IN Greensburg Salem

SUMMER 2013

INSIDE: Greensburg Salem School District News

SPECIAL: Greensburg Salem Real Estate

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IN Greensburg Salem | SUMMER 2013 |

INSIDE

COMMUNITY INTEREST

Greensburg Salem School DistrictMessage from the Superintendent ................................................. | 4Lion Pride: Outstanding Student Achievement ................................. | 6

Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Truck #2 Preserves the Legacy of Service ..................................... | 14

Meet Councilman Robert DePasquale ........................... | 16

Greensburg Hempfield Summer Library Programs . | 17

How I Got into Gardening ................................................. | 18

Colonial Court Reenactment at Site of WestmorelandCounty’s First Courthouse ................................................ | 21

Taste of Westmoreland ....................................................... | 22

Houses of Worship ............................................................... | 24

Food for the Hungry Heart ................................................ | 28

ON THE COVER | Greensburg-Salem Middle School’s staging of The Little Mermaid Jr. met with rave reviews. See page 26 for more of the fun.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

C.A.S.E. Awards ..................................... | 12

IN Greensburg Salem is a non-partisan community publication dedicated torepresenting, encouraging and promoting the Greensburg, Salem Townshiparea and its comprising municipalities by focusing on the talents and gifts ofthe people who live and work here. Our goal is to provide readers with themost informative and professional regional publication in the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania.

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SUMMER 2013



Nearly 500 people turned out for the inaugural IN CommunityMagazines’ Community Awards for Service Excellence (CASE)presented by Northwest Savings Bank in the West Club Loungeat Heinz Field.

Greensburg winners recognized for their service were MichaelHoke, Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’sMedia, Jane Murtland, and the Westmoreland County AnimalResponse Team.

Welcome to the summer issue of Greensburg Salem magazine. While we focus on the communities that we serve, we don’t live in a

bubble. The world throws curveballs at each of us, and each of us has todecide whether or not to swing at it. In the case of the Boston Marathonbombing, the city swung and knocked it out of the park. Residents cametogether to present a united front. First responders put their lives on holdand on the line until the threat was removed. Boston is not unique in thatregard. Over the past decade or more that I’ve been publishing magazines,I’ve had the good fortune to come into contact with a lot of residents in thecommunities we serve. I’ve met dozens upon dozens of municipal officials,police and fire chiefs, EMS teams, and elected officials. I’ve seen them dealwith their own issues, and I’ve seen them from time to time mourn theirlosses in the press.

What I’ve seen and who I’ve met along the way has convinced me that the resilience of Boston is not aregional attribute. It’s a way of life that seems to be somehow tied to our very genes. Fortunately, not everycity will face a challenge of that magnitude. But we do have it in us to take the inspiration demonstratedby the people of Boston and apply it to our daily lives. We can take small steps every day to ensure that thecommunity we live in is a little bit better by the time we lay our heads down on the pillow at night.Whether it’s raising money for a cause, or visiting someone who needs to see a smiling face, young or oldwe can all do something to make our surroundings a little bit better. And by making things a little bitbetter for each other, hopefully, we can be better prepared to help one another if things suddenly getworse.

This May, we honored volunteers and organizations in the community that help make a difference insuch ways. Those people and causes were chosen by you, and we are proud to thank them for theirservice to their communities. We thank you for your dedication to our magazines and hope that youcontinue to be part of them and contribute your thoughts and ideas to our editors. There are many morestories to be told, and we always welcome your help in finding them.

Have a wonderful summer!Wayne Dollard, Publisher

PUBLISHERWayne Dollard

REGIONAL EDITORS

Pamela Palongue [North and East][email protected]

Mark Berton [South, West and Erie][email protected]

OFFICE MANAGER

Leo [email protected]

AD PLACEMENT COORDINATOR

Debbie [email protected]

SCHOOL & MUNICIPAL CONTENT COORDINATOR

Megan [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Anna Buzzelli Joe MilneSharon Cobb Melissa St. GilesMike Miller Tamara Tylenda WRITERS

Jonathan Barnes Heather HoltschlagJennifer Brozak Chelsie KozeraMatt Fascetti Leigh LyonsTracy Fedkoe Dana Black McGrathMike Ference Joanne NaserJacob Flannick Melanie PaulickBritt Fresa Gina SallingerElvira Hoff Judith Schardt PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ginni Klein Kathleen RudolphLen Pancoast Gary YonPrimetime Shots

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGERS

Tamara Myers Tom Poljak

ADVERTISING SALES

Sophia Alfaras Gabriel NegriJulie Graff Aimee NicoliaJason Kalakos Vincent Sabatini Peter Leben Mark SeamansAnna Marie Lee Michael Silvert Connie McDaniel RJ Vighetti Brian McKee Nikki Capezio-Watson This magazine is carrier route mailed to all districthouseholds and businesses.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part withoutwritten permission is prohibited. Copyright 2013.

CORRESPONDENCEDirect all inquiries, comments and press releases to:

IN Community MagazinesAttn: Editorial603 East McMurray RoadMcMurray, PA 15317Ph: 724.942.0940 Fax: 724.942.0968www.incommunitymagazines.com

Fall content deadline: July 19

Please recycle this magazine when you are through enjoying it.

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INGreensburg Salem

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The day a school year ends, schools committed to excellence begin toprepare for the upcoming school year. To students, summer means along break and lingering, lazy days relaxing in the warm weather. Butfor school administration, summer marks the start of our “second shift”– a time to deliberately reflect on past practice and then begin to focuson the upcoming year as a fresh opportunity to renew ourselves in a

cycle of continuous improvement.

At Greensburg Salem, we recognize and acknowledge thateven though we are identified as oneof the region’s most high achievingschool districts, we can always getbetter so we resist the temptation ofsettling in and finding comfort withthe status quo. For our staff, thesummer months provide us with asmall window of treasured time tofocus on our ongoing growth as adistrict. Every year we welcome thistime and strive to use it wisely.

Shortly after the busses pull down the drive in June, teams of teachers and administrators begin to analyze the previous year’s data.Critical questions drive our work. Who are our highest achievers?Who are our lowest achievers? How much are students growing eachyear in each content area? Are there departments or classes that weconsistently do well in? Are there areas in which we don’t experience as much growth? How successful are our students after graduation?How are they faring in colleges and universities or in the world ofwork? Do they value and participate in the arts? Are they contributingmembers of their neighborhoods and families? Using the informationgleaned, staff members then review curriculum and discuss structuresand practices that promote even higher levels of academic and socialsuccess for all students and propose changes that might be needed. AtGreensburg Salem, we believe all teachers are leaders and can learn alot from each other. We encourage teachers to talk freely and openlyabout their successes and struggles as we work together to do the bestpossible job of educating our community’s young people.

Summer is also the perfect time for our administration and teachers to use the days away from the classroom to grow as individuals andprofessionals. Many of our staff members take classes, join book clubs or participate in experiences that they can then share with their students or colleagues in the fall. Some travel to other lands and learnabout various cultures and gather resources for their classrooms.

Many teach, tutor or coach and stay connected to young peoplethroughout the vacation. Others take advantage of workshops andseminars offered by local colleges and universities that center aroundtheir content areas or put themselves in the role of a learner and experience something totally new. It is a time of growth and renewal.

As a professional learning community, our district prides itself in keep-ing abreast of the latest educational research centering on studentlearning. As a collaborative team, we use the summer months to study the current work of experts in the field. We believe it is critical to embrace research based best practices and work to abandon outdated practices that stand in the way of maximum student learning.Improvement matters to us in the Greensburg Salem School District; it affects the lives of children. Summer is a wonderful time to find ourcommon ground, reaffirm our beliefs and values and set goals andfocus areas for the year to come.

Summer is also a time to analyze our publications, forms, schedulesand routines so that we operate in the most efficient manner possible.Many things are reviewed with a critical eye and are revised, as needed.Without students in the building, we also take the time to work on our facilities and do needed repairs, updates and upgrades. We also like to learn about the latest technology advances that might help usdeliver and access content more readily, house student informationmore efficiently and help us communicate with each other and parentsmore effectively.

In addition, we use some of our time to carefully assess our fiscal and human resources. As a district, we are careful to acknowledge thepower and value of the individuals who educate our children. Yearly,we take the time to make sure we are deliberate about assigning staffand students to classes where their strengths and talents can be maximized. The summer months are also a time to begin to train new staff members and meet with various groups of teachers regardingnew initiatives and decision making that impacts the upcoming year.

Over the years, what used to be a nine month position for a public edu-cator has slowly expanded to be a yearlong venture. Here at Greens-burg Salem, we wish all our students and families a restful and relaxing summer vacation. We hope you enjoy the fruits of oursummertime labor in the fall.

Letter from the Superintendent

4 Greensburg Salem

Dr. Eileen Amato – SuperintendentPhoto by Jeremy Lenzi

GREENSBURG SALEM : WHERE

The Greensburg Salem School District pages are edited and compiled bythe Community Relations Department. For more information pleasecontact Anita Rometo, community liaison, at 724-832-2907 [email protected].

Greensburg Salem | Summer 2013 | incommunitymagazines.com 5

‘EF FORT CREATES AB I L I TY ’

Preschool-to-Primary Partnership Meets

The face of GSEF!Greensburg Salem High School art students were given the opportunity todesign the logo for the recently established Greensburg Salem EducationFoundation. The students produced some powerful pieces of art but when it came to choosing a logo – one entry stood above the rest. Tenth graderTaryn Six created a logo that grouped a golden lion head with an apple, visually connecting the GS mascot with a traditional education motif. This logo will be featured prominently on all GSEF publications and correspondence.

Coming soon to a computer or mailbox near you … the GSEF webpage, fund raising opportunities, and teacher grant applications.To learn more, please visit www.gsedfound.org, scheduled to launch June 15, 2013.

