Be careful--bend in Beeler dangerous in winter!

This morning, a car failed to make the turn, hit a parked car, went up onto the sidewalk (see the tracks in the picture below), and hit a retaining wall.  The damage to both cars was bad, but thank heavens there was no one on the sidewalk!  And the driver was not hurt either.

I regularly urge my family and everybody else not to stand on the sidewalk on the west side of the street.  In the eight years I have lived on the street I have seen 5 accidents at the bend, and those are only the ones I know about.  One took out the utility pole.

So take extra care at the bend during the winter, both walking and driving.

BSA Meeting--November 30

The CMU office of Student Affairs has invited the Beeler Street Association to a meeting on Tuesday, November 30, 7:00-8:30 p.m., at the CMU University Center, 2nd Floor, Rangos 3 (same place as the August meeting).

We will hear from CMU about its efforts to reach out to and work with students, neighbors, and law enforcement regarding issues relating to noise, vandalism, and other destructive behavior on the street.  Things tend to be a bit more quiet when the weather gets cold and drives party-goers indoors, but the issues certainly do not go away.  So let's get together and learn about what has been done and what more can be done.

CMU will provide refreshments.  

Pedestrian safety survey

As part of the study of pedestrian safety issues with respect to 11 intersections in Oakland and near CMU, the Pennsylvania Community Transportation Initiative has posted an on-line community survey and "asks that members of the affected study area complete the survey so that they may better understand the community's needs."  Among other things, it asks questions about modes of transportation, pedestrian safety, and bicycling.   CLICK HERE to complete the survey.

Minutes of Beeler Street meeting

CLICK HERE to see the minutes of the Beeler Street Association meeting held in August.  In italics are actions that have been taken since the meeting.  Many thanks to Councilman Bill Peduto and chief of staff Dan Gilman for acting quickly to address many of the items.  Some individual neighbors are also following up on their own. 

BSA will regroup in a few months and get some updates from CMU and talk more about persistent issues affecting the street.

Safety Alert

Pittsburgh Police are reporting a number of burglaries in the Squirrel Hill and Greenfield areas. The burglars enter through unlocked windows and doors usually between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. The burglars take laptop computers, purses and jewelry.  The Post-Gazette recently reported on this matter. 

Take care, lock your doors, and call 911 if you see any suspicious activity or an actual crime.

Beeler Street picnic Sunday

Carnegie Mellon University will host Beeler Street neighbors this Sunday, September 19, 5-7 p.m., for a picnic on the grassy knoll next to Doherty Apartments (up the steps at Beeler and Forbes). Neighbor David Chickering will fire up the grill with the help of some student volunteers.  (Meat and veggie options available.) Residents are asked to bring sides and desserts to share, and a chair if you like.

Come out and enjoy the beautiful weather and meet your neighbors.  Hope to see you there!

Cars ignore stopped school bus at Forbes & Beeler

School is back in but many drivers remain oblivious to state laws that require drivers to stop for school buses. This video, shot today, shows what typically happens at Forbes and Beeler as kids are getting off of the bus--car after car after car violating the law and endangering children.  CMU and Zone 4 police have been alerted.

Police to step up patrols on Beeler

The beginning of the school year always means the return of enthusiastic students to the street who sometimes party a little too hard.  Councilman Peduto's office says that City and CMU officers are arranging door-to-door outreaches this weekend and next weekend on Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to these outreaches, Student Affairs is coordinating outreach to the community.  Word is that City police will step up patrols as well. 

Campus neighbors nationwide

It's no surprise that communities across the country located adjacent to college campuses face similar issues. Check out the website of Campus Neighbors, a community organization near the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The site has links to articles nationwide on the topic of college student/neighbors. It also has some very interesting ideas on how to deal with perennial problems relating to noise, vandalism, traffic, and the like. We are not alone!

BSA Meeting--August 24

The Beeler Street Association will meet on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 7:00-8:30 p.m., at the CMU University Center, 2nd floor, Rangos 3. We will hear from CMU about its Campus Master Plan, and in particular about the pedestrian safety study affecting several intersections in our neighborhood. Updates have been made to this study cite, so check it out. The other agenda items will be (1) a discussion on how traffic impacts pedestrian/bicycle/skateboarder safety on our street, and (2) the setting of an agenda to deal with the many other issues affecting our street, including safety, noise, vandalism, and more.

Comment if you are coming--kids are welcome. CMU is providing refreshments--thanks!

Mayor's 311 Response Line

The City of Pittsburgh created the Mayor's 311 Response Line to be the central repository for non-emergency requests for city services, neighborhood concerns, and complaints. Residents can call the hotline or use this a web-based form. Whether the service line is effective is a matter of debate. Check out this article in the Post-Gazette for a discussion of the effectiveness issue: "Is The City Heeding Calls to Action?"

The City compiles and reports data on 311 calls and, the city says, uses the data to set priorities for neighborhoods. You can see the report for our area for the first quarter of 2010 here: http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/mayor/html/pittmaps.html. Scroll down to the bottom of the page--Beeler Street is in Zone 4, Squirrel Hill North. Potholes and snow top the list.

Urban jungle: Deer in the back yard

We are used to seeing a variety of wild critters around Beeler Street. We see the groundhog so much we feel it's part of the family. The rabbits and chipmunks and 'possums are certainly no strangers. The wild turkey walking up my driveway was a little surprising. And then there are the rats--but I'll save that for another post.

This week we saw a deer it in our neighbor's back yard. The yard is way overgrown--I think it's now a rental house and the yard is neglected and no one goes back there much. I guess it's nice and quiet and perfect for a wandering deer. Unfortunately it didn't stay long enough for us to get a picture.

I don't know if deer in the backyard is a good thing or a bad thing, but it certainly was cool.

Cherry trees

Pick free cherries at 5221. The owners say bring a container and help yourself. These are sour cherries--not the sweet ones you get at the grocery store--but they are great for pies.

Here is a link to a local blog with a sour cherry pie recipe: http://pghtasted.blogspot.com. In the interest of full disclosure I must say that pitting cherries is the pits. I bought a fancy cherry-pitter, and it works okay, but not much better than the old-fashioned bobby pin method. Either way, the reward is worth the work.

Enjoy!

OTMA and CMU to study pedestrian safety at Forbes and Beeler

The Oakland Transportation Management Association is partnering with CMU and others to study pedestrian safety at 11 intersections including Forbes at Beeler and at Margaret Morrison. Click here to learn more about it.

What is CMU doing to the athletic field at Forbes and Margaret Morrison?

Click here to learn more about it.