Borough of Etna

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Tune to 1670 AM for the Etna Borough Emergency Alert Radio Station

"WE WILL ACT TODAY SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR COMMUNITY IS AN ATTRACTIVE PLACE THAT IS THRIVING AND ECONOMICALLY SOUND. WE ENVISION AN ETNA THAT IS KNOWN FOR A GOOD SCHOOL SYSTEM AND COOPERATIVE GOVERNMENT. OUR FUTURE INCLUDES A FOCUS ON SAFETY AND A RESPECTED, COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICE FORCE. WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF FLOOD CONTROL"

Etna is a small bustling community covering one square mile along the banks of the Allegheny River, and is bordered on three sides by Millvale, Shaler Township, and Sharpsburg. Centrally located, Etna is just 10 minutes (non-rush hour) from downtown Pittsburgh and close enough for easy access to the shopping centers in North Hills, Fox Chapel, and Monroeville, the cultural opportunities in Oakland and North Side, and the nine local Colleges and Universities.

Once a mill town, over the past twenty years, Etna has re-emerged as a residential community with a highly diversified business base. Within its borders are over 160 businesses ranging from good-sized industrial firms to smaller, family-owned retail and consumer outlets.

Etna Celebrates Status as a Live Well Allegheny Community

PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker and Council Member Ed Kress today joined elected and appointed officials, as well as residents of Etna Borough, at the Borough’s Community Day to formally designate the borough as a Live Well Allegheny community.

“Etna Borough has been working hard to make the best life possible for its residents, and by joining the Live Well Allegheny community they are just furthering that commitment,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Etna is a neighborhood full of life and I am certain that its residents will take full-advantage of all Live Well programs and opportunities that are presented.”

Live Well Allegheny was launched in January 2014 as a comprehensive, innovative strategy on wellness that embraces a broad concept of living well to include physical health, mental wellness, personal and community safety, prevention and preparedness, and much more. The effort is being led by the Board of Health and Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker.

“As someone with family ties to the borough, I applaud the efforts of the Borough Council and of Mayor Rengers on taking this important step to create a healthy environment for the residents of Etna,” said Council Member Kress. “Living well requires a behavioral change and through planned programming, events, and the coordinated efforts of Live Well Allegheny, the residents of Etna will have every opportunity to lead healthy lifestyles. I am proud to support all efforts to promote the health and welfare of Etna and of Allegheny County as a whole.”

The Live Well launch happened today at the Etna Pool and Playground during the Borough’s annual Community Day celebration.  Residents were able to learn about the Live Well program and take part in the planned activities and celebration.

“I am so proud of the way our local communities have taken to the Live Well Allegheny initiative,” said Dr. Karen Hacker. “Etna Borough offers a variety of ways for its residents to live a healthy, active lifestyle, from joining a sports league, swimming at the pool, or shopping at a farmer’s market. I am also excited to see that promoting smoke free parks, buildings and perimeters is a goal established in their resolution, as secondhand smoke can lead to serious health conditions including asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia.”

Etna Borough has committed to promoting participation in a voluntary wellness campaign for employees, developing outdoor wellness trails accessible to residents of all abilities, developing walking maps, encouraging multi-modal transportation, and promoting and supporting farmer’s markets, among other goals.  The Borough will also utilize its website and social media pages to provide information about physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and tobacco cessation.

“Etna will do all it can to further the goals of the Live Well Allegheny initiative in our community.  Our residents are the life blood of our community and are precious to us,” said Etna Borough Council President Pete Ramage. “We want to make every effort to ensure their safety and health and keep Etna a great place to live and work. We are grateful for this opportunity and partnership with the County.”

For more information on the Live Well Allegheny campaign, including how to become a Live Well Allegheny community, visit www.LiveWellAllegheny.com.

See the article on TribLive; County recognizes Etna for efforts to promote healthy living.