Greensburg Salem kindergarten teachers hosted local preschoolproviders for some light dining andlively dialogue to share ideas related to the important transition from preschool to kindergarten. The 35 attendees worked together sharing programs and expectations.

As a result the following “Steps for a Successful Transition to Kindergarten” were developed.1. Works well with others and works independently2. Plays with words and rhyme3. Identifies and prints first name4. Knows some letters and their sounds5. Has a sense of numbers and counting6. Recognizes shapes, colors and patterns7. Sits to listen and respond to stories

Equally as important…8. Draws pictures and is beginning to be a writer9. Colors, cuts, etc… (fine motor skills)10. Can catch a ball, hop, etc… (gross motor skills)

Greensburg Salem High School’s preschool program, Cub’s Den, is nowaccepting applications for children four and five years old. Cub’s Den is a free program to children residing in the Greensburg Salem SchoolDistrict. All lesson plans follow PA Early Childhood Standards andfocus on a thematic curriculum emphasizing physical, social, emotional,and cognitive development. For further information or applications please contact Kristen Vassar at (724) 832-2962 or visit the Greensburg Salem Website atwww.greensburgsalem.org. Once at Website click on Schools, GSHS, Programs & Activities, and finally Cubs Den.


6 Greensburg Salem

Athletes Particpating in State TournamentsNAME SPORT PLACED

Zach Heater BowlingTyler Reinhart Wrestling 6thZach Votek Wrestling 4th Daniel Yu Swimming 50 M Freestyle 9thAdam Weyandt Bowling 7th

Boys Bowling Team MembersAdam Barnard, Dylan DiRado, AdamFalkosky, Zach Heater, Randy Knox, Adam Weyandt, and Ryan Zulisky.

CWCTC Students Participating in Skills USA – State CompetitionNAME ACTIVITY PLACED

Thomas Hodnik PlumbingSavannah Howarth Nail CareEric Ligus Masonry 2ndSabrina Staats Culinary Arts

CWCTC Students Participating in Culinary Arts –FCCLA – State CompetitionNAME ACTIVITY MEDAL

Arminda Raines Food Innovation SilverMaranda Rodericks Job Interview BronzeBrittany Shaw Service

Project Display BronzeSabrina Staats Culinary Arts Bronze

Poetry Out LoudRachel Kruszyinsky Top 5

NFL Students Participating in PA High SchoolSpeech League – State CompetitionNAME ACTIVITY

Nick Germano Congressional DebateTJ Howard Radio AnnouncingSteven Martz Public Forum Debate (team)Paige Oswald Congressional DebateJohn Shaffer Public Forum Debate (team)Greg Smith Congressional DebateFernando Soriano Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Qualifying for National Competitions• Steven Martz and John Shaffer will be representing Greensburg

Salem at the National Forensic League’s national competition inBirmingham, AL. They will be competing in the team event –Public Forum Debate.

• GSHS pole-vaulter Courtney McQuaide qualified for the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia as well as the New Balance Indoor Track National meet held in New York City.

The LION’S PRIDE Outstanding Achievement…GS on the Road to State Championships and BeyondThe 2012-13 school year has been one of exceptional performances by Greensburg Salem students as individuals, on teams and in a wide variety of endeavors. Several of our students qualified to compete in state and or national events. These students became eligible forthis honor by their performances at the local and/or regional levels.


GS Mock Trial Team Continues Winning WaysGreensburg Salem Mock Trial Team started on the road to the Dauphin County Courthouse and the state championship competition bywinning the Westmoreland County tournament for the 14th time in the last 15 years. During the two-day state tournament, in four separatetrials, the team argued the prosecution or defense in the case of Tatum Zillias, a developer building a public housing project in Philadelphia.Zillias was charged with two counts of third degree murder when a crane collapsed at the construction site killing two people.

Seniors Courtney Wright and Caitlin Hensel served as attorneys onboth the prosecution and defense sides of the case. Junior KennyClark portrayed the defendant and served as an attorney for the prosecution. Junior Teddy Russell served as an attorney for the defense and as a witness for the prosecution. Juniors Anna George,Paige Kemsey, and Lauren Nicassio, as well as sophomore GarrettKing, portrayed witnesses. Sophomore Rachael Hensel contributedas an analyst for the team.

The team defeated both The Episcopal Academy and Wyoming Seminary Prep School on Friday, March 22, and advanced to the semi-final round where they defeated Plumstead ChristianSchool the following day. Earning a second-place finish, the team lost the championship round to Quigley Catholic High School on Saturday. In total, 329 teams participated in the PA Mock Trial process this school year. The final round of the competition is available to view on pcntv.com by going tohttp://streaming.pcntv.com:554/featuredvids/2013MockTrial.mov


Surrounded by the stately, marble walls of the Westmoreland County Courthouse the Greensburg Salem Mock Trial team includes ( front row, l-r) Lauren Nicassio, Rachel Hensel,Paige Kemsey. (middle row) Courtney Wright, Kenny Clark, Teddy Russell. (back row)Catlin Hensel, Garrett King and Anna George.

Victorious GSMS MathcountsTeam Advanced to States

Greensburg Salem Middle School dominated the Westmoreland CountyMathcounts competition in February. Not only did the team of Tristan Elma,Asher Joy, Mary Joy, and Adam Petro earn first place team honors but theseGSMS students earned first through fourth places in the individual scores as well. Leading her team was Mary Joy (1) followed by Adam Petro (2),Asher Joy (3) and Tristan Elma (4). Other GSMS students that placed in the individual rankings were Chris Schecengost (6), Julius McBride (7), andScott Armentrout (9).

The four team members, along with Schecengost and McBride, qualified for the state competition in Harrisburg on March 22 and 23. Twenty-fiveteams and 175 students competed at the state Mathcounts tournament. TheGreensburg Salem team placed fifth with Asher Joy being recognized as thehighest scoring 6th grade student.

Holding their Westmoreland County awards are the GSMS students who advanced to the state competition. Seated (l-r) are Asher Joy, Mary Joy andAdam Petro; standing Julius McBride, Chris Schecengost and Tristan Elma.


8 Greensburg Salem

When Metzgar Elementary teacher Bethany Ferrari received the announcement of a grant opportunity from the WestmorelandIntermediate Unit Foundation, she could have ignored it – but shedidn’t. The grant was for educators in special education classroomsto support innovative classroom projects. Miss Ferrari wanted tocreate a project concept that would be meaningful and that wouldpositively impact her learning support students.With the help of Mrs. Ashley Nestor, coordinator of elementary education, federal programs and instruction, Miss Ferrari exploreda variety of options. For the past several years, one of the focuses of the district’s professional education has been on inclusion anddifferentiated instruction. Inclusion is an effort to make sure students with disabilities attend their neighborhood school, withtheir friends, while receiving the special designed instruction andsupport they need to learn successfully. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs of a student – it ishelpful for all students but differentiation is absolutely imperativefor children with special needs. As a result, educators are faced with the challenge of teaching students with a diverse range of differences and disabilities within a single classroom.Ferrari wrote a proposal and was awarded $1000 to purchase twoiPads to help the primary grade teachers meet this educational challenge. Around the same time, Metzgar Elementary received$2,500 from the America’s Farmers Grows Communities Fund.Principal Tina Federico determined these funds would be used toexpand the “Implementing iPads into Primary Classrooms” projectby making an iPad available for every classroom at Metzgar.

As the teachers are implementing this technology, their professionallearning community has grown. The teachers meet frequently with Mr. Chris Suppo, coordinator of technology, to discuss itemsfrom iPad functionality to classroom uses. During these sessions,the teachers are excited to share the applications, known as apps,they have found and how they have applied them to help their students learn.Introduction of this technology has enhanced learning and created successes for struggling students. By using phonics apps like Word Builder Express and Howie’s Word Families, a studentwho could not pass spelling tests because she could not make sense of or remember specific phonics patterns, is now consistentlyearning scores of 90% or better. A second-grade student with a mathematical disability is developing quick addition and subtraction fact recall with the help of apps like Meerkat Math. He is better able to grasp and enjoy difficult and abstract concepts,like fractions, through the Fraction Pizzeria app.“One of the things I am most excited about is that the implementation of iPads at Metzgar Elementary will be sustainedand will continue for many years to come,” commented Ferrari.“There are always new educational apps being created and many are designed specifically for students with learning disabilities. Such apps can be matched to students according to their learningneeds. I look forward to seeing the continued growth as I follow this cohort of learning support children as they progress throughthe grades.”

Focus on Improving Student Learning Leads to iPads in the Classroom

Primary Learning Supportteacher Bethany Ferrari workingon an iPad with a kindergartenstudent during class.



As part of the PTO’s Annual Family Reading Night, Nicely Elementary celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with an

exciting and interactive event designed to promote the importanceof reading. More than 125 Nicely students and their families were treated to stories, freebies, games, and more during the

Jump into Your Jammies and Join Us for the Silliness of Dr. Seuss themed event. The evening’s activities brought to

life Seuss favorites: The Foot Book, The Sneetches, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat.

Each station featured hands-on learning experiences that made thekids giggle, inspired their imaginations, and even challenged their

strength and endurance during an obstacle race. Local actor and attorney John Noble served as a special

guest reader. The kids were thrilled by his many surprises – especially his striped socks – as the story of the Cat in the Hat

unraveled in a way that amazed everyone.

Jump in your Jammies and Join Us for

The Silliness of Dr. Seuss

Reading is one of the foundations of learning – and learning to enjoy reading is a gift thatkeeps giving. To help kindergarten students and their parents realize the pleasures of reading, Greensburg Salem’s three elementary schools host a Raising Readers program. For six-sessions, Raising Readers focuses on reading, writing, listening, and speaking lessons.Each session includes the building blocks of reading – phonemic awareness, word building,word recognition, comprehension, and writing activities. Each child receives a quality

paperback book at each session through a partnership between the GSSD Early Transition Team and the United Way of Westmoreland County. During the sessions, children and their parents work side-by-side as the kindergarten teachers model a variety of strategies that support independent reading and writing in the kindergarten classroom. As the

family enjoys an evening for reading together, the parents are learning techniques they can practice at home in order to help their children become stronger readers.The fun activities families share include reading six great books, learning new vocabulary, comparing stories by the same author, performing “Readers Theater” skits for each other, creating mini-books, writing opinion pieces, and playing word games as they practiced important skills. Maybe Dr. Seuss said it best in his book I Can Read With My Eyes Shut. “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that your learn, the more places you’ll go.”

