2022 Events
Review
2022 is coming to a close and we thought it
would be fun to highlight some of our favorite events in the next few
issues of the newsletter. We’ve hosted 18 events over the
past 10 months, and choosing favorites isn’t easy!
Event
Feature - D38 Parks Tour at Harrison Hills
Park
This week we’re featuring our
Senate District 38 Parks Tour at Harrison
Hills Park. We are lucky to have four beautiful Allegheny County
Parks in Senate District 38 and our guided constituent tours with
naturalists and park rangers have helped raise awareness of these
valuable community assets.
Harrison Hills Park is a few
miles down Freeport Road from our District Office in Natrona Heights.
At 524 acres, Harrison Hills may be the smallest of the Allegheny
County Parks, but the trails, playgrounds, ponds, and vistas are not
to be missed!
Legislative Update
Investing in Our Water
Infrastructure
Ensuring access to clean
drinking water and upgrading our sewer and stormwater infrastructure
are issues I care deeply about. The same water that floods roads in
McCandless, cutting residents off from emergency services, comes
downstream and can destroy homes and businesses in Etna and Millvale.
That’s why I supported funding the H2O PA Water Supply, Sanitary
Sewer and Storm Water Projects Program and the PA Small Water and
Sewer Program this year to ensure that our municipalities, water
authorities, and watershed preservation groups can do the work that is
vital to the health and well-being of our families and our
communities.
This year’s budget appropriated federal
American Rescue Plan Act funds to each of these two programs from
legislation I was proud to sponsor. The H2O program has $214.4
million available, and the Small Water & Sewer program has $105.6
million.
As a result of this funding, the
Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
(DCED) is now accepting applications for the H2O PA Water Supply,
Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Projects program and the PA Small Water
and Sewer program. The application windows for each program ends on
Dec. 21, 2022. Municipalities and municipal authorities are eligible
to apply.
The H2O program provides single-year or multi-year
grants to municipalities or municipal authorities to assist with the
construction of drinking water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer
projects. Projects must be over $500,000.
The Small Water
& Sewer program funds projects that involve the construction,
improvement, expansion, repair, or rehabilitation of a water supply
system, sanitary sewer system, storm sewer system, or infrastructure
that reduces the amount of runoff that needs to be managed by
traditional infrastructure that are owned and maintained by an
eligible applicant. An eligible project also includes consolidation or
regionalization of two or more water supply systems or sanitary sewer
systems which are managed or operated as an integrated system
regardless of whether the system is physically connected. Projects
have total costs between $30,000 and $500,000.
More
information about the Small Water & Sewer program, including the
guidelines and how to apply can be found by visiting www.dced.pa.gov
or by clicking
here.
Good News
Pittsburgh Glass
Center
On October 4th, Rep.
Sara Innamorato and I received a tour and update on the expansion
of the Pittsburgh
Glass Center, one of the premier glass facilities in the US. The
Pittsburgh Glass Center serves as a public-access education center,
studio, and community hub for our region. Thank you for the update and
the opportunity to create our own blown glass
pumpkins!
Dinner with
Pittsburgh’s Chinese Community
On October 5th,
I had the pleasure of meeting and sharing an incredible meal with
leaders in Pittsburgh’s Chinese Community. I really enjoyed our
conversation on how the state can serve Chinese residents better and
the importance of a quality and culturally competent education for our
students. Thank you to Chengdu
Gourmet 2 that recently opened on McKnight Road for preparing an
excellent meal for us to share.
Our 2022
Community Baby Shower at Liberty Green
Park!
Our Community Baby Shower last Tuesday
at Larimer’s Liberty Green Park was a big success this year with
over 100 attendees! The warm weather, good music, and beautiful open
park made everyone feel welcome. Whether you needed a new
children’s winter coat, educational assistance, diapers, lead
testing, car seat information, childcare, a flu or COVID vaccination,
or healthcare support, there was an organization there to help with
programs and information.
We want to say a special thank
you to the City
of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events for helping to coordinate
the event. We’d also like to thank Russellton
Palmer Pharmacy for providing flu shots and COVID-19 booster
shots, the Pittsburgh
Firefighters Local No. 1 & Duquesne
Light’s Operation
Warm Program for their coat giveaway, Cupcakes
for Cohen for providing our wonderful pastries, and Soergel
Orchards for their juicy apples!