2016 Side Yard and Blighted Structure Program Application Period Opens

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced today that the 2016 Side Yard and Blighted Structure application period has opened. The program provides applicants in 45 municipalities the opportunity to acquire vacant lots and structures at a discounted cost through the Vacant Property Recovery Program.

“The Vacant Property Recovery Program is an important tool in our communities to allow residents, officials and others to take active steps to revitalize their municipality,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m proud that we’re able to offer this program for the fourth year in a row and that eight new municipalities have joined the program in the past year. With proper tools, such as this program, we can make a significant difference in our county and its municipalities.”

Allegheny County will accept applications from individuals, businesses, non-profits or government entities to acquire vacant properties in 45 municipalities which currently participate in the Vacant Property Recovery Program. Those communities are:

Applications must be postmarked no later than August 31, 2016. Up to 70 applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis with only five applications accepted per municipality in order to ensure that all may participate. Applicants must be current on taxes, water, sewage and refuse bills on all properties owned in Allegheny County. Applicants may not have any outstanding code violations or municipal liens on any properties.

“We’re proud to play a part in helping municipalities redevelop and revitalize their neighborhoods by offering this program through the department. In the last two years, we received over 400 applications which reflects the interest and demand for the program,” said Robert Hurley, Director of Allegheny County Economic Development. “In that same time period, we have accepted 170 properties and conveyed 133 parcels which are now back on the tax rolls. This effort can improve the safety of neighborhoods, eliminate maintenance costs for municipalities and encourages community reinvestment.”

Enrollment in the Vacant Property Recovery Program is open to municipalities throughout Allegheny County and currently includes 62 municipalities. Discounts similar to the 2016 Side Yard and Blighted Structure Program are available on an ongoing basis to the other 17 municipalities that currently participate in the program. Those municipalities are:

Funding for the program is provided through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, county general funds and applicant payments towards acquisition costs.

For additional information, or to request an application, please call 412-350-1090 or visit the Allegheny County Vacant Property Recovery Program’s webpage at http://bit.ly/2016SideYd.

Click Here to download the application.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Sustainable Community Essentials Certification

Etna Borough is proud to announce that it is among the first municipalities to become certified through the Southwestern Pennsylvania Sustainable Community Essentials Certification program. Etna is recognized at the Silver level of certification for meeting the program’s rigorous performance criteria which tracks 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community. This Certification, developed by Sustainable Pittsburgh, is designed for municipalities that are working to save money, conserve resources and serve vibrant communities. In earning the Silver Certification, Etna is acknowledged for its progress in addressing such areas as community design and land use, energy efficiency, health and wellness, mitigating blight, intergovernmental cooperation, recycling and waste reduction, fiscal controls, and internal management and operations. Details regarding how we are addressing these areas can be found on the certification
program’s website: www.sustainablecommunityessentials.org

Etna has now been designated a Sustainable Pennsylvania Certified Silver Community.

Free Senior Transportation Service

There is a Free Rides for Seniors Shuttle that transports seniors in your community to grocery shopping and UPMC medical appointments in the Route 28 corridor.

Communities served by the shuttle include: Brackenridge, Cheswick, Etna, Millvale, Oakmont, Natrona Heights, Springdale, Tarentum and Verona.  The shuttle runs on different days for different communities. Please call 412-449-0151 for a schedule!

The shuttle is driven and dispatched by friendly volunteers from North Hills Community Outreach and funded by St. Margaret Foundation. The service is truly free  -- seniors (60 and older) do not pay for this service.

Seniors are encouraged to call the Kerry or Danielle at the Free Rides for Seniors office at 412-449-0151 to learn more about the shuttle.

Special Needs Registry

Allegheny County Emergency Management Agency launched the “Special Needs Registry” this past February. This Special Needs Registry allows residents with physical, mental health or intellec-tual disabilities to provide information to the De-partment of Emergency Services. This voluntary information may then be shared with those re-sponding to a home for a police, fire or medical emergency. The Special Needs Registry is intended only for those who live independently and not in a residential needs facility such as a nursing home or group home. The Special Needs Registry can be found at the County’s website at www.alleghenycounty.us/specialneedsregistry Information provided through the Registry will be programmed to appear on the screen when an emergency call is made from the home. This will allow dispatchers to alert emergency responders that there may be a unique situation in the home involving a person with special needs.