GS Familiesare Raising

Readers!

At The Sneetches station, Miss Pennesi helped children travelthrough Mr. McBeam’s Star-Bellied Sneetch Machine. Studentsalso decorated their very own star and the families played Sneetch Beach Ball – a game that involved rhyming words from the story. Mrs. Gennard read from the beginning of The Foot Book and encouraged students to finish the story by reading the “feet” hanging on the wall. Each foot was a page from the book. Students also measured their own feet using a ruler and recordedthat amount. They then estimated how many feet all those incheswould equal by the end of the night. The grand total was 77 feet.

10 Greensburg Salem


Golden Lion Gallery

Jakob Curry, a Hutchinson Elementary fourth grader from Mrs. Carnicelli’s art class, createdthis detailed dragon drawing. He effectively used pencil, marker,and crayon to depict a dragon in its volcanic environment. For inspiration, students heard storiesabout dragons from different cultures and then made up theirown stories about the dragon they imagined.

Art student, Krystal Ciccarelli created ashowcase installation for her senior project at Greensburg SalemHigh School. The installation includes avariety of wildlife thatKrystal painted on wood and installed into the space, surrounded by handpainted walls and floors. Art teacher Mr. Raphael Pantalonementored Krystal

throughout the process of creating the project.

Mrs. McCune’s sixth graders at GSMS created mixed media landscapes as the culminating project of a unit on “spaces.”Students were asked to create a space thatinvited the viewer to step inside the artwork.Artist Sarah Lukacs used layers of tissuepaper, polymer media and permanent markers to craft her landscape.

Metzgar Elementary's fourth-grade artists created Illuminated Manuscripts in Miss Brenda Alberth's Artclass. Students combined the look of a papyrus scrollwith decorated lettering to produce an artwork with animal symbolism. Artists researched historicmeanings of animal symbols and chose one to fit their own unique personality. Here, Tanner Dobroskychose a Tiger to represent his strength and bravery.

At Nicely Elementary, the second graders learned interesting concepts in different classes about wondrous rainforests. Each student chose a particularanimal to research. Sam Spigarelli, a hard-workingartist in Miss Brenda Alberth’s Art classroom, createda detailed drawing of a Macaw on transparent paper,layering it over a tissue collage. This technique helps young artists begin to imagine perspective. For example, what is closest to the viewer is clear and detailedwhile what is faraway looksblurrier. It's likepracticing withthe "focus" feature on your camera.



All kids dream. When they play sports, theydream of winning the big game. They dreamof earning trophies for their athletic prowess.They dream of being recognized for their efforts. But it takes more than dreaming to beon a championship team. As this story goesto print, the Greensburg Salem Girls Softballteam is ranked number 1 in the WPIAL forAAA schools. Their eyes are on the prize of a WPIAL championship and beyond.

These girls have been doing a lot more than dreaming. These young athletes have received direction and vision under the guidance of a skilled and experienced coaching staff led by head varsity coach Jody Morgan and including Rick Petro, Kristen Mehan, and Kevin Hutchinson. Miss Morgan has been the Varsity Softballcoach for 34 years – since her first year ofteaching at Greensburg Salem.

Like many other Greensburg Salem studentathletes, several members of the softball teamhave made a year-round commitment andplay on traveling teams during the offseason.Again, like a lot of students at GreensburgSalem, many of them are multi-sport athletes.“Greensburg Salem has a tradition of dedicated athletes that play more than onesport,” stated Lynn Jobe, GSSD athletic director. “We have found that multi-sportathletes are well-rounded and that play onmore than one team helps to reduce burnout,boredom, and injuries. It is also good for thestudents to be exposed to different coachingstyles and philosophies.”

Jobe went on to say, “Our programs that include multi-sport athletes are the exampleof what interscholastic sports should be – wenot only want our students to give their allon the playing field but also in the classroom.

Students can take the leadership skills andteam-concepts that they learn during playand use them in all the other parts of theirlives – for the rest of their lives.”

Displaying those leadership skills on the softball field are three seniors – SyndeyBacha, Taylor Mehan, and Jane Oberdorf. As 4-year veterans of the team they have playoff experience and the skills and positiveattitudes that characterize the whole team. The team is loaded with talent from freshmen to seniors, with everyonecontributing to the program’s success.

By the time you are reading this, the softball season will be over. The team mayhave earned their dreamed of WPIAL championship, or maybe not. But if at theend of the day, when they put their heads on their pillows, they will know that they did the best they could – that they gave ittheir all – and they won’t need to dream to know that they are champions.

They dare to dream…

12 Greensburg Salem

The awards were created by former IN Community Magazines editor Monica Haynes to honor the work of individual volunteers and nonprofit organizationsthroughout the magazines’ coverage area. A total of 111 awardees representing 33 magazines received certificates during the event, for which WTAE-TV anchor Andrew Stockey served as Master of Ceremonies.IN Community Magazines publisher Wayne Dollardwelcomed attendees and spoke about the importance ofcommunity service, as did Northwest Savings Bank president Chris Martin. Providing a perfect ending to the evening was an acoustic set by The Clarks.

Below is Haynes’ first person account of how theawards came to be:

During my tenure as an editor for In CommunityMagazines, one of the cover stories we did was aboutfood pantries, those places that provide grocery basicsfor those who don’t have enough income to keeptheir kitchens stocked. This meant finding a foodpantry to visit so I could conduct interviews. I foundone and scheduled an interview around noon, whichis the time it opened. It was a cold, blustery day as I made my way up the hill to the church, where thefood bank was located. There were some slick spotson the road and I was praying the whole way up,“God, please don’t let me slide over the hillside.”

Finally, I arrived at the church. Inside, it wasbuzzing like a hive with volunteers moving aboutamong the shelves and tables to fill the grocery bagswith various food items for pickup by those signed up

for the pantry. Most of the volunteers were retireesand could easily be in their nice warm homes insteadof braving the cold wind and snow flurries to helptheir fellow residents. I imagine they could ditch Pittsburgh all together during the winter months toenjoy three or four months of Florida sun. But theydidn’t. Every week, they made their way to thatchurch and filled those bags and answered the phonesand signed people up, listening to the stories of howthey ended up needing to utilize a food pantry. Thevolunteers always treat them with dignity and respect.They listen with compassion.

I was inspired by these volunteers and others I’d met and talked to. There was a couple who volunteered with a group that helped senior citizens.The husband would help the senior by carrying out home repairs. The wife would drive him or her todoctor appointments and to shop at the supermarket.Many times they’d go above and beyond their initialvolunteer duties.

People need to know about these and all the unsung volunteers and organizations that serve so unselfishly the members of their community, Ithought. I wrote a proposal for an awards programthat would shine just a bit of light on these volunteers.I knew they didn’t do it for recognition or any fanfare,but I was so inspired that I felt if others were able toknow about what the volunteers do and how theygive, they might be motivated and inspired to do the same.

When I presented the proposal to Wayne Dollard,publisher of IN Community Magazines, his immediate response was, “Let’s do it.” And so I setabout developing the categories, the criteria, the nomination form, etc. We put the nomination form in all the magazines, but also sent forms to clubs,schools, libraries, senior centers, and places that utilize volunteers. I knew that I wanted young peopleto have a category. Over the years, I have encounteredso many amazing high school and college studentswho have donated countless hours and their talents tohelp others. I wanted them to be recognized for beingso outstanding when it is so easy to think only aboutthemselves and having a good time.

Slowly but steadily, the nominations came in and it was very humbling to see what people weredoing in their communities, in their schools,churches, hospitals, food pantries, athletic fields, senior centers, community centers, etc. Personally, it made me want to go out and do more. I was enlightened and moved by their giving and doing.Some had been giving of their time, efforts and resources for decades. Some youngsters not only volunteered for organizations but started their ownorganizations and groups to help fellow students,younger students, students with disabilities, or to help older residents. There were organizations, bothlarge and small, quietly going about their missions of healing, helping, saving, counseling, teaching, encouraging and caring.


The year of planning, sorting, reviewing and selecting culminated in a marvelous awards dinner,which shined just a little bit of the spotlight on youngand more-seasoned volunteers and small and largenonprofit organizations.

“As someone who has managed volunteers for 10 years, it was wonderful to witness your recognitionefforts of so many deserving individuals and organizations. Thank you again,” said Vickie Mottern,volunteer and outreach coordinator for Brevillier Village, where IN Harbor Creek CASE honoreeCatherine Pugliese volunteers.

“I just want to take a minute to thank you for suchan amazing event. We are so grateful to be recognizedas Small Nonprofit of the Year for IN Norwin at the

Inaugural CASE Awards,” wrote Jodi Fowler, one of the founders of Genre’s Kids with Cancer Fund. “At Genre’s Kids with Cancer Fund, we truly believethat our work is blessed by God, and our purpose is to serve oncology families in need. Never did weimagine, when Genre was diagnosed with leukemia,that we would be at this point, developing our organization and receiving this amazing award because of our incredible volunteers – just a few years later . We honestly appreciate the opportunitythis allows to share our story and mission with readersin our community.”

“My family and I had a wonderful time! It was a great event! The food was excellent; the speeches

interesting, nice and short; Andrew Stockey was wonderful; and we thoroughly enjoyed The Clarks.Thank you for this honor and recognition and a funfamily evening to top it off,” wrote IN Chartiers ValleyVolunteer of the Year Susan Zuk.