Upcoming Election
Deadlines
The last day to register to vote for
the 2022 General Election is just one week away – Monday,
October 24.
The last
day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot for the 2022
General Election is Tuesday, November 1.
Returning your Mail-in Ballot
101
If you are
voting by mail-in or absentee ballot, there are 4 simple steps to
complete and return your ballot:
- Read the instructions
carefully and mark your ballot. Be sure to complete the front and back
of each page.
- Seal your ballot in the inner secrecy envelope
marked “official election ballot.” Do not make any
marks on the secrecy envelope. Your ballot must be sealed in this
envelope, or it will not be counted.
- Seal the inner secrecy
envelope and place it inside the pre-addressed outer declaration
envelope. Sign and date the declaration envelope or your
ballot will not be counted.
- Return your voted
ballot to your county
board of elections by mail or in person. In Allegheny County, that
means dropping your ballot off at the Department of Elections,
City-County Building, 542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. For
in-person return, you can only return your own
ballot. All mail ballots must be received by 8 pm on Election
Day, November 8. Postmarks do not
count.
**Don’t forget
proper postage! Make sure to include sufficient postage when
you return your ballot.
**Changed your mind about voting by
mail? Bring your mail ballot and the pre-addressed outer
return envelope to your polling place on Election Day to be voided.
After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration,
you can then vote in-person at your polling place. If you do not have
your mail ballot, you may still vote provisionally at the polls.
***Lost your mail ballot? Go to your polling
place on Election Day and ask to vote provisionally. Your vote will be
counted after Allegheny County Elections verifies no mail ballot was
received from you.
For complete information on voting in
Pennsylvania go to DOS
Voting & Election Information (pa.gov).
An hour a
week can change a child’s life!
Become an Oasis
tutor and have the opportunity to give back, have fun, and make a
difference. Oasis
Intergenerational Tutoring Program is a non-profit organization
that recruits and trains adults (50+) to tutor children in grades K-4
in reading and writing. Oasis has tutors in over 37 schools serving
over 230 students yearly. All training, materials and clearances are
free.
A two-day training session will be held on
Tuesday, November 15th and Thursday, November
17th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For more information on
how to become an Oasis tutor, or other training dates, please call
John D. Spehar, Director, Pittsburgh Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring
Program at (412) 393-7648 or by email at [email protected].
Oasis Tutoring is a Program of Literacy
Pittsburgh.
October
Allegheny County Park Events!
There are so
many ways to get involved in our parks and benefit from the services
they offer this fall. Explore the options below to make your mark and
take action in the park during October.
AIA
Awards in Lawrenceville and Sharpsburg
AIA
Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh chapter of the American
Institute of Architects (AIA), honored two projects in Senate
District 38 last week. Congratulations to the firms and organizations
that reimagined these buildings and to the communities that benefit
from innovative design.
In the Medium Project Category, Contemporary
Craft in Lawrenceville designed by GBBN
received a Certificate of Merit. Jury comments: “This is a
great example of thoroughly reviving a blighted building with a few
well-placed architectural moves and thoughtful interior choices. We
particularly like the use of texture and tasteful palette that allows
the art to shine.”
Second
Harvest Community Thrift Store in Sharpsburg, designed by Rothschild
Doyno Collaborative, won a Social Impact in Design Award. Jury
comments: “We really appreciate the precedent this project sets
— that there can be so much life given back to a type of
functional building we see all over the country. We also appreciated
the resonance of showing pride in reuse as an ethos of the thrift
store, but also an ethos of the building. This is an example of how
design provides dignity and community.”
Read more at See
which Pittsburgh area buildings won AIA architecture awards
(nextpittsburgh.com).
Outdoor
Fire Safety Tips
If you are planning to gather
around your fire pit this fall, consult the fire safety tips above
from the Pennsylvania
Office of the State Fire Commissioner beforehand. Also keep in
mind some municipalities have ordinances that prohibit open burning or
only allow an open flame for cooking. Call your municipality or local
police non-emergency line for info.
As always, please
feel free to reach out with any questions you may have by phone at 412-364-0469
(Ross Office), 724-224-2131
(Harrison Office) or by email at [email protected].
My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours
(Monday-Friday).
Senator Lindsey Williams
