Nevertheless, his leadership style and moxie as the head of the city established these legacies because he understood what he knew and more importantly, knew what he didnt. Reducing salaries would be a penny wise and a pound foolish. Contents Tube City Community Media Inc. No content may be reproduced in whole or part in any digital or print publication without express permission, except that short excerpts may be used with attribution in commentary or for critical purposes. As things got worse, the boss, as I was privileged to call him, partnered with the newly created Allegheny Regional Asset District. I would not have bought the property with all the liens. Also, the city wiped away tax liens worth nearly $10,000. Im talking about money to help First Step with the homeless, with the drug and alcohol issues, and dont tell me you dont think theres an opioid crisis here in the community.. {"requests":{"event":"https://www.publicsource.org/wp-content/plugins/newspack-popups/includes/../api/campaigns/index.php"},"triggers":{"trackPageview":{"on":"visible","request":"event","visibilitySpec":{"selector":"#c022","visiblePercentageMin":50,"totalTimeMin":250,"continuousTimeMin":100},"extraUrlParams":{"popup_id":"id_1279864","cid":"CLIENT_ID(newspack-cid)"}}}} It was just an example that we could always laugh together without embarrassing one another. This employer has not claimed their Employer Profile and is missing out on connecting with our community. Lawson now lives in an apartment, where she got a visit from a McKeesport official asking her to give up her property. Read what they think about their salaries on our Compensation FAQ page for City of McKeesport. If they werent under his roofs, some might be homeless, committing crimes to support their addictions. Unlike newer suburbs, the city cannot rely on new residential construction (Brewster called them "dream houses") to boost its revenues. The department levied another $5,000 in penalties but did not collect those, instead filing judgments against the owner entities, which are controlled by PNC Bank. Brewster chalked that accomplishment up to "the help of the Lord" and "good business management" by city employees. Both cities have median incomes above $44,000 for thier citizens. After they moved back to his hometown Lou and Jean were always a team he sold insurance, operated a pizza shop in Grandview, worked for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of McKeesport (a harbinger of things to come), owned a sporting goods store, and became a coach of the McKeesport Little Tigers football program. All content Tube City Community Media Inc., a non-profit corporation chartered for charitable and educational purposes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Through all the citys financial woes, Lou supported The Intersection soup kitchen on Seventh Avenue. 32-year-old Officer Sean Sluganski was shot and killed after responding to a domestic. Though Giles has seen prior expansion plans bulldozed, he still hopes to grow First Step. Contractors might, however, be able to remove the south wing and then retrofit the north wing, removing the asbestos and repairing the roof and steel framing, said Anselmo. Tube City Online is still not a significant source of saturated fats or Minnesota Fats. McKeesport's mayor has declared a state of emergency after the city's public works garage caught fire Sunday morning, damaging vehicles and equipment. Action News Investigates has learned that the mayor of McKeesport got the property for his house on the cheap, using a city program. Thats when Lou made three of his most important decisions. Unfortunately, Mayor Washowichs visionary dream died on the political steps of the State Capitol, in return for a promise of governmental support to find adaptive reuses for the former National Works, now the RIDC industrial park. I know the kid," Lawson said.Cherepko said he remembers Lawson but he did not know where she was living when he took her property. Rich Lord February 15, 2022. She could have kept her property, but only if she paid off the delinquent taxes. Van Osdol asked. "When people say, 'Well, what does Fifth Avenue mean to me?' They occurred in prison. You are reading the December 07, 2009 entry of Tube City Almanac. "I signed it over to McKeesport. Understanding the Gender Pay Gap in America, View Average Salary for the United States. Salaries above this are outliers. (Photo by Lucas Zheng/PublicSource), In McKeesport, a demolition drive pauses at the door of a once-glamorous hotel. No warranty is given or implied for the information and opinions contained herein; the reader uses that information at his or her peril. He said he tried to walk away from the argument, but Giles kept drawing him back. It was one of the ways in which he was always available to the public. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource), $24.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] funding. "I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to utilize resources available to us to help make this dream a reality," Cherepko said. McKeesports main ZIP code, 15132, has seen 153 fatal drug overdoses since 2008, according to OverdoseFreePA, a state-funded project that tracks the epidemic throughout the state. ), Giles argued that the stakes here were bigger than a demolition debt. "Oh, God. // -->. Salaries for the mayor, councilors, solicitor and other city administrators tote up another $1.2 million, while property maintenance costs $1.1 million. Mar 2023 Rich Lord is PublicSources economic development reporter. This house on Fifth Avenue in McKeesport, once owned by Keenon Mikell, is now deeded to the McKeesport City Redevelopment Authority. Brewster said he would have more to say in his second "state of the city" address, to be delivered to the public in February. The federal government, everyone at the table knew, was dishing out billions of dollars.