These are just a few of the comments IN Community Magazines received about the awardsdinner. We’d like to thank everyone for their participation. And we would like to congratulate all of our honorees, all of the nominees and eventhose who were not nominated. It is your constant devotion to helping others, which all too often goesunnoticed, that makes our communities a great place to live!

Youth Volunteer of the Year, Michael Hoke:Michael is a diligent worker andleader in the community. His volunteering involves but is not limited to helping daily with his family’s dairy farm, building and fixing animal enclosures for hisschool and creating awareness forrecycling with PA Cleanways.Michael has great construction andelectrical abilities that allow him tohelp his community in many ways.Michael is a very organized youngman with a strong determination tosucceed.

Small Nonprofit of the Year, Fred Rogers Center for EarlyLearning and Children’s Media:Rogers Center for Early Learning andChildren’s Media at Saint VincentCollege carries forward Fred Rogers’legacy of tapping the potential oftechnology and digital media to support learning and developmentfor young children. The Center’sEarly Learning Environment websiteaddresses school readiness by providing free resources in early literacy for teachers, family childcare providers, and families.

Volunteer of the Year, Jane Murtland:Jane volunteers her time and talentsat the American Red Cross, servingover 490,000 residents. She is a national disaster responder, first responder for local disaster, a member of the Disaster ActionTeam (DAT) and a blood servicesvolunteer since August 2006.

Large Nonprofit of the Year, Westmoreland County AnimalResponse Team:The Westmoreland County AnimalResponse Team, or CART, is a part of a statewide organization called

the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team (PASART). It is aspecialty team of first responderswith equipment and training in handling a variety of animals. TheCART is a county resource, muchlike the fire departments or RedCross, as it is called out by 911 to assist any domesticated animal effected by a disaster situation such as a fire, tornado, flood, accident or evacuation. CART handles technical rescue and temporary sheltering. CART alsodoes community events to teach the public how to be prepared in an emergency with their pets.

Chris Martin, President of the Southwest Region of Northwest Savings Bank (right), poses with the Greensburg winners.

Carl P. Stillitano

CPS Photography

14 Greensburg Salem

In 1736, Benjamin Franklin organized the country’s very first volunteer fire department after a series of devastating fires destroyed Philadelphia’s commercial district. Today, some 277 years later, volunteer fire departments comprise more than 70 percent of allfire departments nationwide,and each one is a vital component to maintaining the safety of local communities like Greensburg.

For more than 120 years,Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Truck Company #2, located onNorth Pennsylvania Avenue,has been servicing the city of Greensburg. Originallyfounded on January 12, 1891,the department is one ofGreensburg's five volunteerfire departments. The stationwas originally known as Hose Company #2 and foughtfires with what was then considered “modern” technology: a horse-drawn ladder truck and two hose carts. The station itself, known at the time as the“Hole in the Wall” station, was part of the city’s original volunteerfire department.

“The men in those days had to more than likely run from theirhouse, hitch the horse, then go,” said Pierre DeFelice, the station’scaptain. “Of course, their coverage area wasn’t as large is it istoday, but a run across town that we can get to in a few minutespresently, probably took them three or four times as long.”

Today, it’s safe to say that the station possesses much moresophisticated equipment, including a 1988 Pierce aerial laddertruck, a 2004 Ford positive pressure ventilation and foam truck, a 2012 Ford air truck and a Chevrolet utility truck that providessupplemental foam and tubing.

DeFelice, who has been with the station for 35 years, alsopointed out how Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) haschanged since the department's inception.

“Take into consideration the type of PPE they [the original firefighters] had at the timecompared to the safety of theavailable gear today. They hadno air masks to protect themfrom smoke. Although today'ssmoke contains more harmfulcomponents with the variousplastics and polymers, theystill had to breathe that dirtyair,” he said.

Of course, no matter howadvanced the technology, avolunteer fire departmentwould not be possible withoutthe dedication of its members.Just like paid firefighters, volunteer firefighters must undergo extensive training.DeFelice, who started his career with the Broughton

VFD in South Park Township in 1974 when he was 16, said thatmembers must complete department, company and state requirements and undergo a variety of training drills, classroomlearning, and testing.

“First of all, you need to be dedicated and committed,” he said. “It is extremelyhelpful if you are physically fit,since you can be submitted tostressful situations in a volatileenvironment, and some of thetasks we perform are tiring onthe body. Add in the protectivegear, which increases your body temperature, and you haveanother extenuating factor.”

Greensburg Volunteer Fire DepartmentTruck #2 Preserves Legacy of Service

By Jennifer Brozak


Truck Company #2 currently has 44 members and about half of them are active firefighters on a continual basis. Newmembers are considered "probationary" until they complete thedepartment’s requirements. The process normally takes about 6 months to complete.

"Training and certifications are required and take time. You have to want to provide a service to your community that many times goes without notice and thanks. Probably the mostimportant part is an understanding spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend,and also your kids for the time you spend away from them," said DeFelice.

He adds that his department is known nationally and internationally for the caliber of its physical fitness program,which was instituted by Chief Ed Hutchison several years ago.The department also boasts bloodhound and rescue diver teams and a swift water rescue team.

"There is a lot of training available now for all departments thatoffer state and national certifications, but our department wasproactive years ago," DeFelice states.

Even with all of its success and recognition, Truck #2 is facingchallenges, one of which is the departments' aging members.

“There are no longer any ‘old guys,’ as we used to refer tothem,” said DeFelice. “We are the old guys.”

He said that the lack of interest from younger firefighters has also been a challenge.

“Some of the younger people who join lose interest when they find out all of the time they need to devote,” he said.

The expense of replacing aging equipment has been an issueas well. For instance, the department plans to purchase a newaerial ladder in July. The cost: $1 million.

“There are limited ways we can raise money. There’s only so much money to go around,” he said, pointing out that Pennsylvania’s Small Games of Chance law, which is currently undergoing revisions, would make it increasingly difficult to host fundraisers.

Despite these challenges, DeFelice and his team of dedicatedvolunteer firefighters remain proud of the service they provide to the community.

“I think one of the proudest things is when you’re on vacationor out of town for work and someone sees a T-shirt you have onand knows your department and the department’s reputation,” he said. “Whenever someone you’ve helped at a fire, accident orstorm-related incident says ‘thanks,’ it makes it all worthwhile.”

Anyone interested in joining Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Truck Company #2, should call the station at724.834.3902, stop by the station on North Pennsylvania Avenue to speak with a member, or visit Greensburg’s city administrator’s office at City Hall on South Main Street to complete an application. Volunteer firefighters must be at least 18 years old, pass a doctor's physical examination and criminalbackground check, and be available on Monday evenings for meetings and drills. Junior firefighters must be at least 16 years old.

Actor Adrian Greiner once said, “It is enough to indulgeand be selfish, but true happiness is really when you start giving back.” Lifelong Greensburg resident RobertDePasquale is one such individual who has found happiness by giving back. After many years of service in various capacities, the 60-year old DePasquale is in hislast year of service as a City of Greensburg Councilman.Before serving as a councilman, he served as City Treasurer for four years.DePasquale is a professor of accounting at Saint VincentCollege, where he has served as President of the FacultyCouncil, member of the Board of Directors Long-RangePlanning Committee and as a member of various othercollege committees. He was one of the founders of theSaint Vincent College Small Business Development Center, and served as Business Administration chair from1981 to 1996. In 1997, he was the inaugural winner of the Thoburn Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award at Saint Vincent College, and in 2000, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus by the Alumni Council.

Locally, DePasquale has served as Chair of the LeadershipProgram of the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce,Chair of the Eastern Westmoreland Junior AchievementAdvisory Council, vice-chairman of the Board of Directorsof Adelphoi Village, Inc., and as a member of several otherlocal committees. In 2002, DePasquale was the inauguralrecipient of Greensburg Central Catholic High School’sannual Centurion Award (Distinguished Alum).When asked why he enjoys service, DePasquale did nothesitate in his reply. “I love this community. I was born andraised here, and I believe you have to give back,” he said. “I have really enjoyed it. I have worked with so many greatpeople at my various posts over the years, and I havelearned a great deal.” DePasquale said that part of the reason he decided not to run for another term as councilman is because he wishes to teach abroad, whichwould make the job as councilman difficult. He has taughtabroad previously, including a semester in China in thespring of 1997; a semester in London in the spring of2002; and in Taiwan in the summer of 2006. What made DePasquale a commodity on boards, committees and in public service is two-fold. “I quicklyfound out that people with a financial background are verycoveted on many boards and committees,” he said. “Nomatter what business you are conducting, it is imperativethat the finances are in order. Secondly, I always liked tostay very active, so I was always willing to dedicate a lot oftime to every position I have held.”DePasquale received his undergraduate degree in accounting (with highest honors) from Saint Vincent College and his MBA and Ph.D. from the University ofPittsburgh. He holds the Certified Public Accountant,Certified Management Accountant, and Certified Financial Manager designations. Additionally, he was the2009-10 Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Institute ofCertified Public Accountants, and has served as Presidentof its Southwestern Chapter.Greensburg will be losing a very dedicated man. DePasquale added that he will miss his service to the City of Greensburg. “This has truly been a labor of love for me because this city means so much to me.”

Councilman Robert DePasquale – A Labor of Love By Matthew J. Fascetti

16 Greensburg Salem


18 Greensburg Salem

HowI got into

It was time to grow my businessand reach more customers, but baking a cake that would fitinto a mailbox was impractical.

Until I found the next best thing...

CALL 724.942.0940

My IN Community Magazines campaign remains my single most cost-e�ective method of advertising.

