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The city had several schools, as well as Two housing complexes that also had to be patrolled. On this November day, the subject of the morning discussion was avoiding relapse, and that had not been an area of strength for the 67-year-old McKeesport man. Its been a wreck for real. He said he tried to walk away from the argument, but Giles kept drawing him back. You are reading the December 07, 2009 entry of Tube City Almanac. All of us will remember the positive impact he had on the lives of his city and his close friends there are too many to name, but I would be remiss for not remembering Bill Lickert Sr. in particular. Fixing it would be complicated and expensive, and the potential outcome is sort of unknowable, said Dominick Anselmo, senior project manager with KU Resources. If you keep getting redirected to this page, please enable cookies. But he also has larger obligations, including the four buildings and seven employees. First Step often houses men for around a year, and embraces the 12-step recovery program, exercise and dietary improvement, volunteer work, employment and counseling on issues like money management, housing and family reconciliation. He said he couldnt distribute public dollars to organizations that werent in good standing., Giles didnt dispute the debt. Additionally, the financial community from Equibank, Union National Bank, Pittsburgh National Bank and Mellon Bank which did not even have a branch in the City of McKeesport did not have a relationship with the new mayor. He gave me the money and asked me to play a triple number in a box.. The building, however, deteriorated. But even if demolition cant be avoided, he told the authority board, I want to be able to say we tried everything.. The city's biggest source of revenue --- accounting for $3.9 million --- is earned-income taxes, while property tax income amounts to a little more than $2.4 million. Public works projects like removing blighted houses are small steps towards making the City more livable. or 'What does (Marshall Drive) mean to me?' "Absolutely -- for a home, commercial business, whatever," Cherepko said. Correction (12/2/21): McKeesports allocation of American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] funds was reduced to $24.7 million from the initial allocation indicated in an earlier version of this story. Click here if you wish to opt out and view the full site. Rich Lord is PublicSources economic development reporter. Jan 2016 The arsonists were later convicted and sent to prison. If they werent under his roofs, some might be homeless, committing crimes to support their addictions. Lawson now lives in an apartment, where she got a visit from a McKeesport official asking her to give up her property. Nevertheless, it did not make his maiden voyage as the mayor easy. You save the Penn McKee Hotel, if its savable.. Select a company name to explore and learn more about other companies across the industry and to compare average salaries with those at City Of Mckeesport. Nip it! Then, the properties were turned over to Mayor Cherepko. Here are the top five states that pay the highest City Mayor salary in the United States. You dont get to come into a council meeting, embarrass me, and ask for help, the mayor told them. BECOME A MEMBER. Born July 8, 1930, in McKeesport, Washowich was a U.S. Army veteran who had been stationed in Fort Knox, Ky., where he met his wife of 58 years, Jean. Individual salaries will, of course, vary depending on the job, department, location, as well as the individual skills and education of each employee. You need to work hard for success, not have success at the expense of others.Adam - December 08, 2009, True, but again to play devils advocate if you want someone to work for you, you have to pay what the market demands. In August, the city included it in an eminent domain case in which it sought ownership of 48 blighted properties. Mon-Yough area news, views and announcements, powered by volunteers, local writers and your donations! Seven other First Step residents sat at a table in the wood-paneled clinical office, with its space heater, popcorn maker and an old bank vault door. "Not another community can keep up with your city for the projects we're doing, pound for pound," he said. I think the Whole Foods idea is a good one, John. Mayor Lous time in office spawned a second park, named for one of his friends teacher, coach and city councilman Richard Gergely. Lou travelled to Tuskegee, Ala., to study that citys dog racing track, which opened in 1983. First Step was the first program that he approached with a sincere desire to get well. One of the collective solutions was to collaborate on the task of identifying outside funding sources without the need to raise taxes. Washowich, a four-term mayor, passed away Friday in the comfort of his home with his family by his side. Graduating in Pennsylvania is about to get more complicated. A service of Tube City Community Media Inc., a non-profit based in McKeesport, Pa. "I don't know if he's doing it for a good thing, to set an example that it's out there and available, or if he's just taking advantage of it for his own use," Lois Williams said. Topping the list is Washington, with Maryland and New York close behind in second and third. Necessity again became the mother of invention. Unfortunately, we dont own everything. Individual salaries will, of course, vary depending on the job, department, location, as well as the individual skills and education of each employee. The city declared it a nuisance. document.write(domain); "Could anyone get the city to get rid of all these tax liens, knock down three buildings, to build a home?" He joined the team in 2020, serving as a reporter focused on housing and economic development and an assistant editor. It was here where his skill sets with people and decision-making were honed, and the team went onto such successes that the program was recognized not only in Western Pennsylvania but throughout the country. I would have a hard time arguing