Author Archives: BGC

Real Estate Co-Powerment Series

Posted on by BGC

The Real Estate Co-Powerment Series is a series of courses, offered by Omicelo Cares & Neighborhood Allies, that is into demystify the real estate development process.

We hope you can join us for this awesome Real Estate series!!! It is only $50 with a letter from the BGC. Garfield (October 26 – December 16, no class during Thanksgiving week) from 6-8pm. More info below!

Through class instruction, coaching and mentorship, our goal is to demonstrate how community members, organizations, and small business owners can participate and benefit from their own neighborhood revitalization. Please note that there are only 25 available seats for each cohort. The first 15 seats are reserved for residents/business owners  IN GARFIELD where the series will be held. The additional 10 seats are available for individuals from outside of that community. FOOD AND DRINKS PROVIDED.

Course topics include real estate basics, proforma development, community engagement, transactional law, tax credits, financial training, zoning, green building, and more!

The fee for the course is $200.
Scholarships are available to those in need. In order to be considered for a scholarship, please submit a letter of recommendation from a community-based organization and/or employer. SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW

FILL OUT THIS ONLINE FORM

Apply Online here https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MGWWrCUna02HQEHfytzxWTioqhmu1AZPkxHuIs-q73hUQlNLMDVETVA1QTBORVg1NDVNMlBOS0Q0Ri4u

Garfield Resident Scholarships – 

If anyone applies for a scholarship, they will still need to pay $50 for the course and would need a letter from the BGC saying “we support this person taking this class, etc”.  Preference is given to Garfield’s BIPOC residents.

After filling out the online Omicello Application please email Paris@bloomfield-garfield.org for scholarship information. Please include your full legal name, address, & phone number and a brief answer to “Why would you like to participate in the Real Estate Co-Powerment Series”.

Strong applicants will have the ability to bring a real-life real estate project to the course to workshop & develop with experienced mentors and instructors.

Those who successfully complete the Co-Powerment Series will receive a certificate of completion.

 

Module wants to build on Rosetta

Posted on by BGC

Module Building Houses on Rosetta St?

We want to know what you think about it!

Tuesday July 27th at 6pm via Zoom
email Nina@bloomfield-garfield.org to register for link


Community discussion on the single-family housing development that Module Housing would like to build in the 5100 block of Rosetta St. With nine city-owned lots to be folded into this project. The U.R.A will be present and is interested in hearing depth of community support for this project.

Garfield Getdown

Posted on by BGC

Garfield Getdown Community Field Day!
Activities for all ages with BOOM Concepts, Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, Garfield Gators, and other Community Partners!

NOON-6PM at 5101 Hillcrest st -Fort Pitt Field

Garfield Getdown Schedule

All Ages Sports Activities!
• Noon-1pm Line dancing with Roland Ford
• Noon-1pm Yoga with Peace of Time Wellness
• 1pm-2pm Catch
• 1pm-2pm Kickball
• 2pm-3pm Dodge Ball
• 3pm-4pm Basketball

Main Event!
4pm-6pm Professional Wrestling Match with Ryse Wrestling

Partner Activities Noon- 4pm:
• Food with the Garfield Gators Cheerleaders – Gatorettes
• Assemble- crafts for all ages
• Garfield Land Trust- information & more
• Professional Artists create large scale paintings live during the day.
• Make your own Painting with artist Kenneth Neely
• Live screen printing with multimedia artist Deavron “The Urban Explorer” Dailey. Limited number of free shirts available. Bring your own item encouraged!

Additional Partner Activities
• Noon-2pm Create a knotweed Concrete item with We All Eat
• 2pm-4pm-Corn on the Cob with Garfield Community Farm
• 3pm-Music with Shade Cobain

Join BOOM Concepts, Garfield Gators, Assemble, Peace of Time Wellness, Repair The World Pittsburgh, Penn Avenue Arts & Commercial District, Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation and More!

Hiring: Greenzone Coordinator

Posted on by BGC

The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation is hiring a Garfield Greenzone & Service Project Coordinator.

