Happenings in Pittsburgh!! (Indiana, Carnegie, California: environment, relocation, budget)

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Need a job? Pitt is hiring and doing more research! Shocking! :P

Pop City - Pitt opens Center for Vaccine Research to study lethal diseases; hiring 35 new faculty

A Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) opened this week at the University of Pittsburgh, providing facilities to study lethal diseases that could be exploited for terrorism.

Thirty-five new faculty will be hired to staff the center, which will employ 150 in total.

The 330,000 square-foot state-of-the-art center is located in Biomedical Science Tower 3 on Pitt’s campus. The CRV houses both the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) and the CVR, which will greatly expand research into diseases that present a deadly, global threat such as SARS, West Nile virus, dengue fever and tuberculosis.

The RBL was awarded $17.5 million for construction in 2003 and is one of only 13 centers of its kind in the country to receive funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. It is the second facility of its kind to open nationally. Supplemental funding by NIAID of $4.1 million and university support of $7.2 million bring the total construction budget to $28.8 million.

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This is a neat little project!!

Pop City - VO bike tour spotlights Pittsburgh's green buildings and outdoor amenities

Green living and green building collide during a new Venture Outdoors (VO) program that will showcase Pittsburgh’s natural and architectural resources.

“Green Pittsburgh Biking Excursion” takes place on Sept. 29th at 1:00p.m. The moderately paced trek will begin at the Three Rivers Rowing Association boathouse in Millvale. Bikers will cross the 7th St. bridge, continue around the Point and along riverfront trails, and head to the South Side, where they will tour four examples of sustainable design—WYEP, CCI Center, REI, and MAYA Design.

“Being in the nonprofit sector, you see things that are happening in Pittsburgh in positive areas. We’ve noticed how many green buildings are going up—the number is absolutely outstanding,” says Rob Walters, with VO. “It’s such a positive thing for our environment. We want to show it off.”

Interested? Register here:
Venture Outdoors

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Now if this isn't a testament to the local economy and growing strength of the region, then nothing is. We haven't had news like this in a long time. Woot!

Pop City - Downtown Pittsburgh leases on the rise; Kelly Hayden law firm leases space

Downtown leases are on the rise with 938 Penn Avenue at 100 percent occupancy. In addition, the law firm of Kelly Hayden, LLC, has announced it will move from Southpointe, Washington County, to downtown early in 2008.

Kelly Hayden, formerly Sinclair Kelly Jackson Reinhart & Hayden, has signed a five-year lease for 6,634 sf on the 31st floor of 525 William Penn Place downtown. The nationally recognized law firm specializes in occupational safety and health risk management and expects to occupy its new space in the first quarter 2008.

“We are seeing a lot of buildings downtown filling up as downtown comes to life,” says Scott Astorino of Grant Street Associates, who represented 525 William Penn. “It’s not the nine to five Pittsburgh anymore. It’s a 24-hour downtown Pittsburgh.”

Twelve new leases for more than 30,000 sf have been signed at 564 Forbes Avenue, formerly the Manor Building. In addition, eight renewals/ expansions for 20,000 sf were signed since Rugby Realty acquired and began renovating the property in Nov. 2005. Allegheny County will relocate its Pretrial Services and Adult Probation Services offices from 14 Wood Street to Forbes Avenue, a long-term lease for 19,430 sf for these groups, and is expected to occupy the building in December of this year.

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Mellon gets a new logo but the old logo on top of One Mellon Center won't be pulled down . . . yet. Is this news? lol.

Mellon logo won't fly coop yet

The green "Mellon" sign that glows atop One Mellon Center, Downtown, will not be pulled down anytime soon by The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., which rolled out a new logo Monday.

The "circle M" logo that stood for the former Mellon Financial Corp. "might be removed in time," however, said spokesman Ron Gruendl.

The Bank of New York Mellon debuted its logo, as well as a branding and advertising campaign, yesterday -- about three months after Mellon merged into The Bank of New York.

