Office of Councilman Patrick Dowd - June 2010 News and Updates West Penn Rec Center is one of Pittsburgh's nine community centers - open year round - which present opportunities to participate in the best activities that Pittsburgh Citiparks has to offer. Whether you're interested in the arts, cooking or physical fitness activities, West Penn Rec Center has something for everyone to enjoy. Pittsburghers from all neighborhoods are welcome and encouraged to utilize the facility. West Penn Rec Center is located in Polish Hill at 450 30th Street and can be accessed by the 54C; 77A; and 77B buses. The Center can be reached by calling 412-622-7353. The Farm Stand Project <http://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/programs/urbanagriculture.aspx> of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will once again be located at the Stephen Foster Community Center at 286 Main Street, Lawrenceville every Thursday from 11:30am to 2:30pm. The stand will operate every week from June 10 through November 11 and is open to the public. Farm stands accept payment in cash, WIC and Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program checks, and food stamps/EBT. Upcoming Events Council to Go Tuesday, June 1: From 6:30 to 8:00 pm, Councilman Dowd and staff will be in Bloomfield at Crazy Mocha, Crazy Mocha, 4525 Liberty Avenue. Thursday, June 3: From 6:30 to 8:00pm, Councilman Dowd and staff will be at Highland Park's Tazza D'Oro, 1125 North Highland Avenue. Of particular importance for this CtG are cycling issues in the East End area. Local Magistrate Ron Costa will also be on hand for Q & A. Friday, June 18: From 7:30am to 9:00am, Councilman Dowd will be in Lawrenceville's Perk Me Up at 4407 Butler Street. A representative from Animal Control will be our featured guest. Thursday, June 24: From 6:30pm to 8:00pm, Councilman Dowd's team will be at Morningside's Morning Glory at 1806 Chislett Street. Local Magistrate Ron Costa will be present for Q & A. Community Events Pittsburgh has been selected as the 2010 North American host city of the 37th United Nations World Environment Day <http://www.pittsburghwed.com/index.html> . Pittsburgh-area government officials, businesses, organizations and individuals will schedule World Environment Day events that highlight the theme for this year, "Biodiversity - Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy." World Environment Day will be marked with events such as the Water Matters! Conference <http://www.pittsburghwed.com/watermatters/index.html> on Thursday, June 3, and Paddle to the Point <http://www.paddleatthepoint.com/> , a world-record breaking boating event on Saturday, June 5. Please follow this link <http://www.pittsburghwed.com/events/calendar_june.html> for a full schedule of activities. Lawrenceville United <http://www.lunited.org/> is sponsoring a summer camp for youth ages 4-16 at Arco Field (57th & Butler Street) from June 21-August 13, 2010. This day camp runs from 10am-3pm. Partners and activities include: * Three Rivers Rowing Association: Kayak and Dragon boat program for kids ages 12-17 * Green Gears Pedicabs: Providing an alternate form of transportation to the camp. * Other Activities will include: Gardening with Gtech, visits from Police, Firefighters and others, Art projects, Neighborhood Code Violation Tours, Trips to the pool, and other fun! For more information about the summer camp follow the Lawrenceville United Blog <http://lawrencevillesummercelebration.blogspot.com/> .! Highland Park will host a huge annual yard sale (140+ homes) and Bryant Street Festival on Sunday, June 6, 9:00am. Come to Highland Park and peruse the gently-used, recycled items for sale. Bargain opportunities abound. Maps are available the morning of the sale at: Negley & Hampton St., Highland & Stanton Ave., Tazza D'Oro, Stanton-Negley Pharmacy and the new Bryant Street Market. Did You Know? Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as access to satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_gardening#cite_note-1#cite_note- 1> As our urban communities are growing greener and citizens are more interested in where their food comes from, the City of Pittsburgh offers community gardens for individuals and groups to tend. To register for a plot, please phone Mike Gable at 412-255-2488 and leave a message with your name, phone number and address and mention the community garden you would like a plot in. You will be put on a waiting list if nothing is available at the time of your call. To unsubscribe from Council District 7 updates, please notify Jennifer Thoma at jennifer.thoma@city.pittsburgh.pa.us and you or your organization will be removed from our contact list. --- JENNIFER THOMA | Administrative and Communications Director Office of Councilman Patrick Dowd | Pittsburgh City Council District 7 City-County Building, Rm. 510 | 414 Grant Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Tel 412.255.2140 | Fax 412.255.2419 jennifer.thoma@city.pittsburgh.pa.us <mailto:elaine.zelmanov@city.pittsburgh.pa.us> District 7 Schedule of Events Google Calendar <http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7/> | <http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7/assets/2008-Newsletter.pdf> 2010 Annual Report <http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district7/assets/2010-Newsletter.pdf> [pdf]