Holiday greetings to all Blackridge Civic Association and Swim Club members.  As mentioned in recent email updates, great things are afoot at the BCA and pool grounds!  Construction work using our two pending grants began on November 4 and is moving along nicely.

There’s more work to do, and we need your help! 

We need to raise another $20,000 to finish all that needs to be done. 

The good news?  We have generous community donors willing to MATCH EVERY DOLLAR that is donated to finishing the work. 

Please consider giving to this very tangible work being done right in our own neighborhood.  Here’s how. Checks may be made out & mailed to;

Blackridge Civic Association

P.O.Box 10684

Pittsburgh, PA  15235

(Put BCA Capital Campaign on memo line)

OR ON-LINE

(scan the QR Code or use the link below)

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/4PBAP6NALHU8E

All gifts are tax deductible to our non-profit organization & a letter of acknowledgement will follow!

Our community resources are a treasure.  These are the places where we meet our neighbors, raise our kids, make memories, and build friendships.  In a time when we constantly hear about all the things that should separate us, we desperately need places that bring us together.  The pool, park, and BCA are some of places that create spaces to make that happen.  Blackridge is a unique community.  Please help us keep it that way!

Some background:

This ambitious project is the culmination of much planning, grant filing, and cooperation among many who love our community.  The $200K of grants cover almost all the work that needs to be done, but not everything.  To avoid cutting important aspects of the project, we need to raise an additional $20K to finish those items. 

Why not get additional grants to finish those items in the future?

We want to take advantage of the fact that the equipment and materials are on site NOW which means two things:

1. It is less expensive if we complete the work now.
2. The grant process is long and not a sure thing.  We can have the benefits of the entire project if we raise the money to complete it now. 

What’s all the work being done again?

In short (additional details below):

• Enhance the park, playground, BCA, and pool grounds through improved drainage and landscaping. 
• Two new retaining walls.  One to replace the aging pool deck and one to prevent the pool from sliding down the hill.
• Important utility (electric and water) safety improvements made necessary by the construction.

More details are below.  Please help us finish the work.  Thank you! 

Blackridge Civic Association Board

Blackridge Swim Club Board

BCA/BSC Grant Committee

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More details for those who want them!

• Removal of old pool deck & wooden stairs to pump room and replaced with block walls and gravel infill.  The top of the new “deck” will be concrete to allow for umbrella tables & seating.  The steps will be replaced with masonry new ones.
• Total upgrade to the electrical supply from the BCA furnace room to the pump house along with main water-line rerouting.  The electrical system must be brought up to code for safety.
• The trail to the pool (in the wooded area from the playground, starting at the new steps) will be totally rebuilt for pedestrian & occasional possible need for emergency/construction vehicles.   The surface will be crushed stone/gravel aggregate with drainage.
• The kid’s playground area will have the existing swale behind the play area cleaned & graded to empty into a new lawn drain (in the vicinity of the shed) which will be piped to the existing lawn drain.  The combination of this repair & the rebuild of the trail will help keep area dry & user friendly.
• A small retaining wall will also be built on the hillside at the deep end of the pool to stop the bank erosion.  The fenced area will be bumped out towards the existing swale, the 2 existing sheds moved back to allow for more lawn area for pool members. 
• New fencing will be place at gate area at end of the trail as well as at the opposite end of the pool area with the increased lawn space.
• Enhancements to drainage around the BCA parking lot:  Swale from above top of driveway versa lock wall over to corner of lot, behind dumpster & entering a traversable pipe across entrance to grassy area to carry water over hillside.
• Repairs to prior work in front of BCA rain garden & driveway outlet to swale to right of building. 

We look forward to a dryer park and paths in the spring, plus “new and improved pool” when we reopen on Memorial Day 2025!