IN Greensburg Salem reaches directly into 13,907 households


How I Got intoGardeningI started gardening when I was a littleboy. I began entering my produce inthe Westmoreland County Fair and wonlots of ribbons with my vegetables. Many of the vegetables I grow, I give tomy neighbors and I also volunteer for thePenn State Master Gardeners, an organizationwhich plants massive amounts of vegetables whichare then given the food bank. We grow lettuce, garlic,tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cabbage and cucum-bers. We also grow pumpkins and gourds and have aflower garden, a butterfly garden and even a pizzagarden. The garden also has a nature park which isvery nice for taking calming walks and animals canoften be seen running about the area. It is a very posi-tive experience because my fellow gardeners are allgreat people and I get to help others with my garden-ing through giving to the food bank.

-Submitted by Tim Gazze

IT’S FREE!

Bring a chair or beach blanket to St. Clair Park to

enjoy these FREE concerts:

A Silent FilmJune 7

Rosco BandanaJune 14

Marrakesh ExpressJune 21

David Bach ConsortJune 28

Brother Joscephus & The Love Revolution

July 5

Sweetback SistersJuly 12

Jessie DeeJuly 19

Guggenheim GrottoJuly 26

Snarky PuppyAugust 2

The Black LilliesAugust 9

The SteelDriversAugust 16

Lake Street DriveAugust 23

YarnAugust 30

Shows begin at 7 p.m. Preshow music 6:15-6:45 p.m. unless noted otherwise.

"The best outdoor music series in Western PA."

I NT H

E

20 Greensburg Salem


The Westmoreland County Historical Society will present reenactments of Colonial Court, on Saturday and Sunday, July 6th and 7th at Historic Hanna’s Town.

Step back in time to when the Revolutionary War era village of Hanna’s Town served as the seat of government forWestmoreland County and held the first English court west of the Allegheny Mountains. Sessions of Colonial Court, featuring actual cases heard at Hanna’s Town between 1773 and 1786, will be presented outside the tavern in HistoricHanna’s Town. Along with hearings for disorderly conduct and selling liquor without a license, cases will be presented

against an “alleged” horse thief and an indentured servant girl accused of stealing clothing. Charges of treason will be heard. See how those who were convicted of crimes paid their debt to society

in the 18th century. Historic Hanna’s Town volunteersand members of the Independent BattalionWestmoreland County Pennsylvania will reenact selected cases. Also, the Museum Shopwill offer holiday specials.

Hanna’s Town was attacked and burned on July 13, 1782 by a raiding party of Native Americans and their British allies while court was in session. The town never recovered andceased being the county seat in 1786 when it was moved to Greensburg.

Court will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $4 for seniors/children and includes a site tour in addition to court. HistoricHanna’s Town is located at 809 Forbes Trail Road,Hempfield Township, 15601. For additional

information, call 724.532.1935 or visit www.westmorelandhistory.org.Follow our activities on the Westmoreland County Historical Society Facebook page, and on Twitter @WCHistory.

‘

22 Greensburg Salem

This year’s Taste of Westmoreland proved, once again to be a success among people of all ages throughout WestmorelandCounty. For 21 years this popular event has attracted food enthusiasts to the Pitt-Greensburg campus by offering attendeesthe unique opportunity to fill their plates with food from over 20 restaurants and vendors, five of which were new this year. This year’s “Taste” was held on March 16 and many of the severalhundred diners sported green in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day. Attendees enjoyed a wide variety of delicious local food and silentauctions, a 50/50 raffle and caricatures by Randy Bish, cartooneditorialist of the Tribune-Review.

The Taste of Westmoreland is sponsored by the CongregationEmanu-El Israel (CEI) in Greensburg. Member Terri Katzman has chaired the event for the past seven years. Katzman stated,"The vendors pulled out all of the stops for the evening. The foodwas fantastic and the variety exceptional. We heard many ‘tasters’saying that they can't wait until next year.” Proceeds from the“Taste” will be used to fund outreach programs for CEI.

Food Lovers Unite at Annual Taste of WestmorelandBy Autumn A. Altieri

Pictured from left to right: Event organizer Terri Katzman with

several committee members Bob Slone, Irene Rothschild,

Mark Greenberg, Nancy Krokosky, Shayla Anthony.


Abundant Life Assembly of God637 W. Pittsburgh St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.836.7510

Blessed SacramentCathedral300 N. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.3710

Bethel AME Church33 N. Spring St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.832.2256

Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland500 Chestnut St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.838.1797

Charter Oak UnitedMethodist449 Frye Farm RoadGreensburg, PA 15601 724.805.0355

Christ Church122 N. Maple Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.4750

Christian Science Church425 S. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.1984

Church of the Open Door970 N. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837-0057

Congregation Emanu-El Israel222 N. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.0560

Congruity PresbyterianChurch136 Fenneltown Rd.New Alexandria, PA 15670724.668.7740

Covenant Church East623 Highland Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.838.7611

First Antioch Baptist Church726 W. Pittsburgh St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.832.1737

First Church of God in Christ302 S. Pennsylvania Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.2301

First Evangelical Lutheran Church246 S. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.1457

First Presbyterian Church300 S. Main St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.832.0150

First United Church of Christ312 S. Maple Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.2410

First United Methodist Church15 E 2nd St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.3111

Seventh Day Adventist500 Sewickley St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.836.0505

Greater Parkview Church103 Westminster AvenueGreensburg, PA 15601724.219.3280

Greensburg Church of the Brethren554 Stanton St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.2130

Holy Ghost OrthodoxChurch714 Westmoreland Ave.Slickville, PA 15684724.468.5581

Houses of Worshipin GREENSBURG SALEM

24 Greensburg Salem


101 N. Main St., Greensburg Pa, 15601, (724)989-3552Contemporary Service Sunday 1

TheRevoluti

out religion

101 N. Main St., Greensburg Pa, 15601, (724)989-35521:15 amContemporary Service Sunday 1

ionChurch.com

out faith

Life Spring ChristianChurch314 S Pennsylvania Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.832.7514

New Life TabernacleUnited PentecostalChurch323 Oakland Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.8433

Otterbein UnitedMethodist111 College Ave.Greensburg, PA 724.834.4060

St. BartholomewChurch2538 Rt. 119Crabtree, PA 15624724.834.0709

St. Bruno Church1707 Poplar St. Greensburg, PA 15601724.836.0690

St. Michael’s OrthodoxChurch1182 Ashland Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.1311

St. Nicholas ByzantineChurch622 E. Pittsburgh St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.0295

St. Sylvester Church3028 State Rd. 819Slickville, PA 15684724.468.5794

The Salvation Army131 E. Otterman St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.3335

South GreensburgUMC411 Sheridan Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.832.3651

Trinity UnitedMethodist Church210 W. 4th St.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.9395

Westminster Presbyterian Church1120 Harvey Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.837.3540

Zion Lutheran Church140 S Pennsylvania Ave.Greensburg, PA 15601724.834.9060

*If you would like to add yourhouse of worship to our di-rectory, please email yourlisting to our editor, PamelaPalongue at [email protected]

26 Greensburg Salem


In a magical kingdom below the sea,

the beautiful young mermaid Ariel longs to leave her ocean home. But first, she’ll have to defy her fatherKing Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula,and convince Prince Eric that she’s the girl who savedhim from the shipwreck. Featuring the musical hits

‘Under the Sea’ and ‘Part of Your World’, this musical,performed by kids for kids, was a great family night out.

28 Greensburg Salem

Don't get left out of our fall education section! Call us for further details on how to get involved.

724.942.0940

Some of the hungry will be children... The Empty Bowl event helps to support the local food bank to feed the hungry.

The 5th Annual Empty Bowl Event benefiting the Westmoreland Food Bank, was the best to date. The bowls that were donated were beautiful! They were extraordinary tolook at especially when 1,000 were put on the tables at thesame time. People walked around trying to decide which bowlthey would purchase and they often chose more than one.Many schools made the bowls in their ceramic classes alongwith four pottery shops that participated.

This year 32 different soups were offered for guests to enjoy along with bread from Panera Bread, Jeannette Bakeryand Nino’s Restaurant, with water provided by CoGo’s.

Nearly 100 volunteers worked over a 3-day period to make the event a success. The parish of St. Bruno's kindlyshared their facility for the event.

No money was spent for this wonderful benefit. Everythingfor the project was donated. Karen Piper, an organizer for the event noted, “The whole of Westmoreland County is really behind this project as shown by the many, many items that were given for the two auctions. We had a Chinese Auction with 28 bowls (baskets) full of items that were gathered from all over. Some of the Auction Baskets had things in them totaling over $300 in value.

Not all of our neighbors in Westmoreland County will have enough to eat tonight.


The Silent Auction had special bowls and donated items up forbid. These included a signed bowl by Mario Lemieux which waspresented with 2 front row tickets for the 28th game; a bowlsigned by Mike Tomlin with a Steelers hat, team photo and aSteelers camp chair... I could go on and on.”

The Shriner Clowns along with a variety of entertainmentmade the whole event special. This year's event was thelargest attendance ever, which helped raise over $14,000 for the Westmoreland Food Bank. For every dollar that is raised, the Food Bank is able to buy $5 worth of food.

The five year total for the Empty Bowls event is over $70,000which means that the Food Bank has been able to buy$350,000 worth of food.

Food is a basic to all human life. The Westmoreland FoodBank is helping to ensure that all citizens have enough to eat for a better life. For more information on the the food bank or to contribute, please visit the website atwww.westmorelandfoodbank.org, or call 724.468.8660.

30 Greensburg Salem

Real estate is a big part of our lives. For the vast majority of us it is the biggest purchase we will ever make, aswell as the largest investment. Not to mention the fact that our purchase is “our home”…the place we laugh,

cry, raise children, share timeless memories with friends and family and so much more. So it is very importantthat we understand every aspect of the selling and purchasing of a home. is includes mortgage and finance

information, curb appeal, new housing developments and new ways to look for homes.

