ALSO: Steubenville Pike Auto donates seventh car Findlay opens new police station WA Food Pantry gets a new home Trade students get their own signing day Grant awards Imperial VFD with new equipment WA softball team wins third straight WPIAL championship M agazine West Allegheny Edition Volume 20, Issue 120 June/July 2019 FREE Direct Mail Community Publication West Allegheny School District Offical Newsletter Inside Page 21 Serving Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon and McDonald in the West Allegheny School District One of 4 editions serving 17 airport area communities www.awmagazine.com Allegheny WestMore Pediatrics in Your Neighborhood! wmcpaphysicians.com 724-218-1931412-857-5245 400 Market Place Drive, Imperial (Next to Shop ‘N Save) 6200 Steubenville Pike, Towerview Suite 101, Robinson Twp. Kimberly M. Pezzone, MD Pediatrics Elizabeth Massella, MD Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine Dr. Elizabeth Massella, chosen as one of Pittsburgh’s Best Doctors 2017-18-19Now in Our 20 th Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Doug Hughey WRITERS Jill Bordo Jocelyn Grecko Pat Jennette GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kizina WEBMASTER www.ddswebdesign.com CONTRIBUTORS Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce, Findlay Township, North Fayette Township Oakdale Borough, McDonald Borough, West Allegheny School District, Western Allegheny Community Library, Erma Dodd, Barb Kleyman, Jesse Forquer FOUNDING PUBLISHER Pat Jennette WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and leftover products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Montour Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, and the Cornell Edition of Allegheny West Magazine. Allegheny West Magazine MEMBER @AlleghenyWest “GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME” Allegheny West Magazine - West Allegheny Edition, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the West Allegheny School District communities of Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, and McDonald to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine-West Allegheny Edition is published in February, April, June, August, October, and December, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, a portion of McDonald, and adjacent areas. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications, LLC. Copyright 1999-2019 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. 4 • Allegheny West Magazine • June/July 2019 Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our June West Allegheny edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope you are having a great start to your summer. One of the challenges that we regularly face with this bi-monthly publication is the long lead- time that we often need to deal with when listing and reporting on events, happenings and other news in the immediate area. While sometimes challenging, this can also be fun, as is the case each year with our May and June editions. In these editions we get to publish our annual summer fun guide with information on fairs, festivals and other fun summer happenings taking place across our coverage areas. With these particular editions, we start planning out and gathering information for this section when the weather is still chilly. Thus, it was once again nice to be thinking of warmer days as we were compiling this year’s comprehensive guide to area fairs, festivals, farmers’ markets, 5K races, area trails and activities for the kids to do once school is out for summer. Be sure to keep this guide, which starts on page 32, handy for the next few months. If you misplace it, you can still pull it up on our website at awmagazine.com or pick one up around the area. We have a link posted on our website with a Google map showing where we leave extra copies of our publication. In this edition as well, we take a look inside Findlay Township’s new police station. As the township continues to grow, this new station will help the department keep pace with all of the From the PublisherWest Allegheny Edition ~ June/July 2019 Volume 20, No. 120 ABOUT THE COVER Locally Sourced - Chamber Link - Around Your Town - Your Schools - Library Programs - Penned by Erma - 6 14 16 19 44 46 { } Contents Doug Hughey, Publisher and Editor - - - - - - - - 6 16 17 18 19 21 30 32 Columns June/July 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 5 Riders on the tilt-a-wheel at McSummerfest get a dizzying - but fun - experience. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY new development in the township. It promises not only to help keep the public safe but also police officers as well. Read more on page 16. On page 17, our publisher emeritus Pat Jennette writes about the new home of the West Allegheny Food Pantry, which was formerly operating on a temporary basis out of Valley Presbyterian Church. Its new location will significantly aid it as it continues its mission of feeding families in the area. Then on page 18, Jocelyn Grecko writes about a grant that’s outfitting the Imperial VFD with new equipment to help it adapt to the times. On page 21, read the latest news out of West Allegheny School District, including the West Allegheny softball team’s third consecutive WPIAL championship win. Then on page 19, read about a special, high profile signing day that recognized area trade students and their future plans. Look for our next edition in August, when we’ll be bringing your our special back-to-school, tear-out calendars. