Trails Revitalize River Towns

This morning Jim Pashek was riding into the office on his bike and had a nice chat with Chris, a young man riding his bike to work downtown.  Chris works in the Mental Health field and is studying at Pitt in Social Work.  Chris recently moved to Millvale from the East End.  He loves Pamela’s and the other great shops in Millvale but the primary reason he moved there was the trail connection from Millvale Riverfront Park to downtown.  Chris's story is a great example of how trails revitalize river towns.

Not only do trails provide recreational opportunities, but they truly are alternatives to driving and parking in the City.  They become magnets for young professionals like Chris (and older professionals like Jim) who want to live near a trail so they can ride their bike to work or school.

Chris, thanks for talking with Jim and making the 7 mile trip seem much shorter today.

Pashek Lectures on Park Master Planning at Slippery Rock University

 Jim Pashek, president of Pashek Associates was the first of three lecturers from the firm invited to speak at Slippery Rock University on park planning.  The lecture Jim presented focused on the five steps typically found in master planning for parks, (1) Community background data collection, (2)Public Participation, (3) Site Analysis, (4) Programming the Activities in the park, (5) Developing the concepts, final master plan drawings and cost estimates.  After an introductory lecture to orient students to public processes, they participated in a mock town meeting, generating park ideas and prioritizing those needs.  Professor Christine Glenn commented on Pashek’s mock meeting, “I was struck by how effectively you guided the public meeting.  I’ve seen those types of meetings get quickly unfocused.  Yesterday, you effectively modeled key techniques which help to maintain control of the discussion and direction of the meeting.  I was very impressed with this, and learned a great deal, which I hope to utilize in the future.”

After learning about criteria often used to layout parks, the students were broken up into teams of 4-5 each and given a park site analysis and program to fit to the site.  They were cautioned to respect environmental constraints, the proper solar orientation of facilities, and important activity adjacencies.

Each team then reported why they selected the park plan they developed and how they were able to apply some of the design principles taught in the class.

John Buerkle will be lecturing on the design of Athletic Fields and Mike Kotyk will be providing information on how to plan greenway corrdiors during the next two lectures.

Graduate Student Mixes Work, School, and Play at Pashek Associates

Christine Kercell, a graduate student in Park and Resource Management at Slippery Rock University, has begun working as a part-time planner for Pashek Associates on the Butler County Comprehensive Recreation, Parks and Open Space Plan.  She will be working closely with Bob Good, Principal in charge of the project preparing park inventories and with Mike Kotyk, GIS manager and Greenway planner on the proposed greenways and trails.  

She often spends her free time cycling with her family, kayaking with her finance, and swimming.  A new goal of hers is to compete in a triathlon.  Welcome Christine!

Pashek Associates Leading the Pittsburgh Green Workplace Challenge in Small Business Category

The Pittsburgh Green Workplace challenge enables businesses to participate in a friendly challenge program where they can receive recognition for their sustainable actions and achievements.  

Pashek Associates is leading 12 businesses in the small business category (less than 50 people).

According to Valerie Patrick, PhD and Sustainability Coordinator for Bayer Corporation, "sustainability is a way of thinking and applies to every aspect of our work."  We couldn't agree with her more.

Pashek Associates received points by tracking utility bills using an EPA website, being a bike friendly business, having a Prius for a corporate car, and planting native plants on the roof of their building.  Green office policies of using washable cups and recycling also contributed to the firm's leadership position in the challenge.  Next up is an energy audit to begin reducing energy demand and our carbon footprint. 

 

For more information, or if you are interested in signing up for the Challenge, please see the Pittsburgh Green Workplace Challenge Website.

Pashek Associates Saves 211.78 Pounds of CO2 by Riding Bikes in 2011

Back in April of 2011, the office bought a pair of bikes in order to reduce our Carbon footprint.  Along with encouraging employees to bike into work, the office has racked up 260.9 miles of pedal power in 2011.  Those miles included riding to lunch, errands, meetings, and commute to work.   

By riding instead of driving, we have saved almost 11 gallons of gasoline and about 211.78 pounds of CO2.  In case you are wondering what 211.78 pounds looks like, imagine a 12.3 foot cube.  That’s 1,876.30 cubic feet of greenhouse gases saved from entering our atmosphere!  We hope to ride, instead of drive, even more in 2012.

Pashek Associates Clients Receive over $3 million in DCNR Grants

This week PA DCNR announced the agencies and projects that will receive funding through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program.  Pashek Associates assisted clients in obtaining over $3.2 million in funding this grant cycle.  This funding will result in over $4.7 million dollars in investments for recreation, parks, trails, greenway, and OHV facility development.  We congratulate our clients and look forward to assisting you in implementing your visions!

Client - Grant Amount

Armstrong County - $824,900

Beaver County - $250,000

Butler County - $125,000

Centre Regional Recreation Authority - $300,000

The Pennsylvania State University - $22,500

Northumberland County - $1,500,000

Monessen City - $250,000