center, 147 Jefferson Road.
Anyone 60 and older is invited.
Representatives from Humana, UPMC, Highmark, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna Healthcare and WellCare Health Plans will be in attendance to help seniors decide whether to change providers.
Phyllis Paciulli, director of the senior center, emphasized that this event will be strictly informational and insurance focused. Medicare open enrollment doesn’t start until Oct. 15, and it runs through Dec. 7.
“It is not going to be an in-home service, hospice, assisted living, nursing home type of thing,” Paciulli said. “And the vendors know they’re not allowed to sell during that time.”
Seniors also will be able to book a private room at the center to meet with insurance representatives between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays from Oct. 23 to Dec. 4.
For additional details, call 412-244-3400 or 412-244-3407.
26th Holiday Craft Show set for Nov. 23
Penn Hills Parks & Recreation will present its 26th annual Holiday Craft Show from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at Linton Middle School, 250 Aster St.
Admission is free.
The event will showcase more than 100 spaces of handmade arts and crafts.
There also will be door prizes, gift card raffles and concessions in the cafeteria.
For details, call the Parks & Recreation office at 412-798-2147.
Class of 1984 to gather in November
The Penn Hills High School Class of 1984 is celebrating its 40th reunion in November.
Members are invited to mark the occasion from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Comfort Inn & Suites RIDC, 180 Gamma Drive in O’Hara.
The cost is $58 per person and includes a buffet dinner and two drink tickets.
The itinerary includes cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7, dancing until 11 and a karaoke afterparty from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the hotel bar.
Tickets can be purchased via Venmo at https://venmo.com/u/Kristy-McGowan-1 through Kristy (McGill) McGowan.
For attendees who prefer to stay at the hotel, a block of rooms with king-size beds have been reserved for $87 a night. The hotel offers free breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, and has an indoor heated pool that’s open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. To reserve a room, call the hotel at 412-963-0600 and ask for the Penn Hills High School 40th reunion rate.
For questions, email ph84reunion@gmail.com or visit the Penn Hills Class of 1984 Facebook page.
Assistance available for veterans, spouses
State Rep. Joe McAndrew’s office, 77 Universal Road, Suite 1, in Penn Hills provides free assistance to veterans and their spouses from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month.
A veteran service officer from the American Legion will be on hand to help with a variety of needs, including compensation and pension claims, education benefits, enrollment in the VA health care system, burial and survivor benefits, state benefits, and obtaining military personnel and medical records.
There are limited appointments available for August. To make an appointment, call 412-793-2448.
McAndrew’s 32nd District covers Oakmont, Penn Hills, Plum and Verona.
Free clothing available
Mt. Hope Community Church, 12106 Frankstown Road, operates a free Clothesline to people in need from 10 a.m. to noon every Thursday.
Parking is available behind the church, and there is a bus stop nearby at Frankstown Road and Parkridge Drive.
Featured Local Businesses
Clothing for women, men and children of all ages is available, as well as some shoes and accessories.
Bags are provided, but visitors also are encouraged to bring their own.
The church also is accepting and loaning gently used children’s books.
For details, call 412-793-0227 or visit mthopepcusa.org/youth-ministries.
Station seeks firefighters, junior members
The Verona Volunteer Fire Company is accepting applictions for active firefighters as well as junior members 16 and 17 years of age.
Interested individuals can stop by the fire station, 465 Parker St., from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays.
Training is provided through the Allegheny County Fire Academy.
Verona Farmers Market sets up Thursdays
Verona’s seasonal farmers market has kicked off into full swing. Hosted every Thursday until Nov. 21, each market features a list of local vendors.
For special announcements about the market, visit the Verona Farmers Market Facebook page.
Group offers support for weight loss
All are welcome to join the men and women at Oakmont TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) who are learning how to lose weight.
With in-person meetings, rewards, support and encouragement, we gain knowledge of healthy eating and exercise.
You may visit with no obligation Tuesdays at 5:45 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1261 Pennsylvania Ave. in Oakmont. Weigh-in is private followed by a brief business meeting, sharing time, and educational program all ending by 7:15.