INSIDE! Official Newsletter Page 18 Keith-Holmes VFW war memorial reaches completion Parkway’s successful transition to online learning RMU’s efforts help community Remember When? The Nike Missile Program Cornell Edition Volume 2, Number 8 Fall 2020 www.awmagazine.com FREE Direct Mail Community Publication Allegheny West M agazine Serving Coraopolis and Neville Island communities of Cornell School District. One of four editions serving 17 airport area communities.Websites that get results. Designed in Pittsburgh Imagine your website working as hard for your business as you do. Affordable Custom Designs | Responsive Sites | SEO Content Management | E-commerce | Hosting | Maintenance 412.205.8998 | DDSWebDesign.com Contact us for a free website analysis. 2 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 3The iconic doughboy statue which has sat atop the World War I monument in front of Keith-Holmes VFW Post 402 in downtown Coraopolis is hoisted back into place June 19. The statue, which has sat atop the monument since 2008, was removed and refurbished as the entire war memorial outside the post was being reconstructed. With the project now complete, a dedication has been scheduled for Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. For more, see page 12. PHOTO BY CHRIS ROLINSON P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com 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 West Allegheny Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Montour Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, and the Moon Edition of Alleghney West Magazine. MEMBER “GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME” Allegheny West Magazine - Cornell Edition, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the Cornell School District communities of Coraopolis and Neville Island 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 Now in Our 22 nd Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Doug Hughey WRITERS Jill Bordo Pat Jennette Jocelyn Grecko GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kizina WEBMASTER www.ddswebdesign.com FOUNDING PUBLISHER Pat Jennette Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our fall Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope this message again finds you safe and well. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact just about every facet of our daily lives, much of our content, too, has been shaped by the pandemic. For instance, usually this time of year we’d be bringing you our back-to-school calendars with academic and athletic dates. Instead, because of the fluid nature of our current circumstances, we’re taking another approach this month. I am happy to report, however, that we are continuing to find good news coming out of our communities, and much of this has to do with how area residents and institutions are responding to the crisis. On page 14, read how Parkway West Career and Technical Center adjusted to distance learning this past spring semester. While one might imagine that a technical school, which relies heavily on hands-on learning, would have the most difficulty with such a transition, the opposite turned out to be the case. The school is now leading others like it across the state in the transition to online learning. Then, on page 15, we’re bringing you a story about how another local school, Robert Morris University, repurposed its labs to make personal protective equipment for area medical professionals. The school has also done quite a lot to help students stranded by the virus. This month as well, we’re bringing you a special profile of longtime area photographer Tom Salvie on page 11 and a retrospective about the area’s Nike missile program on page 28. Starting on page 18, get caught up on all the happenings at Cornell School District and read about recent efforts by the Coraopolis Community Development Corporation on page 8. From the Publisher 4 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020Allegheny West Magazine-Cornell Edition is published in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, four issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Coraopolis, Neville Island and Cornell School District. 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 1999-2020 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. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor Cornell Edition Fall 2020 ~ Volume 2, Number 8 Columns ABOUT THE COVER { } Contents Locally Sourced - Legislative Update - Municipal Roundup - Around Your Town - Chamberlink - 8 9 10 11 13 - - - - - - - 8 11 12 14 15 18 28 Coraopolis Community Development update Local business in focus: T. Salvie Photography Keith-Holmes VFW war memorial reaches completion Parkway’s successful transition to online learning RMU’s efforts help community Cornell Today Remember When? The Nike Missile Program Chances are you’ve noticed that reconstruction of the war memorial in front of Keith-Holmes VFW Post 402 recently reached completion. A special dedication date for the memorial has now been set for Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. See page 12 for more. Look for our next edition in December, when we’ll be celebrating the holidays. Hopefully, by then, we’ll also be looking ahead to the end of this crisis. Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 5 For two decades, Tom Salvie (pictured at bottom, center) has been capturing Cornell’s school culture in photos. For more, see page 11. PHOTOS BY T. SALVIE PHOTOGRAPHYHeritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Richard Redlinger, Jr., MD, RPVI, FSVS is joining Heritage Valley Multispecialty Group Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery located on the first floor of Heritage Valley Beaver hospital. Dr. Redlinger will begin seeing patients in July. Dr. Redlinger is board-certified in general and vascular surgery. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in vascular and endovascular surgery. His clinical practice includes open surgical and endovascular (minimally invasive) treatment of aneurysms, carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and dialysis access. Dr. Redlinger earned his medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine and subsequently completed his internship and residency in general surgery and fellowship in vascular surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He joins Edward Villella II, MD, who specializes in Endovascular & Vascular Surgery, and Dinesh Bhaskaran, MD, who specializes in Heart and Lung Surgery, in the HVMG Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery practice. Dr. Redlinger is accepting new patients. To make an appointment, call 724-773-8289. Heritage Valley welcomes new physicians Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center in Beaver welcomes Stephen D’Auria, MD to their location in Beaver at 605 Sharon Road. Dr. D’Auria specializes in advanced interventional cardiology will begin seeing patients in July. Dr. D’Auria is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease. Dr. D’Auria completed his undergraduate at Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and went on to complete his Internal Medicine Residency, an Advanced Interventional/Structural Cardiology Fellowship as well as a Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at UPMC. Dr. D’Auria is a member of the medical staffs at Heritage Valley Beaver, Heritage Valley Kennedy and Heritage Valley Sewickley and is accepting new patients. To make an appointment, call 724-773-4502. Dr. Richard RedlingerDr. Stephen D’Auria 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 7%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced Upcoming events The CCDC is paying close attention to the governor’s orders and will move forward with its upcoming events, as possible, while following safety guidelines around sanitizing, face masks and social distancing. Coraopolis Second Saturdays: Sept. 12, 12-4 p.m. This event will feature live music and outdoor seating on Mill Street, food trucks, and a farm stand in the heart of the downtown retail district. Promotional partner Cobblehaus Brewery has newly established outdoor seating on 5th Avenue for guests to enjoy. Fall Festival & Art Walk: Celebrate fall in a colorful and creative way on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Artists and artwork from the Pittsburgh Society of Artists and the West Hills Art League will be featured inside participating businesses in the Coraopolis business district, along with live music and food trucks. The Art Walk will begin at Gilberti Studios at 1030 5th Avenue. Coraopolis Train Station project Construction is set to begin on the Coraopolis Train Station soon. The train station has been the grateful recipient of three large grants over the past year that will fund the replacement of the roof on the main building and installation of permanent utilities. The grants are also kickstarting the refurbishment process of the passenger canopy behind the building closest to the railroad tracks. The construction consultant on the project, Imperial Construction Services, has hired the project team, which is made up of designers from Design3, civil engineers from Hampton Technical, historical consultant Ellis Schmidlapp, and roofer Miller Thomas Gyekis. With an estimated total budget of more than $2 million, this renovation is not a simple or inexpensive undertaking. Fundraising for the next phase of construction is already in motion. Progress will continue to be shared with the public via Facebook at @CoraopolisTrainStationProject, online at www.CoraopolisTrainStationProject.org and on Instagram @ coraopolis_station_project. The below rendering has been provided by the project’s architects and engineers. Coraopolis Community Development update Vanessa Nemeth, Jeff Krivickas and (far right) Sam Piccolo from Brewer Airport Toyota are pictured with Amy Cavicchia and Cara Mason from the CCDC and Amber Deemer from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Coraopolis Food Pantry Since the beginning of April when the pandemic hit, the Coraopolis Food Pantry has assisted 2,542 people. With the help of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and food drives from countless kind people, the pantry has been able to continue to open its doors and serve local people in need of groceries. Every family receives a hearty box of canned goods, cereal, meat, cheese, eggs, fruits and vegetables. In addition, the Snack Pack program distributed food to 400 local children to ensure they are covered for the summer months. A partnership with the GPCFB has enabled the food pantry to receive a new, energy-efficient, three-door refrigerator along with some new shelving. The GPCFB has also helped develop an agreement with Paragon Foods to provide fresh produce boxes over the summer. Through the GPCFB, the pantry was introduced to some new friends at Brewer Airport Toyota, who generously donated a portion of car sales to support local front-line organizations. The food pantry is a grateful recipient of a $4,000 food grant from the dealership, along with colleagues at the West Hills Food Pantry and the West Hills Meals-on- Wheels. Additional gratitude goes out to: Cathy Paich and the Montour Heights Country Club for continuing to support the snack pack and food pantry programs; The Lunova Group for funding an entire month of food for the pantry; Tiffany R. Battaglini Insurance Agency for collecting over 1,000 boxes of cereal and mac-n-cheese; Ray Kinneman of Emma Jean’s Relics for stepping into a volunteer leadership role for the pantry during the pandemic; and Coraopolis Borough and Police Department for maintaining public safety. The Coraopolis Food Pantry opens the first and third Sundays of each month from 12-2 p.m. The pantry understands that some guests may not have access to transportation for the drive-by service. Those who need food delivered may call (412) 329-8247 or email amycavicchia@ corycdc.org for more information. Contributions to the food pantry that help with the growing demand are both needed and appreciated. Donations can be made by visiting the CCDC’s website at www. corycdc.org or its Facebook page @CCDC247. Donations can be mailed to: PO Box 40, Coraopolis, PA 15108. 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • Fall 2020lLegislative Update Legislative Update CONTENT SUBMITTED BY STATE REP. ANITA KULIK State Rep. Anita Kulik represents Pennsylvania’s 45th District. Her office is located at 1350 Fifth Avenue in Coraopolis. She can be reached at (412) 264-4260. Visit her online at www.pahouse.com/Kulik. Many of us remember a time when the Internet did not exist, and some of us even remember when personal computers did not exist. Back then, we put a frozen dinner in the oven and waited 40 minutes for it to cook, and teachers never let us use a calculator in class. Neither did we have the kind of access to phones and mobile technology that we do today. So much has changed with regards to this technology. We are now used to tapping our tablets or phones and getting immediate answers to our questions. Our cell phones today have more technological capacity than the computers that sent the Apollo rockets to the moon. The ability to buy a phone or a tablet - or to have high speed Internet service - are things most of us take for granted. In today’s world, access to broadband Internet service is necessary to run schools, businesses, farms and healthcare. The municipalities in our district are suburban and, with the exception of a couple dead spots, service is not bad. Recent school closures have revealed areas, though, that are underserved in terms of affordable Internet service and equipment. Counties surrounding ours face more dire issues with regard to broadband service, with many rural areas devoid of any kind of service. For several sessions, the legislature has been working on a solution to this issue. In June, the House passed two bills that will provide for Internet access to rural communities, many of which neighbor our district. What negatively impacts our rural communities will negatively impact our suburban communities. Rural communities continue to face a number of challenges due to the lack of reliable, affordable broadband service. Many industries - including agriculture - rely heavily on the use of various forms of technology, including applications that monitor milk production or ensure crops are growing as they should. School students need technology to learn and eventually compete in the job market. Telemedicine - which can provide much-needed medical services to underserved areas - needs technology to function. Interested businesses looking to spur economic growth demand up-to-date technology. Pennsylvania claims more than 200 Internet providers. However, more than 800,000 residents, including 520,000 in rural areas, lack broadband service. House Bill 2348 would create the Underserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program, which will be administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority. Five million dollars would go to the Underserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Program Account from the General Fund for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. If passed into law, applicants would include rural electric cooperatives, local development districts or non- governmental entities that have the ability to build and operate high- speed broadband service within the state. As is done this time every year, budgetary matters were also addressed by both the House and Senate. Budget issues will continue to be addressed throughout the fall as the economic ramifications of the current health crisis continues to develop. State Rep. Anita Kulik Community Garden The Coraopolis Community Garden is in full bloom with 11 volunteer groups tending to 23 beds, as well as a gorgeous surrounding rose garden. Peppers, tomatoes, onions, beets, radishes, potatoes, zucchini, corn and so much more will be available to guests at the Food Pantry soon. Follow the CCDC on Facebook @CCDC247 and watch for pop-up markets throughout the summer. Fresh organic produce for all to enjoy will be available to the public on weekends when the Food Pantry isn’t open. Special thanks to garden volunteers Cindy Gilberti, Sandra Beitsinger, and Robin Chartier for beautifying the garden shed with their creativity! ABOVE: Volunteers Cindy Gilberti, Sandra Beitsinger and Robin Chartier decorated the shed at the Coraopolis Community Garden (pictured at top). Fall 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 9Next >