Wanted: Cookie Recipes for Oakland Collection

Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to baked goods!

We know Oakland folks have some excellent cookie recipes, and now is your opportunity to show us your cookie pride. 

We’re asking our neighbors and friends to send us their favorite holiday cookie recipes and stories to be published in an “Oakland Knows Cookies” collection. 

Does your family have a treasured recipe? Please email OPDC PULSE Fellow Hannah Fierle at hfierle@opdc.org. If we receive your recipe by Sunday, December 4, we can share it with the neighborhood in time for the holidays.  

We’re also inviting neighbors to bring cookies to our Holiday Party on Thursday, December 15th. Don’t be shy about showing off your delectable creations!

Shovel Snow for Your Oakland Neighbors with 5 Doors Down

Would you like to help a neighbor in need clear their walk of snow this winter?

Keeping Oakland’s sidewalks and steps safe and clear of ice and snow takes a team effort, and we need your help!

OPDC is organizing a new neighborly approach to snow removal in Oakland this year: 5 Doors Down. OPDC will loan snow removal tools and materials for the season and match volunteers with neighbors in need within five doors of their home.

In short, we bring the shovels and salt, you bring the energy and heart!

As a 5 Doors Down volunteer, you’ll need to keep a watchful eye on your neighbor’s walk throughout the winter. OPDC won’t instruct you when to shovel or sweep. We rely on you to use your best judgment and coordinate with your neighbor about when help is needed.

After you’ve cleared the snow each time, send us a picture so we can log your volunteer hours. If for whatever reason you can’t shovel after a snowfall either:

• Ask another volunteer for help

• Notify OPDC, so we can make other arrangements

When you return your shovel and supplies at the end of the season, OPDC will reward you with a gift card for your service. You’ll also have the satisfaction of having made the neighborhood safer and better connected.

Thank you!

Contact sgallagher@opdc.org if you would like to join our 5 Doors Down program. Volunteers help OPDC build a better Oakland—we can’t do it without you.

Hard-to-Recycle How-To

Recycling is picked up every other Tuesday in Oakland. But what about hard-to-recycle items like batteries, lightbulbs, and tires?

Here are some local resources:

Pennsylvania Resources Council: Weekly e-waste collection on Tuesday and Thursday; accepts many items including televisions, computer parts, batteries, etc. Material disposal is charged at a cost of $0.35 per pound to recycle. 3001 Railroad Street. 412.489.9299.

Construction Junction: Accepts any refrigerant-containing appliances, lightbulbs, lighting ballasts, scrap metal, PVC/vinyl scrap, alkaline batteries, etc. Separate acceptance policies, fee may be required. 214 North Lexington Street. 412.243.5025×10.

uBreakiFix: Accepts most types of tech and devices for recycling, including rechargeable batteries, cell phones, tablets, computers, printers, game consoles, wearables, etc. No fee. 4718 Liberty Avenue. 412.774.2252.

City of Pittsburgh Recycling Drop-off Locations: Accepts typical recyclables as well as yard debris and tires. For yard debris, there is no fee for cars and a $21.00 fee for debris in a trailer. East End: 6814 Hamilton Ave. 412-665-3609. Hazelwood: 40 Melanchton St. 412-422-6524. West End: 1330 Hassler St Pittsburgh. 412.937.3054.

Worm Return: Composting services for businesses and households. Provides containers and picks up on your chosen schedule. Offers several paid plans dependent on your address. Also provides education on composting and vermicomposting as well as green-living consulting. wormreturn.com. 412.773.0306.

Join Our Application for a Free Tree in Oakland

Planting trees is better with friends. 

OPDC is seeking a critical mass of Oakland neighbors to sign up for a tree through TreeVitalize Pittsburgh. We need to meet a ten-tree minimum for TreeVitalize Pittsburgh to accept our application for the spring planting season.  

Signing up is easy. Property owners can reach out to Sam Gallagher at sgallagher@opdc.org by December 1 to express their interest. 

If our application is accepted, property owners can expect to receive a call from TreeVitalize Pittsburgh to explain the specifics and confirm that they still want the tree. 

One of the biggest concerns that TreeVitalize Pittsburgh GIS Coordinator Brian Crooks hears is that people don’t want trees ripping up sidewalks or interfering with utility lines. 

Brian Crooks

“That happens because people made poor decisions about the type of tree and location,” says Crooks. “Our trees are much less likely to cause hardscape issues or get hacked apart and made into goalposts.” 

Crooks visits sites over the winter to prepare for the spring planting. “We assess every address where trees are requested so we can determine the appropriate species,” says Crooks. 

Almost all trees are planted in the public right of way—very often, the grass strip between the sidewalk and the street. Trees can also be planted in front yards in a way that feels like part of the streetscape.  

TreeVitalize Pittsburgh receives funding from the state to prep sites and buy trees, all at no cost to the adjacent property owner. OPDC then helps to organize a local event for volunteers to plant the trees around Oakland. 

“Everyone loves planting a tree,” says Ned Brockmeyer, TreeVitalize Program Manager for the state. “The best part is the community involvement. That’s always what it takes.” 

TreeVitalize requests that property owners or community groups commit to watering each tree for the first two seasons. “80% of the roots are left at the nursery,” says Crooks. “The tree needs to grow new roots. They’re not self-sufficient, so we have to put them where they are wanted.”  

Join our application today to help us increase the tree canopy, decrease urban heat islands, and support green equity in Oakland.

Resolve Tangled Title to Stabilize Homeownership

This piece was originally featured in Oakland Together, a monthly newsletter mailed to older Oakland residents.

One important way families build wealth is by passing their home to the next generation. However, this wealth can be threatened by “tangled title.”

Tangled title is a broad term covering situations when family members have an interest in a home, may even be occupying it, but are not on the deed. This commonly occurs when a parent passes away and does not leave a will, or if they had a will but the heirs do not open an estate.

Tangled title causes many types of difficulties: residents are unable to get financial help from public agencies for repairs, deal with a delinquent mortgage, or obtain homeowner’s insurance.

Peter Lewis, attorney at NLS

“That’s where we come in,” says Peter Lewis, an attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS). “We can help individuals or refer them to other programs they are eligible for.”

Tangled title is a problem here in Oakland, just like most city neighborhoods. Lewis estimates there are at least 4,000 tangled title properties in Allegheny County. These homes are at risk of becoming abandoned and condemned.

“People start getting harassing phone calls and letters, so they leave,” says Lewis. “Resolving these cases is one solution for affordable housing. What’s more affordable than a house you already live in?”

The people who come to NLS for help understand this. “It’s kind of amazing. They’re aware of the ramifications and want to preserve intergenerational wealth,” says Lewis. “The goal is to stabilize home ownership and possession.”

Are you living in a home with a tangled title? NLS can help. Apply through their website or call the intake unit at 1.866.761.6572.