Hours: 30-35 hours per week
Compensation: $20.00 per hour with benefits

Goal

The Garfield GreenZone and Service Project is intended to bring area residents into greater contact with their environment and natural spaces. Through various projects and programming, neighbors can enjoy new walking trails, plant gardens, participate in organized or informal recreation, and preserve green space throughout Garfield for future generations to use. The initiative also provides a pathway for non-violent offenders to avoid incarceration by diverting offenders into community service projects and enabling them to receive training in landscaping skills that could lead to actual jobs.

Job Description

The Bloomfield Garfield Corporation (BGC) is seeking a qualified and experienced person to help coordinate and carry out a number of projects and programs in the Garfield GreenZone and Penn Avenue corridor. This person reports to the BGC’s Chief Operations Officer, and works collaboratively with the Community Engagement and Planning Specialist to plan and organize events and meetings. This staff person also assists the community engagement and planning specialist with related public safety issues. These include working with the district magistrate system to identify individuals whom the court assigns to the BGC to perform community service projects rather than pay fines or receive jail time.

Roles and Responsibilities

A. Greenzone:

●  Pursue projects and implement programs that are in accordance with the Garfield GreenZone plan, and involve various individuals, organizations, and private and public agencies in executing this objective.

●  Assist senior staff at the BGC in identifying and applying for grants, corporate sponsorships, and other sources of support needed to implement, manage, and sustain the projects and programs emanating from the initiative.

●  Identify and collect pertinent data on parcels that could be eligible for acquisition by the BGC or other entities that would expand on conservation efforts by the community.

●  Develop educational programming and curricula related to conservation or management of urban open spaces to share with community members, community service participants and students.

●  Assemble volunteers as needed from across the community to help implement various aspects of the GreenZone Initiative, including trail-building, clean-ups, removal of invasive species, tree plantings, and other beautification projects.

●  Become familiar with the principles behind the concept of environmental justice and find ways to integrate them into the work that results from the GreenZone Initiative.

●  Track and analyze the progress of the Initiative to ensure goals and objectives are being met and the metrics of success and accountability are periodically reviewed.

●  Create and collect content, reports, visuals, and other communications materials across a variety of platforms that assist the BGC board of directors in gauging the success of the Initiative and in presenting those accomplishments to funders and to the larger community.

Garfield Greenzone & Service Project Coordinator

● Be an ambassador and advocate for the organization at all times, and engage the public and media in helping to understand and support the value of the work done by the BGC in the eyes of key audiences and constituents.

B. Alternative adjudication program & Court ordered community service:

●  Identify and prepare individuals assigned by the district magistrate’s courts under their 1520 Alternative Adjudication Program for the training and work experiences they will receive from the BGC under the program.

●  Establish and maintain strong relations with local magistrates who agree to participate with the BGC in the 1520 Diversion program and other community service efforts.

●  Publicize the 1520 Diversion program and the Garfield Greenzone Initiative through presentations, blog and social media posts, articles in popular and professional publications, and brochures.

●  Coordinate with clients who are assigned through the court system, who may not be 1520 participants. These community members can work in the Greenzone instead of paying fines per Magistrate Court.

Requirements of Position:

●  Good interpersonal and written communication skills

●  Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, G-mail and Google Drive

●  Ability to meet deadlines in a timely manner, often with quick-turnarounds

●  Occasional availability in the evenings and on weekends for meetings or activities.

●  Strong team-building skills.

●  Valid PA driver’s license and access to a reliable motor vehicle when needed

●  Experience or interest in land stewardship and/or urban agriculture

●  Ability to pass PA Act 33/34 and FBI fingerprint clearances

●  Residence, upbringing, or family in Garfield, East End, or close proximity preferred

●  Ability to lift up to 25 pounds

●  Qualified ex-offenders encouraged to apply

Experience or Education

Associate’s or B. A. degree in a field of related interest, and/or five years’ experience working for a community-based organization, or a nonprofit whose mission relies upon empowering and engaging residents of low-income communities.

Resume and cover letter should be sent to pam@bloomfield-garfield.org

References should be furnished upon request. The BGc is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Garfield Greenzone Coordinator – Job Description.docx

Unblurred is Back IRL

Posted on by BGC

Unblurred First Friday Art Crawl is Back in Person!!!

