IMPROVEMENTS AT THE TENNIS CENTER Major changes to programs and facilities are underway at the Tennis Center and Darin Rauso is leading the expansion. Originally from Homer City, about an hour from Pittsburgh, Rauso earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sports management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After graduating in 2016, he managed two tennis centers in the Seattle area. With a baby on the way, Rauso and his fiancée wanted to be closer to family, so they decided to move back to Pittsburgh. He’s excited to join the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center, which he said “is a fantastic community with a lot of passion.”
“I want the tennis center to be a place available to anyone who wants to play in the Pittsburgh area. Whether they want to learn the game or they’re a professional, I hope this is where they think of first,” said Rauso.
Currently, the tennis center on Cedar Boulevard has 15 tennis courts and four platform courts. Meadowcroft Park has pickleball courts, and plans are being considered to bring them to ther tennis center as well. “In the next few years, we plan to have lessons and clinics for all three sports,” said Rauso. Additionally, the Tennis Center has a new hitting wall, which is free to use for all kinds of racket sports, but primarily meant for practicing tennis hits.
Other changes to come include: junior and adult clinics, a high performance tennis program, socials and USTA-style tournaments. “We’re revamping programming,” said Rauso. “If you’re thinking of playing tennis, we want you to come here.”
SEWAGE CONSENT ORDER, STORMWATER WORK CONTINUES Mt. Lebanon is working on repairing its sewer infrastructure as part of a consent order with the Allegheny County Health Department.
The municipality is one of 83 communities served by the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN). All of the ALCOSAN communities are under a consent order that entered a new phase in 2021.
The new order aims to reduce the amount of groundwater that flows into sewer pipes. Following a storm, cracked and broken pipes allow groundwater to find its way into the sanitary sewer system and can overload it.
The system is further overloaded by unsanctioned connections to the sanitary system, from downspouts, driveway drains and other outlets.
Even if a municipality is already under ALCOSAN’s threshold, the order mandates that those communities reduce their groundwater inflow by an additional 10 percent.
In a presentation to Commissioners, Dan Deiseroth and Dennis Flynn of Gateway Engineers discussed the municipality’s progress under the revised consent order.
The order identified 17 connection points, seven of which were found to be above ALCOSAN’s standard of inflow and infiltration. Sanitary sewer lining and repair and replacement of brick manholes that began in January should bring four of the seven connection points under the standard, on Castle Shannon Boulevard, Scott Road, Cochran Road and Little Saw Mill Run, which is not located in Mt. Lebanon, but is within the watershed. Cost of the projects is $2.83 million, of which $687,600 is expected to come from ALCOSAN’s Grow Grant program.
ALCOSAN was formed in 1946, and by 1959 the treatment plant and interceptor sewers were in place.
“Before (ALCOSAN), all we had was raw sewage dumping into creeks,” said Deiseroth. “They connected all the little systems, created the ALCOSAN system, created the interceptors, but there was overflow at every connection.”
Deiseroth says ALCOSAN is moving to take over responsibility for large sewer lines that extend beyond municipal borders.
“ALCOSAN’s taking over all the interceptor sewers,” he said. “We’re handing over the assets. Any multiple-municipal sewers, they’re taking over. At some point in time, they’re going to build big projects along the creeks and rivers to further lessen the flows.”
Mt. Lebanon continues to work on stormwater reduction projects. In 2011, Mt. Lebanon became one of the first communities in Pennsylvania to institute a separate fund to pay for improvements to the infrastructure that reduce the amount of stormwater that finds its way into the sanitary sewer system. The fund was set up to pay for the improvements without placing a burden on the municipality’s general fund budget.
Since implementing the utility fund, Mt. Lebanon has spent a total of $14,761,639.95 on improvements, more than half going to curbs and storm sewers associated with street reconstruction. Curbs are instrumental in directing the flow of stormwater, directing stormwater flowing from driveways and roof drains into inlets along the street and stormwater pipes that flow into streams.
One tangible benefit of the stormwater work: fewer flooded basements. Assistant Fire Chief Sean Daniels said after two big spring storms, the department received a total of four calls to pump out basements, as opposed to a call volume of 10 to 20 in the past.
“Our expectation if this was 10 years ago would be a lot higher,” he said.
TRASH PICKUP If you’ve been having issues with your trash or recycling pickup, call (412) 343-3400 during business hours or log onto mylebo.mtlebanon.org [1]. The municipality reports these issues to the hauler, and it’s important to furnish addresses and details. All trash must be bagged; placing loose trash in a container may result in its not being collected. Review the guidelines at mtlebanon.org/garbage [2].
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE Mt. Lebanon’s last household hazardous waste collection for 2024 is scheduled for Saturday, August 10, at the public works facility, 1250 Lindendale Drive. Registration is required. Rates for materials vary. No cash, credit cards only. More information at nobleenviro.com [3].
Items accepted include, but are not limited to: ammonia-based cleaners, furniture polish, insecticides, oven cleaners, disinfectant, nail polish and remover, herbicide, antifreeze, brake fluid, kerosene, metal polish with solvent, motor oil, transmission fluid, windshield washer solution, latex, oil and water-based paints, turpentine and paint thinner, mercury, pool chemicals, rust remover, varnish, fiberglass epoxy, glue, household batteries, mercury batteries, lighter fluid, mothballs and shoe polish.
ARTISTS’ MARKET The Mt. Lebanon Partnership’s Artists’ Market is slated for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., September 28 and 29, in the Academy Avenue parking lot. More details to follow, but what we know so far is to expect more than 65 professional artists in all media in a juried show; children’s activities from the Mt. Lebanon Public Library and a kids’ paint-out; food trucks and beverages from The Saloon. More details to come. Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
MAGAZINE AWARDS Mt. Lebanon Magazine received a first-place award from the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) in the print magazine category of the association’s Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards. The NAGC comprises communications officers from all types of government and government-related organizations, including cities, counties, states, federal agencies and even the Library of Congress. The international awards program recognizes superior government communication products and those who produce them. The magazine also received two Golden Quill awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. Stephanie Hacke’s The Big Picture won for Excellence in Written Journalism, Public Affairs/Politics/Government, and Laura Pace Lilley, Carrie Moniot, Stephanie Hacke and Ian McMeans won an Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, Multiplatform Project award for Uptown Unveiled, coverage of the Washington Road streetscape project.