Here are some lasting images of 2012.
Cameras are out and snapping photos with nearly every story posted here at Upper St. Clair Patch, some more distinguished than others. Above are some of those standout images from 2012. The links to the accompanying stories are below.
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Demolition starts on an Upper St. Clair landmark.
The curious, the nostalgic and the heavy-hearted gathered Thursday afternoon to watch the spectacle. Like a couple of angry land-bound birds silhouetted against the sun, two mammoth backhoes feasted on a piece of Upper St. Clair history, consigning it to nothing more than memory. Demolition of the Mayview Barn started pretty much as advertised, right after the outdoor pool at the nearby Community and Recreation Center closed for the season. Heavy equipment brought by contractor Dom Folino Construction lumbered along the barn’s wings on Thursday, tearing asunder the roofs, façades and everything in between. “It’s been tough on Preston,” said observer Annette Shimer, referring to her husband, who led an effort to save the structure. …
A new tenant will require more spaces at the Route 19 complex.
Additional parking is in the works for Norman Centre. During a public hearing Monday, Upper St. Clair commissioners heard plans for revisions to the parking area at the Route 19 shopping-office complex, which splits its property between the township and Bethel Park. Robert Sapsara, vice president of Norman Centre management company Crossgates Inc., said the lease of longtime tenant Pearl Vision is expiring. A new restaurant tenant will occupy that space, and the change in use requires 22 additional parking spaces, according to his report to the township planning commission in June. Most of the wooded buffer is to remain between the center and homes to the rear. “Our plan is not invasive, by any means,” said Sapsara. A nearby resident, …
9:39 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
Hopefully it is a successful restaurant. More business to that area is what we need! I would love to see that area be a packed lot again every night. Norman Centre 2 is still going strong with Pier 1, Louis Anthony Jewelers, The Pie Place and more. Now let's get Norman center 1 back up to snuff. Did anyone notice a freestanding building is being built between Trader Joes and the new strip mall … more ›
The cost of razing the structure looks to be significantly less than the budgeted amount.
If you’re visiting Upper St. Clair’s Community and Recreation Center, take a close look at the large brick barn nearby. You won’t be seeing it much longer. Township commissioners are scheduled to vote Aug. 6 on a contract to demolish the barn, which once was part of a farm that served Mayview State Hospital. The barn represents the last surviving vestige of the barn. The low bid of $79,899 is from Dom Folino Construction of Bethel Park. Upper St. Clair’s 2012 budget allots $150,000 toward the demolition project. The topic was discussed during the commissioners’ information and general affairs meeting Monday, with Commissioner Russell Del Re expressing concerns about the price quoted in the bid. This time, though, it was a matter of perhaps…
6:52 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
While several people expressed concern about the low bid of Folino, they did not reveal the other bids. If the other bids were close to the winning bid, then the $150,000 estimate was not very good. If the other bids were close to the $150,000, then the winning bid may be questioned. Revealing the amounts of all bids would be a useful piece of this story. All bids should have been read at the … more ›
Demolition efforts, visible from the adjacent street, continue on the property of the former state hospital.
Mayview State Hospital closed at the end of 2008, ending its 115 years as an institution for the mentally ill on its grounds in South Fayette and Upper St. Clair townships. It was the last such facility in Allegheny County. Many of the buildings are so close to Mayview Road that passing motorists can’t help but see their deteriorating condition, or the vegetation that has been overwhelming the property. They also have noticed that some of the structures now lie in rubble, victims of the proverbial wrecking ball. The state sold the property in 2010, and the owners are in the process of methodically removing what remains of the hospital’s 39 buildings, to make way for a new business park. The hospital, originally called Marshalsea, opened in…
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The venerable structure seems like an anachronism next to the newer amenities at Boyce Mayview Park.
