MAYOR’S
Spring is here. After another long season of unpredictable winter weather, it’s time to dedicate our staff to the fresh start
that comes with the first signs of spring. Crews are out patching potholes, tending to ballfields, and making preparations to
revisit projects that were put on pause during the winter months.
The McKeesport Rising Project is well under way, which means you will see continued demolition and paving throughout
the warm-weather seasons. This edition of In McKeesport Area features a detailed look at what my administration has
accomplished with McKeesport Rising and what lies ahead. Residents will see the efforts of 2018 come to fruition in 2019.
From economic development endeavors to neighborhood improvements, we are well on our way to enhancing our city. As I
always say, this is evidence that, as a community, we truly are “Working Together for a Better McKeesport.”
In these pages, you will get a glimpse of the good news that’s taken place so far in 2019, including community events,
fundraisers for local organizations, and the grand opening of Tube City Center. There’s also a full lineup of seasonal activities
planned for the rest of the year. You’ll see children’s events, solemn ceremonies, full-scale celebrations, and a summer concert
series whose performers will be announced in coming weeks.
In this edition, you also will meet our quarterly Living the Message awardees selected by the McKeesport Message
Committee, a subcommittee of my Select Committee on Crime and Violence. This season’s awardees are Terri Ruccio of
Sonshine Community Ministries, McKeesport Area High School senior Alex Dalton, Another Shoulder founder Larry Bridges,
and longtime volunteer and community advocate Lois Brown. In McKeesport, we have folks of all ages and backgrounds doing
their part to make our City and school district a better place for everyone – something I sincerely appreciate and take great
pride in recognizing.
Just as our awardees have, please join me in “Working Together for a Better McKeesport.” This slogan is an invitation for
everyone who lives, works, and worships in the City of McKeesport to make a positive impact in the community. Whether
it’s students creating a positive peer environment their school, members of a city church serving those in need, or local
businesses adopting a roadway for organized cleanup efforts, each and every one of us can do our part. And when you see
someone doing this type of work, please take the time to nominate them for a future quarter’s award.
With continued improvements throughout the city, I hope “McKeesport Rising” will inspire everyone to be involved in the
revival of our community. We are looking to rid our neighborhoods and business district of blight, while opening the door
for new development. Land is available for building new homes and businesses, and people already are taking advantage of
these opportunities with new construction.
As always, I am thankful for businesses and residents who already invest in the City of McKeesport, and I can’t wait to see
what 2019 has in store for all of us.
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MCKEESPORT AREA