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N

IN GREENSBURG

CURB APPEALCurb appeal is a well-known term that refers to the attractiveness of the interior and exterior of a home. While the term seems overused, it is a very real phenomenon. The old saying goes, “Youonly get one chance at a first impression.” This phrase perfectly ex-plains the importance of curb appeal. When someone pulls up to ahouse for the first time, things like paint, landscaping, carpeting andlight fixtures, just to name a few, make a huge difference in the person’s opinion. It ismuch harder for mostpeople to envision thepotential of a homewhen unattractivenessabounds everywherethey look. Most peoplelooking at a home makea snap judgment the moment they enter theproperty. Sure, thesesnap judgments can bechanged with other positive attributes, but why take the chance when adding curb appeal can be so easy and cost-effective.

Curb appeal can be accomplished by any number of methods including exterior decorations, repainting, extensive attention to the landscaping, timely grass cutting, new or even recently

professionally cleaned carpeting, new hardware on the kitchen cabinets, new stain on a rear deck, new exterior and interior light fixtures and de-cluttering of the interior of the home.

Always think of curb appeal when marketing your home or look-ing at a new home. It may not sell your home on its own, or enticeyou to buy a home on its own, but it does make a difference. Youwon’t be sorry because it is worth the time and relatively low cost.

STAGINGSelling a home requires more than a “For Sale” sign. Competition is fierce, and if youwant the best offers and yourhome to sell quickly, home staging is essential. Staging involves cleaning, de-cluttering,and decorating a home so it ap-peals to buyers. Never confusedecorating for staging. Décor isan expression of a particularstyle, while staging is a strategy.

According to www.globalspan.net, there are five basic steps to staging your home.#1 - Clean. Your home must sparkle! To achieve this level is oftenonly feasible by hiring a cleaning crew. In fact, having a cleaning service return weekly while your house is for sale is probably a

Homes for Sale: 334 Recently Sold: 231* Data provided by Realtor.com. Data presented is representative of the

time of publication. For up-to-date information, go to Realtor.com

Real Estate by the NumbersIN Greensburg Salem


pretty good investment. Get your windows professionally cleanedinside and out too.#2 - Fix. Got a dripping faucet or a cracked tile? These will send thewrong message to potential buyers. Getting them fixed before youput your house on the market is a smart idea.#3 - Eliminate Clutter. The “50% Rule” requires that you eliminatethe clutter in your home by at least half. This may be the hardestrule of all! We love our clutter – it reflects our memories, hobbies,and values. But it doesn’t sell homes! Clutter makes homes seem smaller and disorganized. (Have you ever noticed that the really expensive stores seem to have an expansive, clutter-free layout,while “cheap” stores are often a jumble of merchandise?) Even

the ancient practice of Feng Shui has as a central focus theelimination of clutter.#4 - Go Executive Neutral.Neutral colors sell. It’s a fact. Try to convey an image of quality and neutrality. Potentialbuyers walking through your home want to imaginethemselves as the owners. If youuse styles or colors they would

never select, you’ve just turned them off. Staying high-quality, butneutral is safest.#5 - De-personalize. Remove objects that your potential buyers won’t be able to identify with. For example, political and religious items may turn off whole groups of buyers, because theycannot “imagine” your home as their home. Buying a home is an emotional decision, and you want potential buyers to make an emotional connection with your home by being able to “see”themselves in it.

REVERSE MORTGAGEAccording to www.consumer.ftc.gov, if you’re 62 or older – andlooking for money to finance a home improvement, pay off your current mortgage, supplement your retirement income, or pay forhealth-care expenses – you may be considering a reverse mortgage.It’s a product that allows you to convert part of the equity in yourhome into cash without having to sell your home or pay additionalmonthly bills.

In a “regular” mortgage, you make monthly payments to thelender. In a “reverse” mortgage, you receive money from the lender,and generally don’t have to pay it back for as long as you live in yourhome. The loan is repaid when you die, sell your home, or whenyour home is no longer your primary residence. The proceeds of areverse mortgage generally are tax-free, and many reverse mortgageshave no income restrictions.

There are three types of reverse mortgages:Single-purpose reverse mortgages, offered by some state andlocal government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Federally-insured reverse mortgages, known as Home EquityConversion Mortgages (HECMs) and backed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).Proprietary reverse mortgages, private loans that are backed bythe companies that develop them.

Single-purpose reverse mortgages are the least expensive option.They are not available everywhere and can be used for only one purpose, which is specified by the government or nonprofit lender.For example, the lender might say the loan may be used only to pay for home repairs, improvements, or property taxes. Most homeowners with low or moderate income can qualify for these loans.

HECMs and proprietary re-verse mortgages may be more expensive than traditional homeloans, and the upfront costs canbe high. That’s important to con-sider, especially if you plan to stayin your home for just a short timeor borrow a small amount.HECM loans are widely available,have no income or medical re-quirements, and can be used forany purpose.

Before applying for a HECM, you must meet with a counselorfrom an independent government-approved housing counseling

continued on page 32

32 Greensburg Salem

agency. Some lenders offering proprietary reverse mortgages also require counseling. The counselor is required to explain the loan’scosts and financial implications, and possible alternatives to aHECM, like government and nonprofit programs or a single-purpose or proprietary reverse mortgage. The counselor also should be able to help you compare the costs of different types of reverse mortgages and tell you how different payment options,

fees, and other costs affect thetotal cost of the loan over time. You can visit HUD for a list ofcounselors or call the agency at1.800.569.4287. Most counselingagencies charge around $125 fortheir services. The fee can be paid from the loan proceeds, but you cannot be turned away if you can’t afford the fee.

How much you can borrow witha HECM or proprietary reverse

mortgage depends on several factors, including your age, the type ofreverse mortgage you select, the appraised value of your home, and current interest rates. In general, the older you are, the more equity you have in your home, and the less you owe on it, the more money you can get.

The HECM lets you choose among several payment options. Youcan select:A “term” option – fixed monthly cash advances for a specific time.A “tenure” option – fixed monthly cash advances for as long as youlive in your home.A line of credit that lets you draw down the loan proceeds at any time in amounts you choose until you have used up the line of credit.A combination of monthly payments and a line of credit.

You can change your payment option any time for about $20.HECMs generally provide bigger loan advances at a lower total cost compared with proprietary loans. But if you own a higher-valued home, you may get a bigger loan advance from a proprietaryreverse mortgage. So if your home has a higher appraised value andyou have a small mortgage, you may qualify for more funds.Reverse mortgage loan advances are not taxable, and generally don’t affect your Social Security or Medicare benefits. You retain the title to your home, and you don’t have to make monthly repayments. The loan must be repaid when the last surviving borrower dies, sells the home, or no longer lives in the home as aprincipal residence.

In the HECM program, a borrower can live in a nursing home or other medical facility for up to 12 consecutive months before the loan must be repaid.

If you’re considering a reverse mortgage, be aware that:Lenders generally charge an origination fee, a mortgage insurancepremium (for federally-insured HECMs), and other closing costs for a reverse mortgage. Lenders also may charge servicing fees during the term of the mortgage. The lender sometimes setsthese fees and costs, although origination fees for HECMs currentlyare dictated by law. Your upfront costs can be lowered if you borrowa smaller amount through a reverse mortgage product called“HECM Saver.”

The amount you owe on a reverse mortgage grows over time. Interest is charged on the outstanding balance and added to the amount you owe each month. That means your total debt increases as the loan funds are advanced to you and interest on the loan accrues.

Although some reverse mortgages have fixed rates, mosthave variable rates that are tied to afinancial index: they are likely tochange with market conditions.Reverse mortgages can use up allor some of the equity in yourhome, and leave fewer assets foryou and your heirs. Most reversemortgages have a “nonrecourse”clause, which prevents you or your estate from owing more than the value of your home when the loan becomes due and the home is sold. However, if you or your heirs want to retain ownership of the home, you usually must repay the loan in full –

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even if the loan balance is greater than the value of the home.Because you retain title to your home, you are responsible for property taxes, insurance, utilities, fuel, maintenance, and other expenses. If you don’t pay property taxes, carry homeowner’s insurance, or maintain the condition of your home, your loan maybecome due and payable.

Interest on reverse mortgages is not deductible on income tax returns until the loan is paid off in part or whole.

FINANCING AND INTEREST RATESThere is both good news and badnews when it comes to home financing and mortgage interestrates. The great news is that interest rates are still extremelylow. According to bankrate.com,

the interest rates on 12/26/12 were 3.59% on a 30-year fixed rate,2.87% on a 15-year fixed, 2.77% on a 5/1 ARM and 4.07% on a 30-year jumbo.

However, the bad news is that, due to new mortgage laws adopted after the nation’s foreclosure crisis of several years back, it is more difficult to get a mortgage than ever before. Credit scores are even more scrutinized and debt-to-income ratios are more strict.

There is an infinite number of loan types out there, and lendersare constantly coming up with creative ways to wrangle in newhomeowners. The type of home loan you choose can make or break you as a borrower, so make sure you fully understand it before making any kind of commitment.

Most prospective homeowners these days seem to be interested in 100% financing, generally because they don’t have the assets necessary for a down payment.Unfortunately, the proliferationof these types of home loan programs have increased thenumber of high-risk borrowers inthe United States at an alarming rate.

But if you take the time to educate yourself on the many homeloan types out there, you’ll effectively decrease your chances of defaulting on your mortgage. That said, let’s talk about the many different loan types and programs available today.

Following is a list of the types of loans available to potential homeowners.

CONFORMING LOANS AND NON-CONFORMING LOANSOne way home loans are differentiated is by their GovernmentSponsored Enterprise (GSE) eligibility. If the loan meets requirements set forth by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it is considered a conforming loan. If the loan does not meet all the underwriting requirements setforth by the pair of GSEs, it is considered “non-conforming.”

The main guideline that determines whether a mortgage is conforming or not is the loan amount. Generally, a mortgage with a loan amountbelow $417,000 is considered conforming, whereas any loanamount above $417,000 is considered a jumbo loan. However, in Alaska and Hawaii the conforming limit is $625,500. Note that the conforming limit maychange annually, and has risen quite a bit in the past few years ashousing prices skyrocketed.

