April 2007 - test-neighbhorhood@test.highlandparkpa.com

[Highland Park] Fwd: invitation for Thursday
by rachel matos 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: mathilda(a)comcast.net <mathilda(a)comcast.net> Date: Apr 9, 2007 7:15 PM Subject: invitation for Thursday To: rachel matos <matosfam(a)gmail.com> Pittsburgh needs people like Patrick Dowd who have solutions to the problems we face. Patrick is running for City Council in the May 15thprimary. Come and meet with him this Thursday evening April 12 th at 7:30 pm at 5904 Wellesley Ave. (the home of the Schartner family). Hope to see you there!

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[Highland Park] Fw: Off the Floor Pittsburgh
by Alfred Mann 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

Off the Floor Pittsburgh is a ministry dedicated to eradicating poverty in the Pittsburgh area by providing the most basic needs of bedding, furniture, and kitchen utensils to families who are eating and sleeping on the floor. St. Andrews Church has a small team of men dedicated to doing an occasional Saturday pickup and delivery job for this project, but we could use a few more volunteers from the neighborhood because not everyone can make it each time there is a call for our services. Membership in St. Andrews is not required. For more information and/or to sign up for the team, please contact Al Mann, 412-661-5947.

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[Highland Park] House Cleaning Recommendation
by David Passmore 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

Can anyone recommend a good house cleaning service? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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[Highland Park] I've got a gardener recommendation
by Lori Kasenter 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

Hello All, I mentioned him last year when we were having lots of landscaping and planting done and I want to remind everyone again what a terrific gardener Dennis Barton is. He does planting, pruning, feeding, etc. (but not mowing) and is reliable and affordable. You can reach him at 412-780-7927 or email him at dkbpghpa(a)aol.com. Lori Kasenter

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[Highland Park] April 21 Park Restoration Volunteer Day!
by Gudrun Wells 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

Dear Highland Park Resident, The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) is looking for people who are willing to get down and dirty in the name of beautifying our beautiful Highland Park. On April 21 there will be a volunteer day in Highland Park coinciding with a statewide celebration of Earth Day. After some opening remarks from Mayor Ravenstahl participants will remove invasive plants and build deer exclosures near the newly constructed seasonal pools on Washington Blvd. Following the morning's work, participants will convene at Schenley Park's Vietnam Veterans Pavilion for an Earth Day celebration sponsored by the Great PA Cleanup. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is pleased to be working with fellows from the Public Allies Americorps Program with CORO Center for Civic Leadership to coordinate four of our volunteer days this spring. This is a program which trains young leaders in non-profit community work. We will be meeting at the police parking lot on Washington Blvd at 9am and working until 1pm. Please wear sturdy shoes and old clothes and be prepared to work rain or shine! To register for this event, please contact Gudrun Wells at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy on 412 682 7275 x212 or gwells(a)pittsburghparks.org. I look forward to seeing you out in the park this summer, Gudrun Wells Volunteer/Urban EcoSteward Coordinator Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy 412 682 7275 x212

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[Highland Park] looking for good, local upholsterer
by Kathleen Newman 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

I need to recover cushions on a nursing rocker and on 2 wicker couches. My husband and I have used the upholstery place on Penn near Negley (I'm forgetting the name right now) with mixed results. In both cases they were very expensive; in one case the work was very good, in the other case it was not. So if anyone has had any luck with an afforable place downtown or in the East End, I'd love to hear about it! Or, if it's far away but worth the drive, I'm interested in that, too. I'll post a synopysis of the recommendations after they come in. Thanks neighbors!

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[Highland Park] Embroidery/Seamstress/Epson Picture Mate
by Melissa Dorsette 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

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[Highland Park] Bathroom
by kevin＠wahila.com 09 Apr '07

09 Apr '07

Looking for recommendations for contractor to remodel a bathroom. If you have had a positive experience with a particular contractor, could you provide some info such as time to complete, extent of work, etc? Regards, The Wahilas

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[Highland Park] Reynold's on Bryant
by Howard Degenholtz 08 Apr '07

08 Apr '07

Neighbors, After reading the recommendations posted to this list, my wife and I decided to stop in for dinner before going to the theater last night. Dining was in the 'lower level' as it has been for the past 3 establishments in that location. The carpet appeared to be new since our prior visits, but the room retained a definite 'mustiness' typical of basements. Most of the decor remained the same. The menu offers a range of entrees and styles, however such breadth is problematic for what appears to be light patronage: A place that offers fish, chicken, beef in 3 different cuisines needs to have high turnover to both assure the customer that all the ingredients are fresh and not have wastage. I ordered a NY Strip with wild rice; it also came with mashed sweet potatoes and a salad. My wife had an Indian stir-fry - fresh vegetables and well seasoned. She also had the Indian soup. Our perspective is consistent with the other messages in that it is great having a neighborhood place with reasonable prices. However, no matter how much we want to support local places, the basement room lacks positive energy. And new restaurants need to have a positive energy in order to attract constumers even when the food is decent and the prices reasonable. Since we moved to Highland Park in 1999, there has been constant discussion about improving the business district. There have been a few successes, however, progress seems slow. I'd like to encourage a positive and constructive conversation on this list. Here is what we would recommend to the current, or future owners: A resturaunt on Bryant st. needs to position itself as either a neighborhood place or a destination. Either way, reinvent the resturaunt as a cafe using just the upper floor for dining. Spruce it up and use the patio for outside dining. Have some signature items or a clearly defined cuisine that can attract customers from outside the neighborhood. Have a very small menu (so that one can ensure freshness even with a small number of tables). Expand as the business grows. The downstairs seems like it would be better suited as a bar - maybe with live music, or used for parties & events. Get rid of the buffet carts, or put them in the back - not up front where customers have to walk past. Respectfully submitted, Howard

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[Highland Park] DOG SWAP ANYONE?
by Mike Ransdell 06 Apr '07

06 Apr '07

My girlfriend and I are searching for fellow dog lovers who would be willing to trade weekends watching each others dogs. In other words, if you go out of town, we'll watch your dog, and vice versa---no money is exchanged, just lots of canine TLC. We have a really sweet 1½-year-old black lab mix, about 50 pounds. And we're very particular about who we leave her with. The girl we used to trade with unfortunately moved away last year. We're looking for dog freaks. The type of people who want to pet every friendly dog in sight. Who make up lots of goofy nicknames for their pets and lavish them with lots of praise. Yes, one of THOSE types of people. You know who are. We have a small fenced in yard at our house where the dogs can play, and we take our dog for a really long walk everyday---regardless of the weather. So your dog would be well taken care of. If you think you fit the description, and you aren't crazy about the dog-sitting options out there, then please send me an email. We'd be happy to meet you at the park some evening, let the dogs play a little, and see if we thought we were all a good match. Mike Ransdell

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