The arrow-tip logo connotes pointing to the future. The gold, silver and bronze colors represent excellence in investment management and servicing, said BNY Mellon, as the corporation is known. The cost of the campaign was not disclosed.

Want to see the new logo? I can dig it. Go here:
The Bank of New York Mellon

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More on the exciting Bakery Square project - transforming East Liberty!!

Pop City - $113M, 495,000 sf mixed-use Bakery Square project progresses in East Liberty

The Bakery Square development on Penn Ave. in East Liberty has completed all demolition work on a portion of the project’s three-story section, and expects to move into its next phase early in 2008.

“Within the next couple of months you’ll see work begin on the existing building—cleaning brick and repairing areas. Significant construction will begin in March or April,” says Anthony Dolan with Walnut Capital. “In an ideal world, this project would be up and operating by Christmas of 2009.”

The mixed-use project may feature solar power and wind turbines. “We’re looking at a myriad of LEED options, to obtain LEED certification for both the existing building and entire project,” says Dolan. “We’re looking at doing a green roof and bike path.” Project architect is Astorino; construction manager is P.J. Dick, Inc.

Bakery Square will feature 216,000 square feet of office space and
135,000 square feet of retail. “We’re finalizing arrangements with two restaurants—there are four we’re targeting. The retail will be fashion oriented, home furnishings and maybe some neighborhood based,” says Dolan. “The goal is to have some found nowhere else in the city. We’re trying to bring unique tenants to the table. It should be able to command it.” The mixed-use project will also feature a 41,000 square-foot fitness facility and a 110-room Marriott SpringHill Suites hotel.

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UPMC and Allegheny General aren't the only players in town still, believe it or not.

Pop City - New $13.5M emergency department under construction at St. Clair Hospital

St. Clair Hospital is constructing a new 18,000 square-foot Emergency Department.

One of the largest construction projects currently taking place in the South Hills, the $13.5 million addition will accommodate the hospital’s growing demand for emergency services and will house the facility’s expanded advanced healthcare technologies. “We're one of the busiest hospitals in Western Pennsylvania,” says Chris Evans, with St. Clair Hospital. The 329-bed comprehensive hospital serves 325,000 residents from Southern Allegheny and Northern Washington Counties. This year, St. Clair's emergency department served more than 50,000 annual visits; this number is expected to grow to 70,0000 within the next five years.

Located Mt. Lebanon, St. Clair Hospital is the South Hills’ largest employer, and the only Pittsburgh area hospital to be named one of the 100 Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for six consecutive years.

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PPG closes deal for Dutch paint company (broken link)

PPG Industries Inc. said today that a private equity firm had accepted its $3 billion offer to buy SigmaKalon Group, a Dutch paint and coatings producer.

The Pittsburgh-based coatings, glass and chemical maker offered to buy the company from Bain Capital earlier this year, saying the acquisition would expand its global coatings portfolio, particularly in Europe and Asia.

The deal was valued at 2.2 billion euros, or about $3.1 billion, including assumed debt, PPG said in a statement. The company declined to say how much debt was included in that figure.

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Pop City - Chatham Village named one of America's Best Places by the APA

Launched last spring, Great Places in America celebrates places of exemplary character, quality and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard of communities.

APA's Great Places' designated neighborhoods and streets are defined by characteristics that include good design, functionality, sustainability, and community involvement.

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Pop City is a great source for positive news about the Burgh. Its one of the sites I sent to people when I was telling everyone I was relocating. Now that I'm here, I can see those projects up close as I get to know this place.

By the way, the weather was lovely today - sunny, with blue skies and puffy white clouds and a reasonable temperature - in October! Love this place already...

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By the way, the weather was lovely today - sunny, with blue skies and puffy white clouds and a reasonable temperature - in October! Love this place already...

It was indeed. You are lucky you will see the trees turn!! This warn weather seems to be delaying the process.