Zoning Ordinance Rehab

At the December Council meeting, the new ZONINGORDINANCE, NO. 1361, was unanimously adopted by Etna Borough Council. This ordinance is the culmination of over two years work by the Borough, first with the adoption of the new Comprehensive Plan, Riverbend, in June of 2014 which included a major goal of a total rehab of our zoning laws. You can check the new ordinance out at www.etnaborough.org. We thank the committee who participated in the long process and all of those residents who attended public hearings and meetings on both the Comprehensive Plan and the new zoning ordinance and provided their input. We hope and believe this new ordinance will help us achieve other short and long term goals of our Comprehensive Plan.

Teen Day 2016

The Borough would like to thank everyone who participated in Teen Day this year, and a special thanks to all the businesses that donated prizes for the raffle. Also, congrats to the Kids, who beat the Cops 44 – 38 in this year’s Cops vs. Kids Basketball Game.

Pilot Parking Permit Program

In November, Council adopted Ordinance No. 1360, which institutes a Pilot Parking Permit Program which takes effect April 1 of 2016. This Pilot Program affects a very limited area of the community. Residential parking permits will be required for parking on Maplewood Street from Hickory Street to Locust Street, a portion of Pine Street (the side across from the playground and swimming pool - odd numbered side), a portion of Locust Street from the intersection of High Street to Maplewood Street on the even numbered side), Locust Street from Maplewood Street to Pine Street on the odd numbered side) and Garrick Street. In order to obtain a permit, a resident must provide verification of car ownership and/or specific written permission to operate a company vehicle, payment in full for the permit, proof of current vehicle registration, proof of current vehicle insurance, proof of valid driver’s license with the address located in one of the designated permit zones and proof of payment of all wage and property taxes. Visitor permits will also be sold. Only one visitor permit may be purchased at a time and will be issued to eligible residents for his/her visitors. Each permit is good for seven uses in a thirty day period. Caregiver permits will also be available and will be issued for one year to the eligible residents. The resident must show proof of residency and submit a statement of need for the Caregiver Permit. For company vehicles, only one company automobile per household shall be permitted but will not be in addition to the number of permits allowed per household. Households will be limited to two parking permits per household but if the household has a garage or off-street parking available, that household will only be eligible to obtain one permit. On-street parking permits are non-transferrable and all permits will be good for one year – from April 1 through March 31. Resident permits will cost $20.00 annually, Visitor permits are $10.00 (for 7 uses) and Caregiver Permits are also $20.00 annually. Other conditions (such as display, etc.) are in the full text of the ordinance. The Borough would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of these areas for their input and thoughtful considerations and deliberations during the numerous public meetings regarding this pilot parking program. This request was brought to council by a resident living in this neighborhood of the community, which has some very specific and particular parking challenges due to the summer time use of the municipal swimming pool and playground, the fall and winter use of the Etna Deck Hockey Rink at the playground, the fall ScareHouse event and the large employer located on Pine Street. This is a very active sector of our community. These activities are good for the community and we are grateful for them; but, they do pose additional parking problems for the residents in this area. This Ordinance, which was drafted with the input of all of those in the designated zones, will be monitored for a one year period to see if it is effective in helping the residential parking issues there. Again, our thanks go out to the many residents who attended the public hearings on the issue and shared their thoughts on how to tackle this problem.

Parking Permit Application

Weatherization Assistance Program

ACTION-Housing operates the Weatherization Assistance Program for the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Washington, and Greene counties. The Weatherization Assistance Program is a federally-funded program that provides eligible homeowners and renters with free-of-charge weatherization services, which refers to the process of reducing the amount of air infiltration into and out of the home. This process should improve energy efficiency, reduce heating and electric bills, and make the home a more comfortable place to live. Click Here to find out more.