For the most part, the appearance is pure 21st century. A brand-new baseball field, built specifically to accommodate children with special needs, greets visitors as they park their vehicles. On the other side of the lot is a multimillion-dollar recreation building that sets the standard for such facilities across the nation. Viewed from the vantage points of the Miracle League Field of the South Hills and the Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center, the red brick barn nearby is a striking anachronism; some might consider it a downright eyesore. For those who feel that way, don’t worry: The last remnant of the 900-acre farm that once served Mayview State Hospital soon will be nothing but a memory. Upper St. Clair Township plans to …
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5:50 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012
The barns are a saftey and health hazard. They are filled with bird droppings that have eroded the steel support structure. To refurbish the structures will cost over 3Mil and then what do you do with them? Offices? A dance hall? Another museum? Take a picture and a couple of bricks and put it in the Heinz History Center and be done! more ›
Upper St. Clair commissioners also vote to forgive 30 percent of The Outdoor Classroom composting toilets loan.
Last minute pleas by two residents Monday night were not enough to convince the Upper St. Clair commissioners to spare the Mayview Barn, as the motion to demolish the barn passed 5-1, with Commissioner Preston Shimer opposing it and Commissioner Robert Orchowski absent. Kristen Perryman said she feels demolishing the barn is in stark contrast to what children are learning in school about recycling and reusing what we have. “This is something that has survived the times—100 years. Once you take history away, it is gone forever. I think that maybe we should allow our next generation to make that decision,” Perryman said. “People want stories, and you can’t build new stories. That barn has a lot of stories.” The barn was recently evaluated …
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4:11 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
That barn is used for COUNTLESS public works materials. Someone needs to ask where they will now store the thousands of trash cans, bleachers, hay bails, etc. The barn is functionable AND in good condition. Consider this a travesty that this building will be taken down. more ›
The Upper St. Clair commissioners may vote on whether to demolish the barn on Monday, Dec. 5.
The Upper St. Clair Board of Commissioners will likely determine the fate of the Mayview Barn at their next regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 5. On Monday, Nov. 14, the Parks and Recreation committee—comprised of three commissioners—voted to demolish the barn, 2-1. Mark Hamilton and Daniel Paoly voted in favor of demolition. Preston Shimer voted against it. He argued that there was no rush to demolish the barn and that there may be better, more immediate uses for the township money. Shimer is a member of the USC Citizens for Land Stewardship, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of land within the township. The group has been working for about two years to save the barn. They believe the barn …
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1:06 pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
Barns represent America. One by one, these icons are disappearing. Places like Europe have a tangible link to history and the past because there is value in cultural heritage and because they have not torn down all the old buildings. People value buildings in a way in which they provide a means to establish our place in the surrounding world. This is our community. Do we value those who have come… more ›
The Parks and Recreation Board has mixed feelings on what should happen to the old barn that sits near the entrance of Boyce Mayview Park.
The future of the Boyce Mayview Barn is back in the hands of the Upper St. Clair commissioners. In a 4-3 vote, the Parks and Recreation Board voted to send their task force subcommittee's recommendation to the commissioners. "The board believes that the future of the barn is a community issue to be resolved by the township commissioners and appreciates the opportunity to provide this input," the recommendation stated. The task force—made up of two members of the Parks and Recreation Board and two members of the USC Citizens for Land Stewardship—believes the commissioners should "undertake a market evaluation" of the property "focusing on commercial amenities." Some of the adaptive uses of the barn the task force suggests include a day care…
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4:16 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2011
Boyce Mayview Park is everybody's big backyard, especially to the residents of Upper St Clair. In this backyard we have two storage buildings: the new metal one and the hundred year old brick barn. Both are being used. If the barn is torn down a new storage facility somewhere must replace it. Commissioners, please put a new roof and windows on the barn keeping it as a storage facility as well as … more ›
The Parks and Recreation Board canceled their meeting for tonight this afternoon.
The Parks and Recreation Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled. The next meeting will take place Tuesday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Community and Recreation Center. Two topics expected to be on the agenda are the Gilfillan Park improvement plans and the possible reuses of the Mayview Barn.
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Larry Burke
8:52 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012
One of the reasons for demolition is to make room for an olympic pool. The barn area will be filled in to shift the road road over and make room for the new pool. Included in the 2014 is a tentative $3 million for project. The last time USC wanted to bild a pool, it was put to a referendum, (not counting the CRC set of pools). Considering the cost, I think it should be put to a referendum this … more ›