that the city is overpaying people based on raw numbers alone.Webmaster - December 08, 2009, But, comparing those towns to McKeesport doesnt add up. Unfortunately, Mayor Washowichs visionary dream died on the political steps of the State Capitol, in return for a promise of governmental support to find adaptive reuses for the former National Works, now the RIDC industrial park. At Pitt, CMU, We're workers when they want us to be, but then we're graduate students when they don't want to pay us, UPreps resets: A school meant to bring Pitts resources to Hill students goes back to the drawing board, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Rumor has it, he routinely rode the streetcar I hope you all can remember them or at least heard about them which ran down Fifth Avenue from Glassport past McKeesport Hospital by hanging on the back for lack of that nickel. If we owned everything, you wouldnt see a lot of these buildings empty.. If you decided it could work, and that was what you were going to do, you could do it, Craig told the authority board. Action News Investigates has learned that the mayor of McKeesport got the property for his house on the cheap, using a city program.Mayor Michael Cherepko says he was given no special favors, but . Well, not really," Cherepko said. Salaries for the mayor, councilors, solicitor and other city administrators tote up another $1.2 million, while property maintenance costs $1.1 million. Overall Benefits Rating.css-11cfy92{color:#0caa41 !important;}.css-11cfy92{color:#0caa41 !important;}0. During the years that followed, the management of city government services and safety would be challenged and almost strained out of existence. In 2013, the city redevelopment agency went to court to take her property and three others by eminent domain. If Tube City Online is swallowed, seek professional help immediately. investigative reporter Paul Van Osdol asked. We want to try to replicate it here, Giles said as he brought out a binder full of materials on the program and laid it on his desk. If you ever played the Daily Number (I didnt) you know how funny that is, and when the young lady running the lottery machine said you cant do that, everyone got a good laugh but not at my expense. (The ARPA money, he said at another point in the meeting, might be used in part to subsidize things like roof repair and the sale of vacant lots.). Glassdoor has salaries, wages, tips, bonuses, and hourly pay based upon employee reports and estimates. She just wishes that the mayor -- who she knew as a child -- had contacted her first. We need to nip it in the bud. I was able to learn the streets of the city, the people and neighborhoods, as well as the businesses that relied on uniform protection. I wonder how many other businesses have asked for a small amount of help but were told no becuase we had to offer people like echostar dealsAdam - December 09, 2009, It appears to me that the City Council is doing the best it can with the revenues it receives and Im always impressed to read about the grants awarded to the City. The city's focus should be on encouraging small business development, he said, ranging from "someone working out of their home" to a company such as Huckenstein Mechanical Services, which moved into McKeesport in 2005, bringing 125 jobs. The meeting ended with no further whiff of infighting. Pay ranges for the same job title may differ based on the location and the responsibilities, skills, experience, and other requirements for a specific job. $80,035 - $106,409 7% of jobs $106,410 - $132,784 4% of jobs $132,785 - $159,159 4% of jobs $162,798 is the 90th percentile. Id hate to see it go, said Robert Baum, owner of a real estate agency in the city, and one of three members of the public to testify at the hearing. Neither will those Little Tigers, who got a summer vacation to Camp Soles or who traveled with Coach Lou to play football games in Virginia Beach, Florida and even Mexico and in the process, enhanced the reputation of McKeesport around the country and the world. How much do City of McKeesport employees make? The pending loss of 600 jobs at Dish Network's call center is a blow the city anticipated, the mayor said, adding that "three or four" businesses have expressed interest in taking the company's place in the RIDC industrial park on the former National Works site. Keenon Mikell turned on the lights for First Steps empty gymnasium, illuminating a boxing ring, heavy bags, training bags, speed bags and exercise machines. Nov 2015 North Huntingdon pays about the same to its road superintendent alone as the city pays for a public works director and North Huntingdon also has an assistant road superintendent to boot. The arsonists were later convicted and sent to prison. He said First Step was in arrears by $89,000, and mulled whether a utility would really shut him off over $69. The employment base of U.S. Steels National Works and the tax base that went with it all but disappeared in his first term. document.write('Jason Togyer<\/a>'); The average salary for a City Mayor is $89,227, Individually reported data submitted by users of our website. would allow the city to hire three more full-time police officers and pay their salary for three years. Now that the bubble has burst and assessments are falling faster than an acme anvil in a Warner Brothers cartoon, the county school system is looking at a 176 million dollar shortfall this year, not to mention God only knows what in subsequent years. McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko posted the following statement on Facebook: "As mayor of the city of McKeesport, I feel compelled to publicly address an issue that has come to my attention via . ), Giles argued that the stakes here were bigger than a demolition debt. East Liberty did it, and they have NO PARKING. (Lake. Hopefully we can start talking again together, he said, because we both want the same things for the community.. Stop use of Tube City Online if condition persists or worsens. He had planned to renovate it into transitional housing that graduates of