Back to School!
Senator Fontana speaks to parents and Kindergarten students on their first day of school on August 29th as part of the Ready Freddy Kick-Off event at Spring Hill K-5.  Senator Fontana spoke to those in attendance about the importance of early childhood education and spoke about the legislation he is introducing that would require Kindergarten in all 501 school districts across the Commonwealth.	Senator Fontana is pictured here after the students had arrived for their first day with Bob Nelkin – President, United Way; Rich Fitzgerald – Allegheny County Executive; Frederick Thieman – President, Buhl Foundation; Todd Van Horn – Principal, Spring Hill K-5; Judge Dwayne Woodruff – Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas; Dr. Linda Lane – Superintendent, Pittsburgh Public Schools; and Freddy the Frog.

Senator Fontana visited with students at the Manchester Academic Charter School on August 27th.  It was the second day of school for the students and prior to meeting with school CEO Vasilios Scoumis, Senator Fontana had an opportunity to spend time in several classrooms.

PHEAA Hosting Job Fair in Green Tree

As Vice-Chair of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) I was pleased in June to announce the opening of a new PHEAA Customer Service Center in Green Tree that will be opening this fall.  This new facility, located at 11 Parkway Center, will create 150 employment opportunities for local residents.  These are sustainable jobs with access to employment benefits.

With the help of skilled workers from right here in western Pennsylvania, the new Customer Service Center in Green Tree will help PHEAA continue to provide the best possible customer service to millions of student loan borrowers throughout the region, the Commonwealth and the nation.  These workers, and this facility, will help PHEAA service its growing portfolio of federally-owned student loans, currently worth a total of $129 billion for 5.8 million borrowers.

PHEAA began operations 50 years ago with only four employees working out of a one room office in Harrisburg.  Today, the agency is known as one of the nation’s largest and most efficient student aid organizations in the country.  PHEAA is a student loan guarantor and servicer, a student aid systems developer, and of course, a state grant and special programs administrator.  The revenue earned through PHEAA’s business operations is used to pay for the agency’s operations and to support its public service mission to the Commonwealth, including our $80 million supplement to the State Grant program for 2012-13, which has allowed more Pennsylvania students with financial need to benefit from larger grant awards.  Not only does the agency provide the nation’s best customer service to our residents, but PHEAA’s success has funded public services that have saved taxpayers more than $1 billion over the years.

Now, more residents from Allegheny County will have the opportunity to benefit from PHEAA’s success with the opening of this new Customer Service Center, joining current facilities in Dauphin, Cumberland, Centre and Delaware Counties.  With operations set to commence this fall, PHEAA will hold its third Allegheny County recruitment event on September 5th at the new facility’s location at 11 Parkway Center, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.  They are looking to fill full-time, entry level positions for Call Center Representatives/Loan Counselors and representatives from PHEAA’s Human Resources and FedLoan Servicing departments will be available to provide information about these opportunities for employment and answer questions.  If you’re interested in working in this new facility, I encourage you to attend this recruitment event.  You can also visit www.pheaa.org/jobs to learn more about available positions.

I appreciate the long-term investment PHEAA is making in our community and am looking forward to the opening of this new facility and the success I know it will bring to our region through both job opportunity and improved service to our student loan customers.  Soon, PHEAA will learn and experience first-hand what I already know to be true – that this region possesses some of the most skilled, motivated, dedicated, and hardworking individuals in the nation, workers who will ensure that this Customer Service Center is a successful operation for many years.

The 9th Annual FontanaFest will be held this Saturday, September 7th from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at South Side’s Riverfront Park (bottom of 18th Street at the river).  The community event highlights many of the family-oriented activities that can be done on or near Pittsburgh’s three rivers.  Join us for a FREE day of family fun with activities on the rivers, free food and drink, inflatables, crafts and pony rides. 

Be sure to visit www.fontanafest.com to view a listing of all participating organizations and sponsors. Several organizations will also be present to provide children and families with important educational information and activities.  It’s rain or shine – but I have every confidence we will have another beautiful day, so please come out and enjoy!

Flu/Pneumonia Shots & Senior Clinic

I am hosting a Flu/Pneumonia Shot & Senior Clinic on Friday, September 27th from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Quinn Hall at the Church of the Resurrection in Brookline.  American HealthCare Group will be providing the free vaccinations to any senior with the Medicare Part B health insurance card.  Make sure you bring your card with you.