A jumbo loan may meet all of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s loan underwriting guidelines, but if the loan amount exceeds theconforming limit, it will be considered non-conforming and

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carry a higher mortgage rate as a result.If your loan amount is on the fringe of the conforming limit,

sometimes simply dropping your loan amount a few thousand dollars can lower your mortgage rate tremendously, so keep this in mind anytime your loan amount is near the limit.

CONVENTIONAL LOANS AND GOVERNMENT LOANSMortgages are also classified as either “conventional loans” or “government loans.” Conventional loans can be conforming or jumbo, but are not insured or guaranteed by the government.

Then there are government loans, such as the widely popular FHA loan. This type of mortgage is backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Another common government loan is the VA loan, backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The maximum loan amount for these types of loans varies by county.

Now that you know a bit about different home loan types, we can focus on home loan programs. As mentioned earlier, there are a ton of different loan programs out there, and more seem to surface every day. Let’s start with the most basic of loan programs, the 30-year fixed-rate loan.

LOAN PROGRAMSThe 30-year fixed loan is as simple as they come. Most mortgages are based on a 30-year amortization, and the 30-year fixed is no different.

The 30-year fixed loan is just how it sounds, a loan with a 30-year term at a fixed interest rate for 30 years. What this means is that the loan will take 30 years to pay off, and the rate will stay thesame during those entire 30 years. There isn’t much else to it.

Let’s say you secure a rate of 6.5% on a 30-year fixed loan with a loan amount of $500,000. You’ll have monthly mortgage payments of $3,160.34 for a total of 360 months, or 30 years. You will be required to pay the same amount each month until theloan is paid off. So the total amount you would pay on a $500,000loan at 6.5% over 30 years would be $1,137,722.40.

LOCAL HOUSING MARKETAccording to www.buildingpittsburgh.wordpress.com, unlike the overall U.S. market, the housing market in Pittsburgh does nothave to bounce back from falling prices and is showing remarkableconsistency across a number of metrics.

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1025 Green St. Greensburg, PA 15601 724-834-2228www.greensburgagway.com • M-F 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun Closed

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For more than six months the prices of houses sold and the num-ber of homes sold has remained solidly up more than 10% year-over-year. That’s an unusual level of consistent growth, especially sincethe sales took place in periods of both higher and lower seasonal ac-tivity.

The third quarter also showed a consistent trend in the year-over-year growth in new construction. Through nine monthsthere were a total of 2,396 new dwelling units started compared

to 2,155 during the same period in2011, an increase of 11.2%. The increased activity was constant whether the constructionwas traditional detached single-family homes (and attached) or multi-family units, witheach cohort up between 10-12%. Permits were issued for1,393 units of detached dwellingscompared to 1,264 in 2011

and for 1,003 attached units this year compared to 891 last year. While there is growing evidence that financing conditions are

normalizing so that buyers can buy, the dwindling supply of lots are keeping a broader housing recovery from spreading into 2013, although the construction of multi-family apartments will boom for at least the next 18 months.

SMARTPHONE APPS FOR HOUSE HUNTINGThis is 2013 and we are an “on the go” society. So doesn’t it justmake sense to use apps for house hunting before contacting a real estate agent? According to www.msn.com, today there are dozens of cheap — even free — applications you can download that canmake your home buying quest easier and savvier than ever before.So go ahead and download ‘em, take ‘em for a test drive… then hitthe open-house circuit. This time, you’re guaranteed to waste lesstime finding a new “home sweet home.”

TOOLS TO HELP yOU FIND A HOME — ALL WITH GPSRealtor.com says its app has more listings — reportedly more than3 million — than any other app in the country. You can highlightareas of town to search, check for homes for sale near you and search for open houses. Most homes show multiple photos as well as pricing and open-house info. (Free.)

ZipRealty allows the user to view listings in nearly 5,000 cities —including asking price, photos, distance from where you are, etc. The app also allows you to see homes that have sold recently.(Free.)Zillow not only lets you see listings and the estimated worth of anyhome — not just homes for sale – but also has rental-rate estimates.(Free.)

NAVIGATING THE REAL-ESTATE MAZEDictionary of Real Estate Terms. Baffled by a bilateral contract?Confused by carrying charges? You need this dictionary. ($1.99 for iPhone and iPad. Other dictionaries available for different devices.)Mortgage Calculator. A solid calculator to help steer you through the finances of a home purchase, this calculator computes monthlyrate, price per square foot and your amortization schedule. (99 cents for iPad and iPhone. Other calculators available for different devices.)Can you afford that home? Home Buying Power lets you input variables — desired payment or income percentage, plus down pay-ment, loan term and interest rate — and then tells you how muchhouse you can afford to pay for on a monthly basis. ($1.99 for iPadand iPhone.)

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CITy AND NEIGHBORHOODLearn your neighborhood: With Wikihood, you can get a mini-tour of most any neighborhood in the world — everythingfrom the history to the culture to companies in the area. (Free for iPad and iPhone.)Wonder where that smell is coming from? Worried by those air-planes flying low overhead? You need Suburb Scout. This app allowsusers to search for possible nuisances near a home — airports, land-fills, sewage-treatment plants and more. ($1.99 for Android.)Are you worried about sex offenders? Consider getting Safe Neigh-borhood. This app gives you access to the National Sex OffenderRegistry and can tell you locations of sex offenders in your area. It’s alittle controversial — not only can you search by address, but youcan pull up names and pictures of the offenders. (Free for Android.)Trying to pick a new city? You might want to look at the crime statis-tics. The app Crime Stats lets you see statistics on several violentcrimes and property crimes for cities nationwide, using FBI data.The app also lets you compare those stats to the national average andto other cities. (99 cents for iPhone and iPad.)

WANT TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF AMENITIES yOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS? Download the Walk Score app. It gives a home a score of up to 100,based on residents’ ability to walk to things such as a grocery, a pub,etc. The better the score, the more walkable the neighborhood.Somewhat related, Around Me tells you the distances to key spotssuch as banks, coffee shops and post offices. (Both are free for iPhone and iPad.)SiteWise gives the demographics of your prospective home’s immediate area, using info up to and including the 2010 Census. The app creates a demographic report that includes population by age, education level, number of children, household income, number of renters versus owners and more. ($9.99 for Blackberryand iPhone users.)


Go online before you shop. Many retailers post online special promotions and coupons that you can apply to purchases. Check what’s available before you make a purchase online or head out to the store. Sites like RetailMeNot make finding discounts easy by listing

When looking hard at a home Photo Measures is an app that letsyou take pictures of, say, a room and then allows you to save yourmeasurements of the room’s dimensions on the photos. You cantake photos during your walk-throughs of an appealing house, notethe dimensions of walls and doors and cabinets, then plan yourspace and refer to the measurements later. ($4.99 for iPhone.)ColorSmart. With paintmaker Behr’s ColorSmart app, you can vi-sualize colors in your prospective home. Just take a photo, then fillin the walls with a Behr paint color to check out the new look. (Freefor iPhone and iPad.) You now have 15 new ways to find your per-fect home — and no excuses.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A REAL ESTATE AGENTSometimes when the time comes to buy or sell a home the focus isso much on the homes that the real estate agent is an afterthought.However, it is very important to pick the right one for your needs.On the site www.mytitleguy.com is a blogger who has worked in thetitle industry for 11 years and has met and worked with countlessreal estate agents. He has come up with a list of things to look for be-fore signing a contract with an agent:

“Personable: I want someone who does not make the hair on theback of my neck stand up. Someone I can tolerate talking to or sit-ting across from on more than one occasion.

“Licensed: Sounds dumb but it is not. I want my agent to be li-censed and in good standing, i.e. no complaints [no legitimate com-plaints one way]. Google is your friend. Go to Google.com, put[potential agents’ names] in quotations and see what Google andother consumers have to say about them.

“Tech Savvy: an agent who is savvy with technology is a non-ne-gotiable for me. I want someone who has a strong website, who un-derstands the Internet and search engines like Google, Yahoo andBing. Not so much social media. Remember, 98% of consumersstart their home search online — my real estate agent better knowhow to get my home to stand out online — where the eyeballs are.

“Knowledgeable: I want an agent who knows [his/her] wayaround the purchase contract and how to negotiate. Just because[agents are] licensed does not mean they understand either. I alsowant an agent who specializes in what I am buying or selling. “Familiar with the local market: I would want an agent who is famil-iar with my neighborhood, builder, and local market conditions. Local market conditions — not an area 20 miles away.[Yes, markets can vary considerably in as few as 20 miles.]

“Communicates well and often: You would hope that service andcommunication would be the basics [for being] in the real estate in-dustry…but sadly it is not. There are real estate agents out therewho are horrible at returning calls or emails or even giving updates.Maybe that is why the #1 complaint in the real estate industry is lackof communication. In an occupation that requires communication,the #1 complaint is lack of it. I want my real estate agent to commu-nicate with me in the method that I prefer [email, text, phone call,Facebook, Twitter, smoke signal, Morse code etc.] whatever that is.

I also want a regular schedule of check-ins — even if there is noth-ing to report. Keep me in the loop!

“Truthful: Someone who is going to tell me the truth whether Iwant to hear it or not. ‘Yes, Mr Garner, that purple carpet is ugly andneeds to go’ or ‘Stephen, the deer head or stuffed bear in the den isnot a good idea.’

“Full Time: Real estate is not a part-time job. My agent needs tobe available when a potential buyer is. I don’t want to have to waituntil my agent gets off his/hershift at Walgreen’s before [re-sponding to] an offer on myhome. This is where an agent witha team can be beneficial as theycan cover for each other so I canget the service I deserve.