Painted cars, performances, mixed media in windows, neon lights, giant paintings, fiber arts, photography and more! May brings the return of in real life Unblurred First Friday Art Crawl. Spring back into things with some outdoor and socially distance indoor art experiences. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination will have the Fiber Arts Guild from 6:30-9:30 and will be open for walk ins as will The International Children’s Art Gallery. Most Wanted Car Club will be on the Corner of Winebiddle with Art Cars. Spak & Taquitos will both be open for munching. Moving on down you can catch artwork in the windows of multiple locations including Boom Concepts! The Opportunity Fund hosts a curious alien who wants to learn what it means to be an Earth Human. 

FULL LISTING: https://www.pennavenue.org/unblurred

 

Still not ready to venture out into public? That’s ok you can experience Unblurred online and see performances with the help of this year’s Pittsburgh Fringe! Pittsburgh Glass Center will have a virtual Hot Jams which are an important part of PGC’s history and 20th anniversary celebration.

May 6-9, the Pittsburgh Fringe, one of the first fringes worldwide to go virtual because of COVID last year, is back again for Spring 2021, and still virtual.  This year’s Pittsburgh Fringe will be showcasing over 50 different shows: some local and some from all over the world.  The international flavor this year in part stems from being entirely online, which means artists don’t have to worry about visas and expensive travel.  This means the Pittsburgh Fringe has been able to book many more international shows. This will be an interesting opportunity to see local Pittsburgh artists right alongside shows from around the world.

The virtual performances will be on a wide variety of platforms: Zoom, Youtube, Vimeo, Facebook, and even Twitch.  Some performances will be live and interactive through platforms like Zoom, and only happen a few times during the festival; other shows are pre-recorded, and can be watched at any time over Pittsburgh Fringe weekend. A select their prices, so there are free shows, suggested donation shows, and charged shows (mostly $5 and $10, but one $25).  This year none of the artist’s money is going through Pittsburgh Fringe, but it is going STRAIGHT to the artists immediately through their own payment systems.

Spring into Free Fun Saturday May 1st

Posted on by BGC

Spring into Fun: Saturday May 1, 2021 | Noon-4pm 

Location: Pittsburgh Glass Center (parking lot)

5472 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Join us for a fun filled day outside!

Celebrate Arbor Day weekend with nature and art with the Penn Ave Arts & Commercial District! A variety of groups will have tables and activities for all ages to enjoy.

Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation shines the sun on the Garfield Greenzone with tote bag giveaway for kids with maps and activities to get involved in the community. Use the bag to go on an adventure and gather giveaways from other participating groups.

Reading Ready Pittsburgh will have free books for children.

Glowing Glass with the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s Hot Wheels!  Hot Wheels is an outreach vehicle that allows furnace-fired fun and glassblowing demonstrations to travel far beyond the walls of our Penn Avenue building. Fun for all ages as artists make glass art right in front of you!

PGC will have a Mosaic Stepping Stone kit giveaway for kids! This take home kit will allow you to create your own custom mosaic stepping stone to display in your garden, accent a flowerbed, or add to a path. Arrange colorful pieces of mosaic glass on a concrete mix to produce a unique piece of your own design. Makes a perfect gift just in time for Mother’s Day.

Wissmach Glass Factory, an art glass producer in West Virginia since 1904, is opening a Pittsburgh office and glass showroom. We’re kicking this off with a glass sale! Stained glass and mosaic glass will be available. A portion of all sales will be donated to the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Come see us at 5431 Penn Ave, just a block away from the Glass Center.

Assemble will have activity kit giveaway! Children will get arts and craft supplies in a to go bag for making at home. Assemble is a community space for arts + technology. Assemble envisions a diverse community that creates, connects, and learns through the experience of art and technology. Assemble is dedicated to fostering learning and creativity. They build confidence through making by uniting communities of artists, technologists, makers, and learners both in our space at 4824 Penn Ave and beyond. 

