COPC Partners Meeting 
 September 25, 2001
8:30-10:30 AM
2017C Cathedral of Learning

MINUTES:

I.  Introductions and brief announcements

  1. Partners networked over continental breakfast

  2. Tracy began the meeting at 8:50 with introductions

  3. Jim Richter announced the Hazelwood 5K on Saturday, October 6

  4. Tracy announced the Regional Coalition of Community Builders conference on Workforce Development from a Grassroots Perspective for  Oct. 26th at the University of Pittsburgh

II.  Hazelwood Housing Reports

  1. Andrew Aurand, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, reported on his joint efforts with Sungsoo Hwang to research the housing stock in Hazelwood. Highlights of their study include: 640 parcels have liens; 255 homes are vacant; 240 single family homes. The full report will be posted in the COPC website in the near future.
  2. Joanna Beres, Urban Studies Program, reported on her historical and visual survey of the Hazelwood housing stock. Copies of her report were distributed and will be made available on COPC's website in the near future.
            · George Klinzing recommended contacting Rush Miller at Hillman Library about putting the report in its Pittsburgh History collection.
  3. Andrew, Sungsoo, and Joana gave a report at the Hazelwood Initiaitve membership meeting. Lucille Kennedy and Jim Richter of HI reflected on the 9/18/01 meeting where the students presented their findings to community members. Both expressed great appreciation for the students' efforts which will now be the focus of HI's Planning Committee

III Working Group on Housing

  1. Kelly Hoffman, Oakland Planning and Development Corp. (OPDC), discussed the Bag Project, a new initiative in cooperation with the Housing Resource Center and members of the Oakland Business Improvement District. Bags were stuffed with pertinent information regarding tenants' and landlords' rights and responsibilities, recycling information, and trash pick-up dates, as well as several coupons for local businesses. On Saturday, undergraduate volunteers participating in the Pittsburgh Project distributed the 3,000 bags to students living in Central Oakland.  David Blenk, OPDC, mentioned that an information booklet with coupons may replace the bags in the future.
  2. Kelly also reported that OPDC and Oakland Community Council will host Oakland Housing Focus Group sessions over the next several months to learn about issues facing various community populations including: landlords, students, minorities, homeowners, people with disabilities, and institutions. Issues raised by these groups will be prioritized by the Housing Working Group and will result in an Oakland Housing Summit in the new year.
  3. Bob Hopkins noted the strong student leadership involvement with the Housing Working Group reflects the student interest in housing issue, and several key student government and organizational leaders were identified. Bob also gave a brief overview of the University's Housing Resource Center, and Tracy noted the efforts to outreach this resource to the COPC neighborhoods.
    Maureen Cook and several other university and community partners noted the concern with housing needs of the disabled citizens in Oakland, this includes significant numbers of mentally disabled persons, as well as the growing needs of frail elderly trying to retain and maintain their homes.

III.  Debriefing from United Way Day of Caring 

  1. On Friday, September 21st members of COPC and others participated in projects for the University of Pittsburgh's role in United Way Day of Caring. More than half of the University Day of Caring sites were in COPC communities:
  2. Volunteers in Hazelwood picked up garbage, cleared sidewalks and lots, and prepared a wall for a public art mural
  3. Volunteers in Oakland also picked up garbage in residential areas.
  4. Jean Ferketish, Assistant Chancellor, reported on the Breakfast with the Provost Maher held on Saturday, September 22. COPC students met with the Provost to discuss the importance of service learning and how it could be beneficial for undergraduates. Tracy noted the importance for such dialogues to help move the institutionalization of COPC.

IV.  Other Neighborhood Issues and Concerns 

  1. Lucy and Jim gave a brief overview of the major issues and challenges facing Hazelwood, as well as some of the opportunities around Brownfield and Main Street developments. They noted business decline, traffic through neighborhood, threats of reindustrialization, housing blight, crime, youth recreation, health care, and other issues of concern to the Hazelwood Initiative. They also talked about the development of their community organization out of efforts to stop the redevelopment of another blast furnace in the community. Concerns over the Mon Fayette's impact is also a concern in Hazelwood, and Jim and Lucy noted involvement of a CMU architect class relative to this impact issue.
  2. Henrietta Wilson reported on the new Oakland community health partnership called Healthy Oakland People (HOP) which she chairs. She discussed how health concerns also related to issues of housing and neighborhood decline.
  3. Jim also noted, on behalf of the Allequippa Terrace Residents Council, concerns with the University's interest in part of the HOPE VI area for University recreational facilities, and the need for residents for other services and resources in the area in which the University must take an active interest. Discussion also focused on the need to empower residents and build their capacity to reduce the service-mentality that has been a concern in the neighborhood with the HOPE VI initiative.
  4. Karla Stallworth introduced herself as Breachmenders Ministries' new Youth Coordinator on the School-to-Work project working in West Oakland with Kay and Peggy from the School of Education. She noted the classroom training activities over the summer to prepare the youth for pending work experience placements for this fall.
  5. Mike Whitelock, Regional HUD Community Builder, raised a concern with the involvement of the Faith-based community in our COPC neighborhoods. This led to a discussion about external congregational membership and the aging of church members. However, several churches and faith-based leaders and organizations are active in our COPC efforts.

V.  HUD National COPC Conference in Pittsburgh

  1. April 24 - 26, 2002 - Our COPC will need assistance in showcasing our communities to people from around the nation. The hope is that this National COPC conference to be co-host by the Pitt and Duquesne University COPCs will attract a large community partner attendance.

VI.  Other Business

  1. Several Project gave brief update reports: The Katz Graduate School of Business' Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence began its first community entrepreneurship training class with 11 residents from COPC communities, and of these 11, nine are women interested in starting a business. Catherine Meyers thanked the community partners for their excellent recruitment support. Dick Benfer and Kelly Burns of UPMC Health System and the COPC Health and Wellness effort reported that the Hazelwood Community Health Outreach Project opened in a long vacant storefront office on Second Avenue and has employed three community residents as health outreach workers. Carolyn Carson and Stephanie Jennings gave an update on the Food Pantry in Allequippa Terrace and the efforts to build capacity of residents to manage the pantry. Concerns with resident volunteers were raised. Stephanie also talked about the development of a senior citizen outreach effort by Urban Studies students that has just begun. One student is volunteering so far, but many elderly, especially frail elderly, could benefit by this outreach and companionship. Tracy recommended a contact with Audrey Murrell (faculty sponsor) in the Business School relative to the campus Red Cross project that is targeting elderly residents.
  2. Mark your Calendar for Future Meetings.: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - Working Group on Housing 12:00 to 1:30 Location TBA Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - University Partner Meeting Tuesday, November 27, 2001 - Full Partner Meeting 8:30 to 10:30 Location TBA Tuesday, December, 2001 - Holiday Celebration RSVP to Tami at hirth@gro.pitt.edu or call at 412-624-7720 or to John Wilds at Wilds+@pitt.edu to put items on the agenda of meetings.