First Step could live in while receiving social services that would lead to independence. He said McKeesport needs a hotel. Now that land is mostly vacant and has been used twice by businesses not on the up and up. All content Tube City Community Media Inc., a non-profit corporation chartered for charitable and educational purposes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Population 40,000 to 50,000. Feb 2017 I am not going to take our tax money, he continued, to fulfill the obligations that you failed to meet.. The Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport celebrated the completion of a multiyear $62.5 million system expansion plan on Monday. In addition, the mayor said, the city will continue to focus on "quality of life" projects, such as the extension of Marshall Drive now underway and next year's planned reconstruction of Fifth Avenue, Downtown, and West Fifth Avenue in the 10th Ward. Once a hotspot, now a liability, the landmark could get a shot at restoration if funding allows. D-McKeesport, said he was mayor of the city and serving on the authority board when the idea . Brewster chalked that accomplishment up to "the help of the Lord" and "good business management" by city employees. Apr 2017 The students that are learning at our world class universities in nearby Oakland take what theyve learned here and start new industries and expand the US economy (some place else). Murphy Co.s lunch counter for coffee. More by Rich Lord. I am not attacking anyone personally, but, over $40,000 for an IT guy? McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko praised the police department's response to an officer that was shot outside of the department. "Well, I can understand how it could be perceived as that," Cherepko said.The mayor said he's offering the same deal to anyone who wants to build a home in McKeesport -- a city peppered with derelict buildings. Gerald Mitchell, a First Step Recovery Homes resident, becomes emotional as he tells a group of residents about his difficult road. Unless it is council who concerned, which makes sense since they only get $4000/yr. Giles planned to rehab it into more recovery housing. . That the way it works in business, and that is why Walmart and Costco are so huge, and the small mom and pops where the owner spends the profits on a new car, a new boat, and a cabin in the woods are not. And Ive met a lot of guys [in prison] who had regret, and theyre like, Listen, this aint you. His workout buddies, he said, urged him to aim higher. "That's an area I was born and raised in," Cherepko said. And our police officers hand write time slips? The mayor said he's offering the same deal to anyone who wants to build a home in McKeesport -- a city peppered with derelict buildings. Reviews may also highlight any negative aspects of a company that will help in evaluating it as a prospective employer. Our model gets smarter over time as more people share salaries on Glassdoor. Mayor Q has led Kansas City in launching an innovative Zero Fair Transit imitative, making all public transit fare free in Kansas City, and serves as Vice Chair for Transit on the United States Conference of Mayors Transportation Committee. He was faced with a nearly impossible task and had to make critical decisions to assure streets were cleared of snow, garbage was collected, and that fire and police would remain in place and have the equipment necessary to maintain safety for residents and business community alike. The two had planned to meet to discuss First Steps funding needs, but instead argued about a call Giles made to the editor of the Tube City Almanac, an online news outlet covering the Mon Valley. Except where noted, all contents are copyright 2003-2014 Tube City Community Media Inc., a non-profit corporation chartered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. McKeesport's mayor has declared a state of emergency after the city's public works garage caught fire Sunday morning, damaging vehicles and equipment. Even in business. Base Salary (USD) $780,849/year View Hourly Rate Low:$676,965 The only ones I can relate to are police/fire. We are hanging on by our last thread, and I truly believe that this service is necessary in the City of McKeesport., Cherepko responded that he couldnt help because First Step owed the city money. Lous third decision was to pursue a visionary initiative that (sadly) never came into being. Everything is on the table get cut, and it will certainly be painful. Im not here to serve as a PR person for the city or anyone else, but I dont know what too much is. Just to feed his residents, he relies on generosity from restaurants and charity. McKeesport had previously been paying between $12,500 and $15,000, and Mayor Cherepko decided on a starting price of $8,000 per house. In fact, the owner said she paid to have the old house demolished. Those who worked with Mayor Lou will never forget him. That was despite the fact that in those early years, Lous salary was $22,000 per year, while he and Jean were trying to raise two growing young sons who loved to eat! "Could anyone get the city to get rid of all these tax liens, knock down three buildings, to build a home?" The allocation must be spent by the end of 2024. On this November morning, he was back at First Step Recovery Homes in McKeesport, where he spent most of the prior two months. If the Penn McKee cant ultimately be saved, that reality wont define the city, he added. Some First Step residents have decades of substance use, criminal histories and mental health diagnoses, Giles said a few days later. "I thought they could at least have given me a dollar, or the mayor could have come and thanked me because he grew up there. Elections, big turnout, almost 25% vote. That will be Lous real legacy. She just wishes that the mayor -- who she knew as a child -- had contacted her first. Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2014 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2014 May 01 - May 31, 2014 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2014 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2014 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2014 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2014 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2013 Nov 01 - Nov 30, 2013 Oct 01 - Oct 31, 2013 Sep 01 - Sep 30, 2013 Aug 01 - Aug 31, 2013 Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2013 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2013 May 01 - May 31, 2013 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2013 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2013 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2013 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2013 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2012 Nov 01 - Nov 30, 2012 Oct 01 - Oct 31, 2012 Sep 01 - Sep 30, 2012 Aug 01 - Aug 31, 2012 Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2012 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2012 May 01 - May 31, 2012 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2012 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2012 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2012 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2012 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2011 Nov 01 - Nov 30, 2011 Oct 01 - Oct 31, 2011 Sep 01 - Sep 30, 2011 Aug 01 - Aug 31, 2011 Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2011 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2011 May 01 - May 31, 2011 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2011 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2011 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2011 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2011 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2010 Nov 01 - Nov 30, 2010 Oct 01 - Oct 31, 2010 Sep 01 - Sep 30, 2010 Aug 01 - Aug 31, 2010 Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2010 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2010 May 01 - May 31, 2010 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2010 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2010 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2010 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2010 Dec 01 - Dec 31, 2009 Nov 01 - Nov 30, 2009 Oct 01 - Oct 31, 2009 Sep 01 - Sep 30, 2009 Aug 01 - Aug 31, 2009 Jul 01 - Jul 31, 2009 Jun 01 - Jun 30, 2009 May 01 - May 31, 2009 Apr 01 - Apr 30, 2009 Mar 01 - Mar 31, 2009 Feb 01 - Feb 28, 2009 Jan 01 - Jan 31, 2009, By Submitted Report For 13 minutes, he and Cherepko debated an argument they had two weeks earlier, outside of city hall. One idea might be to have a liaison from the City that would have contact with students at our local universities, where some of the greatest minds are now being trained. No City Council approval was. Oct 2016 Sep 2015 "I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to utilize resources available to us to help make this dream a reality," Cherepko said.Lawson does not regret losing her old house and property. I am fiscally responsible for the tax dollars in the City of McKeesport, Cherepko told Giles in the first of two testy encounters before city council. Youre probably looking at $20 million to save the Penn McKee Hotel and bring it into something else, said Matthew Craig, executive director of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh. MOST READ PUBLICSOURCE STORIES Two abandoned houses on East Street in McKeesport were torched. Pittsburgh's Action News 4 at 11pm Saturday, Old restaurant eyed as strip club burns in McKeesport, Action News Investigates: City ignores elderly woman's pleas to tear down neighboring dilapidated house. The recovery organization is struggling to pay the bills, to make payroll and to salvage its relationship with city government. He was not the darling of the business communitys movers and shakers, which included Bob Cox of Coxs Department Stores, Ron Angerman of R & J Furniture, Lester Herrup of Golden Rule, the Mansfield family, which owned The Daily News, and the senior management and board of directors of the hospital. No warranty is given or implied for the information and opinions contained herein; the reader uses that information at his or her peril. Rich Lord February 15, 2022. And what exactly does a switchboard operator do, Mabel? BTW. var third = 'to:'; And I cant pay my bills online? Dennis K.E. This is a whole new experience for me, said Bunting. Enviro 21's expertise in the demolition and waste industry helped construct a bid that ensured the city would pay no extra costs, while complying with all laws and regulations. The American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] steered $130 billion to local governments, including $24.7 million to McKeesport. Most of the people working for the city make almost twice that much. Last month, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko hosted a delegation from three federal agencies (Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture) advising on funding possibilities to speed the redevelopment process along. The competition will also be fiercer where wages are high. Instead, he said, McKeesport must continue seeking new revenue streams, which will include attempting to market the drilling rights for natural gas trapped in Marcellus shale under city-owned property, and continuing to offer services such as police protection to neighboring communities who request it. I will miss you, Boss, and hope to see you again someday up there. job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers. Unlike newer suburbs, the city cannot rely on new residential construction (Brewster called them "dream houses") to boost its revenues. If someone isnt doing their job, zero dollars is too much. Glassdoor has salaries, wages, tips, bonuses, and hourly pay based upon employee reports and estimates. However, the different job titles may have different salaries. A higher average City Mayor salary indicates a higher cost of living too. "I signed it over to McKeesport. Graduating in Pennsylvania is about to get more complicated. document.write('