A Week in the Life of the Lawrenceville Corporation
It was a busy week for the Lawrenceville Corporation and we thought we’d offer curious Lville fans an insight into what this Community Development Corporation does by offering you a glimpse into a “Week in the Life of the Lawrenceville Corporation.”
We started off this week on a high from the weekend’s successful “Love Your Block” campaign with Lawrenceville United. Ed Nusser, our Land Use Coordinator, along with Lawrenceville United, some community volunteers, and a busload of enthusiastic Pitt Students for Pitt Makes a Difference Daycompletely transformed the staircase on 54th and Duncan. 26 Buckets, 12 Brooms, 12 shovels, 20 rakes and over 50 volunteers. That’s what it takes to clean up a very overgrown and long staircase. Mission accomplished.
The next highlight of the week took place at Goodwill. Lawrenceville is home to the Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania headquarters. Moira Egler, LC’s Commercial District Coordinator, and Molly Recka, the Marketing and Communications Assistant attended Goodwill’s annual “Faces of Work Luncheon.” The lunch celebrated the many diverse programs Goodwill offers including a food safety youth program, an adult GED program, the successful “Lawrenceville WORKS” program, and more. The lunch included an introduction and tour led by Goodwill CEO Michael J. Smith. Visitors toured the cafeteria, greenhouse, GED classroom and computer assembly facility. The sheer size and scope of Goodwill’s programs is frankly amazing and the pride with which each employee and program participant spoke of their job and their mission was inspiring.
A third but no less exciting event this week was the official ribbon cutting for the Doughboy Apartments in Lower Lawrenceville. In 2009, the Lower Lawrenceville Plan was developed. This plan discusses the overall goals for the neighborhood and specifically, a strategy for Lower Lawrenceville to enhance the business and residential district of the area. The planning goal was to develop a “community supported vision – and a road map for achieving that vision – for the Lower Lawrenceville retail district and adjacent areas that prioritizes and guides future investments.”
Sidewalks, bike racks, parking, residential properties were all part of this master plan. This Wednesday marked the official of this new residential property. With parking available, a fitness center, and spacious 2 bedroom apartments, the Doughboy Apartments offers a great new space and draw for the neighborhood. A more detailed description of the Lola Plan coming to a blog post near you soon!