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer! Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster watches as the remaining contestants battle it out in one of several balloon tosses he organized at Donaldson Park on May 11. In a magnanimous gesture, the Steelers star awarded the winners of this toss and other contests with $100. He also treated the community to inflatable rides, lunch and a massive water balloon battle before signing lots of autographs. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY Steubenville Pike Auto donates seventh car Findlay opens new police station WA Food Pantry gets a new home Grant awards Imperial VFD with new equipment Trade students get their own signing day WA Today WA softball team wins third straight WPIAL championship 2019 Summer Fun Guide% The nonprofit Heroes Supporting Heroes teamed up with Steubenville Pike Auto in Robinson Township to once again donate a refurbished vehicle to an individual in need this past Memorial Day. The donation marked the seventh car that Steubenville Pike Auto had donated through its nonprofit, Steubenville Pike Auto Repair Charity. HSH once again covered the transfer fees and registration for the car donation. SPARC and HSH chose Jennifer Hall as the recipient of this most recent vehicle. Hall, a Pittsburgh native, moved back to the area from Colorado in 2017 with her toddler after her husband, Austin, a Navy veteran, committed suicide in 2016. Austin had been battling post-traumatic stress disorder. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has estimated that an average of 20 veterans die every day from suicide. “Austin, ‘Tino’ as his friends called him, was a handsome man with dreams and a wonderful work ethic,” recalled Jennifer. “He had lived a life full of adventure and travel since his childhood. When we met he owned a home and was a superintendent of a major construction company in Durango, Colorado. He was a builder, fisherman, hunter, and a gypsy at heart.” At the time that Austin committed suicide he was not only battling PTSD but also coping with severe injuries he had sustained at a construction site. After he passed away, Jennifer realized she and her son were left with only $200 in their bank account. Because of the manner in which Austin passed, they were ineligible for many of the support programs that benefit families of deceased veterans. Local government resources helped with food and utilities in a small apartment. With no life insurance to sustain them, Jennifer and her toddler moved back to the area to be with her family. Though she was able to purchase a small house, it had major structural issues. Through the United Way, Jennifer was connected with HSH, which provides home repairs to veterans and the family members of veterans. HSH has since provided more than 300 volunteer hours and over $10,000 in repairs to assist the family. When HSH president John Lee noticed that Jennifer was relying Locally SourcedLocally Sourced Steubenville Pike Auto announces recipient of seventh vehicle giveaway STORY AND PHOTO SUBMITTED Steubenville Pike Auto president Jason Pottle (at center) presents Jennifer Hall (second from left) with a refurbished vehicle through the company’s Steubenville Pike Auto Repair Charity program in May. They are pictured with John Lee, president of Heroes Supporting Heroes; Stan Lesniak; HSH CEO Kristi Hilbert; HSH board member Anna Cehelsky; Linda Pottle; Russ Pottle; and John Parton. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY on borrowing cars from relatives and friends for transportation, he called Jason Pottle and his wife, Linda, who own Steubenville Pike Auto. “In the repair side of our business, we often see families or individuals who are struggling to keep their cars on the road so we decided to do something to help some of those families in need,” said Linda “We donate a fully refurbished and inspected used car to an individual or family in need twice each year, in December and May. We are blessed to have the opportunity to help change people’s lives for the better!” The Pottles are also a military family, as Jason has served in the Air Force is now serving in the Air National Guard out of the 171st Refueling Wing. “I was stunned, so happy, and overwhelmed all at the same time,” said Jennifer about receiving the donation. “I’m filled with gratitude. Many thanks to HSH and Steubenville Pike Auto for making this happen. This has been a very long and hard road, and HSH is helping transform lives. Love to you all.” HSH CEO Kristi Hilbert said, “Jennifer has a lovely family and we are honored to play a small part in her healing process. Her story is unfortunately too common. As a community and a nation, we must help to determine the cause of the alarming rising rate of veteran suicide and to be there to support those loved ones they leave behind. It is our duty to those who serve our country. 