We’re continuing to have some difficulties with the portal design poll,  sorry for the inconvenience.

In follow up to Connect Greenfield’s March 15, 2010 community meeting on the redesign of the triangular median at Beechwood and Alger, a resident volunteer and landscape designer, Wayne from Lami Grubb Architects, agreed to develop alternative sign designs.  Guidance from the community meeting included the following:

• Include “Greenfield” in the sign with “Welcomes You” as a subtext.
• Incorporate the color green into the sign design.
• Curve the sign so as to be visible from both Beechwood and the bridge approaches
• Consider the appearance of the sign from the rear, Alger Street approach.
• Light the sign from ground-mounted lights or with internal lighting.
• Keep the sign no more than 5 feet high and positioned along the eastern edge so as not to obstruct sight lines for motorists navigating through the intersection.

The designer originally developed fifteen wide ranging alternatives.   Connect Greenfield and the Greenfield Organization convened the Design Committee and worked with a small group of community residents to identify the top candidates for further consideration.

The sign designs presented below are recommended to the community for comment and selection. Please vote in the sidebar for your favorite sign design and, if you’d like, discuss the different designs in the comments. The final tally for each design will be taken into account when deciding which design to go with, but the top-vote-getting design will not necessarily be the one that is chosen.

From Wayne:
Greenfield is a special place, unique in many ways from other neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Our sign should reflect this. The goal of the sign’s design is to identify for visitors, remind residents, and inform the unknowing where they are and that they are welcomed.  It should reflect the history of the neighborhood and the city as well as be a design of high quality and low maintenance.

Sign Option A:

This sign is patina copper connected to a concrete base. The copper curves opposite of the base below.  The base below could also have plantings.  The word “Greenfield” could be cut-out metal letters and applied to the copper.  The words “Welcome You” would be the same cut-out metal letters attached to the base.  The entire sign could be face lit from below.  As an option, the word “Greenfield” could be cut out of the copper sign, similar to Option C below, and lit from the inside.  The rear of the sign would provide a backdrop of patina copper for the plantings.

Sign Option B:

In this sign, the “Greenfield” letters are painted cut-out metal letters applied to a stainless steel panel supported with painted steel posts on a brick base. The “welcomes you” words are cut-out metal letters on pins mounted into the planting bed below. The sign could be lit from below in the planting bed.

As options, the backing material can be a translucent composite or glass material or a different metal. The base could be stacked stone, tile or other high weathering material.

Sign Option C:

This sign consists of two layers. The front layer is core ten – a steel that develops a rust coating that protects the steel from further rusting. This layer would have the letters of “Greenfield” cut out.  The back layer would be a green painted steel. There would be a gap of about 3″ between the 2 layers. Lights mounted between the layers would illuminate the sign at night.  The words “welcomes you” would be cut-out metal letters mounted on the surface of the core ten. The base could also be stone, brick or other high wear materials.  The rear of the sign would provide a backdrop of core ten copper for the plantings.

As an option, the 2nd layer could be a translucent material, so in the day time, the word “Greenfield” would glow.  At night the back side would glow.

Sign Option D:

This sign is a reflection of the Greenfield hills. The rounded hill shapes consist of painted cut-out metal plates. There are gaps in between the plates. Lights could be installed between them so some hills would have a “halo” effect. There could also be lights in front to light the face of the sign.  The word “Greenfield” would be made of painted cut-out metal letters mounted to the concrete base below. The base could also be brick or stone. The hills would also adorn the rear plantings.

One option would be to make the cut-out metal letters copper instead of painted and give each letter a different level of patina to create a natural green color.

Sign Option E:

This sign is more asymmetric than the other signs.  The letters “Greenfield” are cut-out metal letters (stainless steel or painted metal) applied over frosted colored glass or acrylic. The glass is mounted to a concrete base. There is another frosted glass on the back to further diffuse the words from the backside. The interior frame work is bent steel converging to an imaginary point beyond the sign creating a sense of arrival.  Lights would be mounted between the glass plates. The words “welcomes you” would be cut-out metal mounted on the base below.   The rear view of the sign would be the reverse image of the front view.

