Municipal News

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 December 2015 00:55

By Paul Chasko

The cloverleaf interchange at the intersection of Curry Hollow Road and State Route 51 is the hub of the communities of Pleasant Hills, Jefferson Hills, Brentwood, Whitehall, and Baldwin and serves as an important corridor through the South Hills into Pittsburgh.

All the major participants took part in the ribbon–cutting ceremony, some muddy from finishing the planting.

Economic Development South (EDS) is spear-heading a long-term facelift for the four quadrants of the interchange. EDS, in partnership with Kevin Langholz, owner of the Bill Green Shopping Center; the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Pleasant Hills Borough; and PennDOT, has developed a partnership arrangement that will beautify the grounds of the interchange with new plantings.

Future maintenance of the grounds will be through a public-private partnership between the Borough of Pleasant Hills and Langholz, with support assistance from both EDS and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Mr. Langholz and his business partners are credited with managing the entire project.

Over the past year, dead debris and trees were removed from the grounds of the interchange. In late October and early November, with the financial support of Langholz, thirty new trees were planted on the site by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, volunteers and local business owners. The new plantings include Colorado spruces, river birches, honey locust, eastern red buds, and serviceberry trees.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the newly planted trees took place on Friday, November 6th in the parking lot directly opposite from the groupings of new trees. Stephanie Miller of EDS headed the accelerated ceremony - the light rain was good for the trees but not so good for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

EDS is a local non-profit, multi-municipal community and economic development corporation focused on the redevelopment of the major corridors that serve our neighborhoods, including most of the communities in the South Hills.