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • June/July 2019Get started today! clearviewfcu.org/200 Insured by NCUA $ 200 for opening a new Absolute Checking ® account! LEVEL UP & GET June/July 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 7Two WA in-line hockey teams win divisions Two West Allegheny in-line hockey teams won division championships this past season. Both the E1 elementary and the high school teams secured their divisions. The in-line teams are open to players in second grade through high school seniors. For more, email coach Scott Kilbourn at skilbourn27@gmail.com. STORIES AND PHOTO SUBMITTED % ABOVE: Members of the West Allegheny high school in-line hockey team include coach Scott Feely, Ethan Morgan, Daniel Wagner, Zachary Tepley, Wyatt Smith, Cameron Justice, Justin Herron, Oscar Feely, Scott Lafferty, Adam Crawford, Sebastian Wiernik, coach Nate Tepley and mascot Austin Vahaly. BELOW: The E1 elementary team includes (front row) Logan Dietrich, Kayden Tuite, Luke Sawford, Owen Kent, Tyler Lokey, Jonah Luffe, (back row) coach Paul Dietrich, Liam Kilbourn, Nathan Athanas, Dante Deramo, coach Scott Kilbourn, Jimmy Stewart and coach David Luffe. Helping Hands celebrating 20 years and recognized for efforts Helping Hands Childcare in Imperial welcomed state Rep. Valerie Gaydos on May 9. During the visit, Gaydos observed the center’s educators working with children and learned more about how funding helps such centers better prepare students for future success in school. Gaydos also awarded Helping Hands owner Melissa Merritt with a citation recognizing her 20 years of service to the West Allegheny community. Helping Hands, which will be celebrating its 20th year of operation in August, holds a STAR 4 rating through the Keystone STARS program. The statewide program awards rankings to schools and preschools based on staff education, learning environment, leadership and management, and family/community partnerships. STAR 4 is the highest ranking awarded through the program. The center was chosen for the visit by the regional educational advocacy organization Trying Together. Also in May, Helping Hands continued its tradition of community outreach. On May 4, center staff donated their time to plant flowers donated by Janoski’s at the Western Allegheny Community Library. In the past, Helping Hands has benefitted a number of causes in the community through its fundraising and volunteer work. State Rep. Valerie Gaydos presents Melissa Merritt, owner of Helping Hands Childcare in Imperial, with a citation recognizing her service to the community. Staff and children attending Helping Hands assist with planting flowers at the Western Allegheny Community Library. Locally SourcedLocally Sourced 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • June/July 2019 Hometown Spine & Sport Chiropractic is proud to be leading the movement in treating spinal- and sports-related injuries. Their treatments encompass a unique mix of chiropractic, myofascial release and rehabilitative exercises. Owner Dr. Josh Slomkowski specializes in a gentle but effective approach to care, with an emphasis on myofascial release technique. This marks his third year of treating patients at the practice. Hometown Spine & Sport is a unique facility that addresses a wide variety of aches and pains, including back and neck pain, which are among the leading causes of disability in the U.S. The clinic not only treats symptoms but empowers people to realize that they can overcome their pain naturally without drugs, medication or surgery. “My main goal is to make sure that people understand how injuries occur and give them the proper exercises to prevent an injury from happening in the future,” says Slomkowski. “We have seen amazing results with myofascial release for a wide variety of conditions, from headaches, to shoulder or elbow tendonitis injuries. This specific technique allows us to fix acute and chronic injuries without pain medications, injections or surgeries. In addition, we not only focus on the site of where the pain is located but also assess how the injury occurred.” For instance, the practice recently treated a runner who had been diagnosed with a strained lower leg muscle by his orthopedist. After a thorough sports movement assessment, Slomkowski found that the runner had injured their other leg in the same manner last year. Slomkowski then came to the determination that the runner lacked proper stability and strength in the gluteus medius muscle in the hip. That had been causing the runner’s knee to buckle inward while running. After a couple of treatments, the runner felt confident enough to run in the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. Slomkowski, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, is also a certified medical examiner for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation physicals for all commercial bus, van and truck drivers. “We understand that going to any kind of doctor is stressful and we strive to keep a welcoming, friendly environment in our office for the drivers,” says Slomkowski. Hometown Spine & Sport can often accommodate to scheduling physicals within 48 hours. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation physicals are $90. Hometown Spine & Sport will celebrate its third year of operation in June. Anyone suffering from aches and pains, or would like to prevent injuries in the future, can call Hometown Spine & Sport at (412) 490-1700. Hometown Spine & Sport celebrating third year of treating area’s aches, pains and sports-related injuries SUBMITTED BY HOMETOWN SPINE AND SPORT Hometown Spine and Sport owner Dr. Josh Slomkowski is pictured here with administrative assistants Nancy McKinney and Karrie Spencer. Dr. Josh Slomkowski demonstrates a technique to treat lower back pain. % Locally SourcedLocally Sourced June/July 2019 • www.awmagazine.com • 9Next >