“Integrity: Integrity is one ofthose [attributes] that many peo-ple say they have. In my opinion,integrity is demonstrated, not nec-essarily spoken. I want a real estate agent/REALTOR to put my in-terests above [his/her] own. That offer of $400,000 on my$430,000 home may only equal a reduction of $900 for the agent’scommission but it equals a $30,000 reduction to me. If I’m buyingwith an agent and I’m interested in 4-bedroom, 2-bath homes, showthem all to me, even the ones offering a reduced commission andthe ones listed by an agent you don’t necessarily care for. Put my in-terests above your own. If my agent represents me, I want him/herto represent me.”

NEW HOME TRENDSThe housing industry has taken a beating these past few years, but aglimmer of hope is on the horizon. Housing starts are increasing, ac-cording to a story by the National Association of Business Econom-ics.

Not surprisingly, though, theGreat Recession curtailed many ofthe extravagances that buyers de-sired before things went south.Homebuyers want different thingsfrom their homes today. Thewatchword is “flexibility” — thingssuch as rooms that serve multiplepurposes and homes that can ac-commodate either “boomerang”children or aging parents.

According to www.msn.com, [researchers] talked to home-builders and industry watchers to find out what will be behind thefront doors of new homes.



38 Greensburg Salem


EASy ACCESSAccessibility is big and likely only to get bigger, says Kermit Baker,chief economist of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). “It’sstrictly an aging-related thing: Boomers are getting older, and par-ents of boomers are getting older.”

Baby boomers in particular are starting to think about what theirhomes need to look like if they’re going to stay in them as the years

advance. That means single-storyhomes, homes with grab bars inthe bathroom, fewer stairs andperhaps even wheelchair ramps.In the AIA’s most recent survey,almost half of the architects whoresponded said accessibility was agrowing design priority.A bigger garage — for everythingbut cars

Not long ago, homebuilderswere adding garage space to accommodate SUVs. Now some aremaking more room in the garage for all the other items families putthere, from tricycles to golf carts. “We know that growing familiesaccumulate a lot of stuff,” says Scott Thomas, director of product de-sign for Pulte Group, which includes Pulte Homes, Centex and DelWebb retirement communities. “These garages help avoid clutter. Atrend for the larger garages is to use part of it as a ‘man cave’ of sorts— space where you can fit two cars, in addition to a sofa, TV,weights, etc.”

THE ‘RESOURCE CENTER’People want homes that are more flexible, more versatile. Roomsdedicated to one purpose are less popular now, according to theAIA survey. As homes shrank in the past few years, people asked,

“Where’s that space going tocome from?” Baker says. Thosepeople are realizing that in asmaller home, rooms can servemultiple functions.

David Barista, editor in chief ofProfessional Builder and CustomBuilder magazines, calls thesemultipurpose areas “resourcecenters” — nooks that include adesk, printer, room for a laptop

and even some cubbyholes for mail and bills. “You don’t need thishuge den/office anymore,” he says. “Most families are working offlaptops or iPads.” Also hearing that demand, Pulte Group has beenadding “planning centers” to its homes — spaces adjacent to thekitchen “that serve as the family command center of sorts,” Thomassays. “It’s a place where the kids can do their homework and bewithin earshot of the parents. They are great for family organization,paying bills.”

HOMES WITHIN HOMESAlmost one-third of American adults today are “doubled up,” or

living in the same household with another adult generation, the U.S.Census Bureau says. Those adults could be “boomerang” kids whohave come back home to live after college, or aging parents whomoved in with adult children.

Homebuilders are starting torespond to this trend. “We’re see-ing a huge growth in floor plansthat include dual master suites,”Barista says.

Lennar Homes has introducedits NextGen home in several areasof the country. “It really is a homewithin a home,” says Alan Jones,Arizona division president forLennar. Imagine a home that con-tains a separate apartment with its own sleeping area, kitchenette,bathroom and perhaps even garage. A door connects it to the rest ofthe house, Jones says.

NOT JUST ‘GREEN’ –REALLy GREENHomebuilders have been edging toward greater energy efficiency inthe past few years, with features such as compact fluorescent bulbsand Energy Star appliances. But Barista sees an even bigger leap.Once the realm of “out there” rich people, “net zero energy homes”— houses that create as much energy as they consume — are goingmainstream, he says. “The production builders (larger builders) arebecoming masters at building homes that have really tight buildingenvelopes” — that is, homes that don’t leak air where not intended,he says.

For several thousand dollarsmore, large builders are offeringhomes with solar panels that helppower the house. That’s not onlygood for the environment, but ithelps the homes stand out in themarket. “I’ve heard of other bigbuilders going in this direction,too,” Barista says.

HOME PLANS THAT FIT TODAyAnother trend Barista sees is “home plans that work for today’s buy-ers,” he says. In other words, homes designed to accommodate theways people live today and use their homes.Here are some examples:

Laundry. “We’re seeing a lot of floor plans that have direct accessto laundry rooms,” Barista says — for instance, a laundry alcovethat’s right in the master suite, where it’s easy to use. He’s even seen



Seton Hill University to Build Dance and Visual Arts Center

Downtown Greensburg will soon be home to a new culturalcenter which will house the Seton Hill Dance Academy, a Community Arts Program and the university's art gallery and will serve the school's 125 students enrolled in the university's visual arts program.

Construction is set to begin in summer 2013 and is expectedto take 12 to 18 months for completion.

The center is projected to generate over $15 million in net revenue for the local economy over a five-year period. It will be located at the corner of West Otterman Street and College Avenue in the cultural district of downtownGreensburg, forming an arts corridor with Seton Hill's Performing Arts Center, the Palace Theatre, and the Westmoreland Museum of Art.

The center is sure to contribute to the cultural vitality of theregion and to enhance the creative sector of the community.

40 Greensburg Salem

laundry chutes.“Costco” pantries. One designer told Barista about the appear-

ance of large pantries just off the garage where people can store allthe bulk items that they buy at warehouse stores.Drop zones. These are small spots, usually near the kitchen, that arededicated to dropping off your cell phone, keys, purse, maybe themail, too. “It’s just another example of home plans working fortoday’s homeowner,” he says.

THE HOUSE THAT FLOWSSeveral builders and observers mentioned a trend that’s not exactlynew, but continues to pick up speed: the open plan. As homes havegotten smaller in recent years, an open plan is a way to make a homeseem larger than it is, Barista says.

The most obvious example is the way many new homes now havea continuous space and open sightline — a great room — that extends from kitchen to dining area to living area, says Brent Anderson, vice president of Investor Relations for Meritage Homes.That suits today’s more casual family, he says. “You can watch thefootball game while you’re cooking dinner.”

By losing the walls and hallways, a home can seem much bigger,

Anderson says. “If I walked through a home today that’s a 3,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home, it looks, feels and lives better thana 4,000-square-foot home of 20 years ago. You would literally thinkthat you are in a larger home. But you’re in a home that’s 20%smaller.”

INFILL IS INFinally, one shift doesn’t involve just what’s in homes but wherehomes are being built. There’s a real shift toward smaller-scale “in-fill” development projects within existing towns and cities — proj-ects that emphasize affordability, access to public transportation,commercial opportunities and job centers, according to the AIA.

“During the housing boom, builders were building where theycould reach sufficient scale in their operations. So they needed bigland parcels to produce the volume that they wanted to produce,”Baker says.

But companies aren’t building as many homes right now and nolonger need all that land, Baker says. Moreover, not everyone likedthose sprawling suburbs where “you have to drive 15 minutes to geta quart of milk.” Hence, they are looking back into towns and cities,he says.


SUMMER 2013



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“At Juniper Village we believe that nurturing the body, mind and

spirit is key to living the best, most fulfilling life possible, regardless

of your age,” says Bonnie Prisk, Director of Community Relations

for Juniper Village at Forest Hills. “Education is empowerment.

And, an engaged mind, a healthy body and a fulfilled spirit all

increase your quality of life. Our College of Lifelong Learning is a

Juniper Communities’ signature program designed not only for our

residents, but for everyone in the community who has an interest in

continuous learning and whole person wellness.” Similar to a continuing education program offered at community

colleges, Juniper Village’s College of Lifelong Learning hosts a

variety of general interest programs as well as ones themed to their

Alive in All Seasons program. “Our courses focus on staying healthy

and connected within the community, and are designed for students

55 years of age or older,” states Ms. Prisk. Courses such as Portrait

Painting, Basic Computer and Internet Classes, Creative Crafting,

Taiji and Qigong, Yoga, and educational presentations on health

related topics such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Diabetes, Depression

and Pulmonary Health have been offered. All of these activities whether they be physical, educational

or spiritual can help older adults enhance their lives. Improved

physical fitness can help with moods, raise self-confidence,

and help us feel better emotionally. Learning new information,

taking a language class or working on the computer can help

seniors build new pathways in the brain and remain sharp mentally.

And, exploring spirituality through religion, education, or social

groups can help seniors feel more optimistic about their future

and find inner peace. A variety of classes and presentations are offered at Juniper

Village each month. For more information about the College of

Lifelong Learning educational courses offered at Juniper Village

or to request your free course catalog, contact Juniper Village at

Forest Hills at 412-244-9901. Juniper Village is a senior living,

assisted living and memory impairment care assisted living

community located in Forest Hills, just off of Ardmore Boulevard.

Independent Living, Assisted Living and Wellspring Memory Impairment CareSpacious studios, suites and one-bedroom apartments available

On-site nursing staff and 24 hour assistance with daily care needs Structured activities and programs seven days a week

Delicious meals and snacks dailyHousekeeping and laundry servicesConveniently located in Forest Hills

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For more information or toschedule your personal tour,contact Juniper Village at (412) 244-9901 today! Or visit us on the web at

www.junipercommunities.com

NuturingYour Spirit for Life!

“Juniper Village’s College of Lifelong LearningPrograms were designed to provide you with theopportunity to live fully, to celebrate, to grow, andto remain alive in all seasons of your life!”

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