Explore your park’s possibilities with the City Park Rangers! The rangers will be there to give away park swag, show off some skins and skulls of animals in our local parks, and share activities to get folks of all ages excited about going outside. There will also be more information about how parents and educators can use the online and in-person educational resources the ranger program offers.

All giveaways will be socially distanced and while supplies last. All visitors must wear masks to participate in the day’s activities.

spring into fun vertical

Development Activities Meeting: 5525 Columbo St

Posted on by BGC

 

Development Activities Meeting: Environmental Charter School’s field site at 5525 Columbo St

Join us on Wednesday Feb 3rd at 6pm for this important Development Activities Meeting! This meeting will be hosted on Zoom. Email Nina@bloomfield-garfield.org for the zoom link.

Projects discussed at this meeting will be:  Ethos Collaborative, the engineering consultant who is making improvements (site plans attached) to the Environmental Charter School’s field site at 5525 Columbo St, is presenting at this Development Activities Meeting (DAM) with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation and the Garfield community. The DAM is required because they’re going to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) for a hearing on two special exceptions and are constructing a new parking lot with over 10 stalls.

SEE THE PROPOSAL HERE: 2020-12-09 Environmental Charter School – Field Improvements

The City aims for universal access at all public events. If accommodations are necessary for effective communication or a modification of procedures to participate in this meeting hosted by the City of Pittsburgh, contact the City ADA Coordinator, Hillary Roman, as soon as possible but no later than two business days before the event at Hillary.Roman@pittsburghpa.gov or by phone 412-301-7041.

Purpose of the Meeting:

To give citizens, property owners, business owners, and stakeholders an opportunity to learn about the proposal and resolve concerns at an early stage of the application process.

News: Offensive Insignia on Subcontractor’s Truck

Posted on by BGC

BGC Issues Statement on Hate Symbolism in Garfield

On December 29, 2020, it was brought to the attention of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC) that a vehicle – belonging to the employee of a subcontractor who was working on our office building – displayed insignia that we consider offensive, inappropriate, and in total opposition to the values of our organization.

The BGC’s executive director immediately got in touch with the general contractor, informing him that this display of hate symbolism is absolutely unacceptable. The architect in charge of the project was also contacted and made aware that, if the vehicle’s owner did not leave the work site, the project would cease. The subcontractor left and has not since returned to the work site.

We apologize for any harm that seeing this truck and the insignia might have caused our community members. The BGC recognizes and values the diversity of the neighborhoods that we serve, and while we support the idea of free speech, we will not tolerate hate speech or any related symbolism when it comes to the work that we do inside and outside of our community.

Over the summer, the BGC released a statement outlining our support for Black Lives Matter and our commitment to combating racial injustice. The BGC has served Garfield and surrounding neighborhoods since 1975 and we remain committed to fighting for racial justice – in our local community, and in Pittsburgh as a whole. Our community is actively working towards the changes that are needed, and we are proud of what our neighbors have been able to accomplish thus far. The BGC’s statement can be found on our homepage.

We’ve been in communication with both our architect and general contractor to ensure that this subcontractor will not appear on our premises in the future. All have been made aware that anyone depicting offensive slogans or insignia will be asked to leave our site immediately, or the project’s work will cease to continue.

East End Holiday Free Market For Kids

Posted on by BGC

FREE Holiday market set up for children to “shop” inside for free coats, free toys, and free “gift for family” section.

Open to Children in Zone 5:

Bloomfield, East Liberty, Friendship, Garfield, Highland Park, Homewood, Larimer, Lincoln/Lemington, Morningside, & Stanton Heights

In order to make sure for social distancing we are asking for the community to register to participate in the market.

REGISTER AT THE LINK OR AT THE CONTACT BELOW

https://tinyurl.com/BGCHoliday2020

WHERE:  113 N. Pacific Ave Pittsburgh PA 15224

WHEN: Two Days of Free Market Hours:

Friday Dec 4th (First Friday) 6pm-8pm

Saturday Dec 5th 1pm-4pm

To Donate Coats/Toys/Time, REGISTER CHILDREN, Or for Questions Contact
Nina@Bloomfield-Garfield.org    412-441-6950 x 17

holiday market flier 2020