All attendees can also receive a free blood pressure screening and have their blood sugar tested compliments of Primary Care Health Services and will have an opportunity to speak with a pharmacist from Duquesne University’s Mylan School of Pharmacy and “Ask the Pharmacist” questions about medications.  Several other organizations will be in attendance including:  Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh; PA APPRISE; PA Office of the Consumer Advocate; LifeSpan; AARP; and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services – all providing seniors with important information on available services and resources.  Light refreshments will be also provided.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Brookline Autumn BreezeFest

The Brookline Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Brookline Autumn BreezeFest on Saturday, September 21st from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Brookline Boulevard will be lined with arts, crafts, food and local merchant sales and specials throughout the day.  This event will provide a great opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy and celebrate the diversity and many services that are provided in Brookline and along the Boulevard.

Brookline is a resilient community that has something for everyone.  There are a variety of food options for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the neighborhood and a wide range of ethnic restaurants and shopping options, coffee shops, bakeries, beer, wine and spirits.  Professional services also line the Boulevard where you can find doctors, attorneys, accountants, dry cleaners, tailoring services, printing shops, flowers, car repairs, plumbing services, elected officials, a pharmacy, and even a tattoo parlor.  Senior living facilities and senior centers also are prominent in Brookline as well as parks and a recreation center for children and individuals of all ages.

The Autumn BreezeFest is an opportunity for the neighborhood to come together and celebrate the diversity of commerce that exists in Brookline and patronize local merchants who provide these services to the community.  It is also an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made during the Brookline Boulevard Streetscape Project and enjoy the “new” landscape that is beginning to take shape along the Boulevard as the community continues to move forward together.  If you have not been to Brookline in a while, this is a great opportunity to visit and take notice of its reemergence.

Shredding Event

Together with Representatives Dan Miller and Dan Deasy, we are hosting a Shredding Event on Saturday, September 28th from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Green Tree Park’s lower parking lot, located at 895 Greentree Road.  With consumer fraud and identity theft becoming an epidemic in our communities, we are hosting this event not only to raise awareness and promote prevention but also to provide individuals the opportunity to have unneeded, confidential documents destroyed, free of charge.  You may bring documents that contain personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.  We will also accept CD’s, credit cards, video tapes and floppy disks.

42nd Senatorial District – Deficient Bridge Watch

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary recently announced that the Liberty Bridge in the very near future will have a posted weight limit of 30 tons, or 40 tons for combination loads.

Without a solution, it can only get worse!

Senator Fontana toured Calgon Carbon’s plant, located on Neville Island, last week, to learn more about their business including the technology they’ve developed to use activated carbon to purify drinking water.  In the photo above, Senator Fontana listens on as Plant Manager, Tom Bosak describes the Plant’s operations.

Beechview Residents Honored

Congratulations to Beechview residents Phyllis DiDiano and Sue Pfeuffer on being named 2013 Jefferson Award winners!  The Pittsburgh Jefferson Awards are sponsored by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in conjunction with Highmark, BNY Mellon, the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Heinz Endowments.  Each year, 50 Jefferson Award winners are chosen from among those nominated for their commitment to volunteerism and Phyllis and Sue were recognized in the August 20th edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Phyllis is currently the President of the Beechview Area Concerned Citizens and Sue is one of the founding members.  Together, they lead the organization in its mission to promote neighborhood safety and move the community forward and have worked on several initiatives including the annual Night Out Against Crime, Block Watch, Bundle Up, and the Beechview Farmers’ Market.  They also have been instrumental in raising funds in support of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Beechview branch and organize fundraisers throughout the year for various projects in Beechview through the Community Leaders United for Beechview (CLUB).

Phyllis and Sue will be honored at a reception with the other winners and receive a bronze Jefferson Award medallion at the reception.  They also will be among those considered to be named finalists for the region’s Most Outstanding Volunteer Award.  Congratulations again to Phyllis and Sue on receiving this award and thank you for your efforts on behalf of Beechview!

Castle Shannon Fall Festival

The Castle Shannon Revitalization Corporation is hosting the 2nd Annual Fall Festival in the borough on Saturday, September 28th from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The Fall Festival in Castle Shannon will feature local food, artisan crafts, live entertainment, face painting, and much more.  Admission to the Fall Festival is free and will be held on Willow Avenue, between Park and Poplar Avenues.

Brookline Business Feature

This week’s featured Brookline business is Scoops on the Boulevard, located at 719 Brookline Boulevard.  Scoops offers over 40 different flavors of ice cream and seasonal specials and is open seven days a week.  In addition to cones and cups, Scoops also serves ice cream drinks, sundaes, slush puppies and cake.  To learn more about their selections, please visit www.scoopspittsburgh.com or call 412-561-9982.  Please continue to support local merchants during the Brookline Boulevard Streetscape Project and remember:

Brookline is open for business!

Fontana Fact

Over 26,000 students will attend one of 54 Pittsburgh Public Schools during the 2013-14 school year, which began last week.