A GREAT COMMUNITY EVENT

Fun for the entire family including:

• games & prizes
• delicious food w/ethnic food specials nightly
• chicken ‘n ribs bbq pit
• sweet tooth booth
• roller racers
• moonbounce
• giant slide

GAMES OF CHANCE

• nightly bingo
• theme basket Chinese auction
• grand prize: treasure chest of gift cards, lottery tickets & more!

June 17 & 18:  6 PM-11 PM

June 19  5 PM-11 PM

Come join the fun!

411 Greenfield Avenue (school & parish grounds)

The St. Rosalia PTG Festival Bingo scheduled for June 4 has been cancelled.

Quick note – the City of Pittsburgh is working on a comprehensive plan and including a section on cultural heritage. Share your opinions about Pittsburgh’s historic and cultural resources and the ways they are cared for and protected. You’ll be helping the City make decisions about future historic preservation efforts.

Take the survey at PLANPGH. The survey closes on May 23.

This Monday, May 3, Greenfield School will hold PTO elections and a kindergarten open house from 5 PM – 7 PM. If you’re interested in getting involved or learning more about the school, make sure to stop by!

We’re on again this Saturday to finish the job.

Although we had 25 hardy/waterproof souls show up (plus a contingency from the Greenfield School) and the rain held off until 10:00 last Saturday, we were only able to get Magee in tiptop shape putting away 52 large bags!  Thanks to those who ventured out.

But we’re not finished.  We still have some other places in Greenfield to hit so I am proposing getting together for coffee and pastries again next Saturday at Magee beginning at 8:30 AM and fanning out to hit under the Murray Avenue Bridge, Saline Street, Greenfield Avenue and any other litter strewn areas.

Saturday, May 1, 2010 – 8:30 coffee and muffins, the clean up begins at 9:00 by the basketball courts at Magee Field.

Hope to see you there.

This Tuesday, April 27, St. Rosalia’s will hold an open from from 6:30 PM-8:00 PM at St. Rosalia Academy (411 Greenfield Avenue).  Interested families are invited to meet the faculty and tour the school. For more information about St. Rosalia Academy, check out their website.

Snow stopped us last time, but Spring is here! It’s time to dust off the Monopoly, Sorry!, and Cranium boards and bring your games down to the Greenfield Presbyterian Church (3929 Coleman Street, 2 blocks off Greenfield Ave at Coleman and Alger) on Sunday, May 2nd at 4:00pm for another Greenfield Game Night! If you enjoy boardgames or even just think you might enjoy boardgames, you should come to the second Game Night! Try out different and varied boardgames, bring a favorite boardgame to share, or just come and socialize with your neighbors, we’ll have plenty of games there for you to try.  If you’ve been following the Connect Greenfield Blog, you know that our resident Game Master, Shawn, can and will introduce us to some crazy new games!

What: Greenfield Game Night
Where: Greenfield Presbyterian Church (3929 Coleman Street, 2 blocks
off Greenfield Ave at Coleman and Alger)
When: 4:00 PM, Sunday, May. 2nd

Now that spring has sprung, so too has the litter.

On Saturday, April 24^th, the Greenfield community will be conducting its annual spring clean-up of the neighborhood from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM.  Everyone is meeting at the Magee Field Basketball Courts.  Coffee and Pastries at 8:30 AM.

Last year, 24 volunteers disposed of 13 tires, 53 bags of trash, 47 bags of recyclables, and $11.00 worth of scrap metal.  This year we are focusing on Magee Field, Saline Street, and Greenfield Avenue.   In addition, we may be hitting a couple of illegal dump sites.  If you have a site, street, or steps that need picked up or for more information, e-mail Patrick Hassett, Adopt-a-Block Coordinator, at hassettpgh@aol.com.  Hope to see you the 24^th at Magee Field.