Cancelled: Love for the Planet

Mt. Lebanon will celebrate Earth Day’s 50th anniversary from 11 to 3 on Sunday, April 26, in Mt. Lebanon Park. Parking will be available in the recreation center lot, in the commissioners’ lot and in the high school south lot. Food, music, vendors and activity tents for yoga, meditation and environment-themed workshops are on the agenda. Bartlett Trees will give away 250 tree seedlings. The Pennsylvania Resource Council will present a workshop on rain barrels at 1, and a workshop on backyard composting at 2. The rain barrel workshop gives participants tips on water conservation, and watershed-friendly landscaping techniques. Cost of the workshop is $80 per person and $85 per couple, and includes a 55-gallon rain barrel to attach to a downspout and collect and store rain water. The backyard composting workshop covers the importance and benefits of composting, how to set up a compost pile and ways  to use finished compost. Cost is $70 per person and $75 per couple and includes one 82-gallon compost bin. Learn more about the programs and register online.

Cancelled: Tree City Ceremony

Mt. Lebanon loves trees. We even have one in our logo, a representation of the two Cedars of Lebanon trees that the Rev. Joseph Clokey brought back from a trip he took to the Taurus Mountains in Southern Turkey almost 200 years ago, which gave us our name. So it just makes sense that Mt. Lebanon has qualified as a Tree City USA for the last 14 years. The designation, awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation, has four requirements: A tree board or forestry department; a tree care ordinance; a community forestry program with a budget of at least $2 per capita; and the fun part, an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The observance is hosted on a rotating basis by each of Mt. Lebanon’s elementary schools. This year’s host is Lincoln, at 2:45 p.m., Friday, April 24. The theme is Trees Give More Than They Take, and will include student artwork, poetry and songs, and orchestra and band performances. The public is invited. This event is being rescheduled to April, 2021.

Before throwing out used furniture, clothing, toys, instruments, etc., consider donating the items to a charity resale shop, or posting them on free sharing sites, such as Buy Nothing Mt. Lebanon, Mt. Lebanon Pass Along and Pick-up, or Freecycle. Also, check those sites before purchasing new items. Off the Floor Pittsburgh is a furniture bank that distributes used but still usable furniture to people in need. Off the Floor charges a $20 pickup fee. Have stuff left over from a remodeling project? Take it to Construction Junction, 214 N. Lexington Avenue. While you’re there, check out all the cool stuff at Center for Creative Reuse, which is at the same location.

Sprucing Up

Spend a Saturday or three helping the Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy clean up our parks. Wear comfortable clothes and meet at Twin Hills Park on April 18 or Bird Park on May 2 or 16. All park cleanups start at 9 a.m. and end by noon. www.lebonature.org.

Uptown Input

Weigh in on preliminary plans for upgrades to the Washington Road business district at two open houses: Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7. Both meetings are from 5 to 7 p.m. in conference room C in the municipal building. You’ll view design plans and have a chance to offer your thoughts.

The Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market

It’s later than usual this year—Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4. Local students can still apply for the scholarships, and artists can apply for a booth up until April 15. Visit www.MtLebanonArtistsMarket.com or Mt. Lebanon Artists’ Market on Facebook for event information and updates.

New Inspector

Abby Waine is Mt. Lebanon’s new code enforcement officer. She is a 2018 graduate of Slippery Rock University, with a degree in safety management. Waine, who is certified by the International Code Council as a property maintenance and housing inspector, and by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in general industry and in construction safety and health, comes to Mt. Lebanon from the City of Pittsburgh, where she worked as a combined operations inspector in the Permits, Licenses and Inspections Department.

COMMUNITY RECYCLING EVENTS

Because of heavy demand, these recycling events are limited to Mt. Lebanon residents. All events, unless otherwise specified, take place at the Mt. Lebanon Public Works Complex, 1250 Lindendale Drive.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES CANCELLED 10-2, Saturday, April 18, May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15 and September 19. One free TV per vehicle. Mercury bulbs $2 each and $25 for appliances with refrigerant.

PAPER SHREDDING CANCELLED 10-2, Saturday, April 25, May 23, June 27, July 25, August 22 and September 26.

WOODY WASTE CURBSIDE PICKUP CANCELLED Saturday, April 11, May 9, June 13, July 11, August 8, September 12 and October 3. Reservation is required. Call 412-343-3403, no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday before pickup. Material is limited to shrubs, tree branches and limbs. Materials must be on the curb  before 7 a.m. on the pickup day. Follow these guidelines:

Remove all dirt and debris from the roots of shrubs. No rocks, leaves, grass clippings or ornamental grasses.

Place small branches into piles (not bound) not exceeding 24 inches in diameter and 48 inches in length.

Large tree limbs should be no longer than 6 feet in length and no thicker than 5 inches in diameter.

The total amount put out for any pickup should not exceed more than can be placed into a single pickup truck. If the above guidelines are not followed, then the materials will be deemed uncollectable and left at the curb.

UPDATED YARD WASTE DROPOFF Drop off your yard waste at the golf course maintenance facility on Pine Avenue, every Saturday, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., through the coronavirus pandemic. Waste Management will not be picking up yard waste until further notice.

Leaves and garden residue in recyclable Kraft bags; small twigs, shrubs, brush and branches (under 3 feet) are accepted. No grass clippings, stones, soil, stumps, large limbs or plastic bags accepted.

GLASS RECYCLING The Pennsylvania Resource Council (PRC)’s glass collection event scheduled for Saturday, April 25, has been cancelled. However they are planning additional glass collections in the coming months. The events are free and participants can bring glass of any color. No window glass, ceramics, drinking glasses or stemware. PRC  will be on site for assistance.

If you can’t make the event, you can bring glass to the following locations: Michael Brothers, 901 Horning Road and 408 Hoffman Road, 24 hours a day; must separate glass by color; Michael Brothers also accepts aluminum cans. Peters Township Fire Station #1, 245 E. McMurray Road, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Place glass in blue bin behind fire station. Superior Mulch, 21 Furnace Extension Road, McKees Rocks, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Enter Furnace Street Extension directly from Thompson Avenue. Place glass in the blue CAP Glass container.