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Pittsburgh OKs apartments for poor seniors[]
- By Jeremy Boren, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, February 12, 2008
Pittsburgh officials have agreed to add 12 apartments for poor senior citizens to the plans for a Beechview Senior Center in St. Catherine's Elementary School.
The 850- to 900-square-foot apartments are a key addition to the project, which has languished since 2003 and tested the patience of seniors who want the city to provide them with a larger space that's accessible to the disabled.
The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese told the city to find a use for the building's top two floors before it would agree to let the city renovate the first floor for a senior center and rent the former school to the city.
"They weren't comfortable with us just using the first floor," said Councilman Jim Motznik of Brookline, whose council district includes Beechview.
"This is a win-win for everyone. The seniors in Beechview won't be stuck in a small, outdated center, and the diocese will have a use for the building," he said.
Motznik said the current senior center across from the Foodland on Broadway Avenue has 3,500 square feet of space for seniors.
The new one would have 8,000 square feet, with room for a lounge, offices, dining room, exercise area, billiards room, kitchen and computer room, according to plans from Lami Grubb Architects of Edgewood.
Beechview seniors won't believe the apartments and senior center are coming until they see them, said Olga Plunkett, 85, a member of the senior center advisory council.
"It's all for St. Catherine's, because the city will put all the money in the building, St. Catherine's will put nothing in, and then rent it back to the city. And then who will benefit from it? St. Catherine's," Plunkett said.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the city has committed $500,000 to join with a $1 million state grant secured by former state Rep. Michael Diven of Brookline. State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Brookline, now holds that office.
The building needs an elevator and extensive repairs to the roof and plumbing and electrical systems.
Yet to be decided is how much the city would pay the diocese in rent and who would develop the apartments, Ravenstahl said. Money to renovate the floors into apartments could come from grants and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
The city pays $36,900 a year to rent the senior center at 1555 Broadway Ave.
Motznik, Ravenstahl and the Rev. Jim Bachner of St. Catherine of Siena Church agreed to the concept of senior-living apartments at a meeting last week.
Bachner declined to comment Monday, until the diocese is closer to signing an agreement with the city.
Motznik plans to introduce a bill in City Council today that would pay $10,000 to Lami Grubb for the updated senior center designs.