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Pleasant Hills
If you see lots of walkers around St. Elizabeth Elementary School in Pleasant Hills today, join the fun. The school is holding its second annual RACE from 8:30 a.m. to noon. RACE stands for Runners and walkers Alive for Catholic Education and is a major yearly fund-raiser. Pupils, faculty and parents walk a one-mile loop around the school and neighborhood in an effort to raise $40,000 to update the computer lab.
More than $6,000 has been raised with sponsors for today's event. Last year's RACE proceeds were used to renovate the gymnasium.
Whitehall
Borough Manager Jim Leventry said renovation of the borough's community room should be finished this week and community groups may start using the facility Monday.
The $73,000 project awarded to Sommer Construction Co., of Bethel Park, meant the room had to be closed for several weeks. During that time, a smaller multipurpose room on the municipal building's first floor was used. The five-week project included remodeling the room's kitchen, installing wallpaper and carpeting, painting, electrical work and improving the library's adjourning lobby area.
Budget meetings to be held in council chambers have been scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 9 and 9 a.m. Nov. 11 and Nov. 18.
The police department will get new recording equipment after council approved the purchase last week of three in-car digital recording video systems from the Watch Guard Video Co., of Plano, Texas, at a cost of $15,635. The equipment will replace 10-year old units.
For the second year in a row, Whitehall Library has been awarded the AARP Pennsylvania Excellence Award for one of the program in its Senior Health Series.
Take 10, is an educational series promoting health and wellness to its senior library customers.
Denise Ignasky, library assistant and program coordinator, said the award was unexpected because it was the first time a library had won the award two years in a row.
The award, a plaque and a $100 check, will be presented Nov. 14 at the Pennsylvania Library Association's annual convention at the Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh, Downtown.
The library received the award last year for its Books-n-Banter program, a community-interactive venture that provides volunteers to visit people in assisted living facilities for reading, trivia and craft activities.
On 10:30 a.m. Oct. 19, the library will begin a health series as Patty Gordon, an ovarian cancer program coordinator from UPMC, will provide a presentation on women's cancers. To register, call 412-882-6622.
Schools
Baldwin-Whitehall
The school board voted 5-4 to bring back the district's former athletic director, Don Yannessa, to serve as interim athletic director.
Mr. Yannessa, who retired as Baldwin- High School athletic director, will return in November.
He will replace Lou Angelo, who is leaving to become an assistant principal at Upper St. Clair High School.
Mr. Angelo, an alumnus of Baldwin High School, served as an athletic coach there for two years.
He previously taught secondary English at Upper St. Clair before leaving in 2004 to take the position at Baldwin.
Mr. Yannessa was Baldwin's athletic director for about 15 years until his retirement in 2003.
Although the district still is working on new prices for renting its facilities, Superintendent Donna Milanovich said she was granting an exception to a group of men who have been playing basketball after hours at the Whitehall Elementary School gym.
One of the men, Randy Haberman, came to the Sept. 6 school board meeting to complain about an increase in rental fees for the gym from $10 an hour to $45 an hour.
The school board, which asked the administration to find ways to increase revenues, thought that increase was too high. But it hasn't revised the fee schedule.
Dr. Milanovich called Mr. Haberman last week and told him that he and his friends could continue to play at the $10 an hour rate.
South Park
The first meeting of the Tax Study Commission appointed by the South Park school board was held Oct. 3.
The commission, mandated by Act 1 of the Pennsylvania Taxpayer Relief Act, will review the school district's tax structure and make recommendations regarding options for lowering property taxes and offer suggestions as to whether to increase or establish an earned income tax.
According to Act 1 guidelines, the structure of the commission has to reflect the socioeconomic, age and occupational diversity of the school district and be of five, seven or nine members. The seven commission members appointed by the board are Tracey Janda, Jason Olexa, Jonathan Hale, Richard Hartman, Doug Barnes, Anthony La Barbera and Hugh Mayer
Students and others may attend a program on Internet safety to be held in the auditorium of South Park High School at 7 p.m. Nov. 2.
The program, sponsored by the district, police and supervisors, will cover The Internet and Protecting Our Youth.
FBI Special Agent Denise Holtz and White Oak police Chief Joe Hoffman will speak.
First Published October 12, 2006 12:00 am
