Almost three years after purchasing more than 50 acres of land in the Penn Hills area, the ground that is planned to be the new site for Mount Ararat Baptist Church continues to remain unbroken. Mount Ararat, one of the largest churches in the Pittsburgh and East Liberty area, continues to grow their congregation, and with several services on Sunday, a service Saturday night, Bible studies and other programs, promises that they will not abandon the community that has supported them.

FUTURE SITE—The land on Universal Road and Main Street will be the future site of Mt. Ararat’s new church.

“We are still in the preliminary phases of the building project. Even if we build a new worship facility in Penn Hills, we still plan on maintaining a strong presence in the East Liberty-Larimer community and neighborhoods,” said Rev. Benjamin Calvert, executive minister of the church and project spokesperson. “It will probably be two or three years before the new facility is built.”

In Pittsburgh, approximately 50 percent of the city is eligible to receive Community Block Development Grant dollars through a program enacted in 1974 in an effort to extinguish poverty and urban blight.

The program provides grants for a wide range of projects that address the housing, economic and human service needs of low- and moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. Still, community groups and public officials worry this money is not being targeted for the neighborhoods where it is most needed.

Rev. Ricky Burgess speaks at press conference prior to the meeting in council chambers.

At a city council meeting June 16, council members discussed several pieces of legislation aimed at helping neighborhoods receive the resources necessary to improve or maintain their quality of life.

When the first graduates of the new millennium attended commencement at Mellon Arena in 2000, Adrienne Lawson was there to wish them well. For a decade now, Lawson and her two sisters have continued the tradition, working as balloon vendors outside of Pittsburgh Public School District commencement ceremonies at the arena.

SISTER SISTER—Ursula Lawson, left, joins her sister, Adrienne Lawson, for a yearly tradition.

However, in recent years, their entrepreneurial endeavor has become a little less rewarding. In 2008, a competing sidewalk vendor opened a shop in front of the arena entrance and the Lawson sisters were prohibited from using their original location.

Prior to the June Urban Redevelopment Authority board meetings, Homewood Brushton Revitalization and Development Corp. Sec­re­tary Sarah Campbell told the Authority the organization wanted to sell one of its properties to the current tenant, the Community Empowerment Association, not Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

But that statement appears to have been premature. K. Chase Patterson, legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, speaking for the fraternity, said they have a signed agreement to purchase the building.

CALLING FOUL—CEA Director Rashad Byrdsong claims he is being cheated.

“We have a signed agreement from an authorized member of the HBRDC to purchase (the former Rite Aid) building for $151,000,” he said. “We have a great deal of respect for Ms. Campbell and for her work in the community, so in no way are we casting aspersions on her. We're just somewhat frustrated with what she said June 9. But I can confirm that Alpha Phi Alpha was selected by HBRDC. We have paperwork to that effect.”