The Hilltop Alliance is bringing back our Hilltop Summit in 2024 on March 19th at Alla Famiglia on E Warrington Ave in the Allentown neighborhood. This annual event brings us together with the eleven community-based organizations we are comprised of to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. As the upcoming Summit is the first we've held since 2019, we decided to build up to the event by spotlighting one of our eleven community-based organizations each week leading up to March 19th. This week, we are highlighting the people and work of the Carrick Community Council!
The Carrick Community Council is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the experiences of the people, businesses, and extended communities of the Carrick neighborhood. It proudly serves as Carrick’s Registered Community Organization for the City of Pittsburgh. Their mission is “to foster a vibrant and dynamic community by responding to community needs, building strong partnerships, engaging current and future residents, business, and visitors and promoting an overall sense of pride, ownership and belonging.
The Carrick Community Council has five focus areas, each with a corresponding committee: Beautification, Capacity, Commercial development, Residential revitalization, and Positive press. They host quarterly public meetings with publicly accessible agendas and minutes as well as Block Watch Meetings at the Concord Elementary School. (Please visit their website or email them at carrickcommunitycouncil@gmail.com if you are interested in attending community meetings.)
As part of their positive press and residential revitalization efforts, they organize and host community events throughout the year, often in partnership with local sound and lighting industry non-profit Tech25. Events include the Easter Egg Hunt, Carrick Community Day, Carrick Halloween Celebration, and Carrick Light Up Night.
During Light Up Night 2023, the Carrick Community Council introduced the 1st Annual Light Up Brownsville Holiday Decorating Contest, encouraging storefronts along Brownsville Rd to decorate their facades for the season. The winner, Teresa Goodall of Teresa’s Shear Designs, was presented with a beautifully engraved trophy to keep until next year’s contest- who will win next?
Promoting and uplifting the neighborhood businesses is a primary goal of the Carrick Community Council, which also welcomed multiple new restaurants in the past year including The Breakfast Spot, Infinity Restaurant, Fish and Chicken Boss, and El Rincon Oaxaqueno.
The Carrick Community Council, led by Council President Donna McManus, are champions for the neighborhood that always work hard to make sure Carrick has what they need to succeed. In the past year, The Carrick Community Council wrote and received a four year grant to fund a Carrick Coordinator partnered with Hilltop Alliance and their Property Stabilization Program to assist residents with their applications and further Residential Revitalization in Carrick. Carrick Coordinator Karen Lucarelli hosts regular office hours at the Carrick Library for all residents.
Additionally, this year they presented a litter prevention training to the students at Concord Elementary School and held an artwork contest for anti-litter signs. The winning designs were then made and distributed to the community. They also pushed the City to place a Shot Spotter in the neighborhood and supported apartment complex Berg Place to be redeveloped into affordable senior housing through the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority.
Please visit their website to learn more and get involved: https://www.carrickcommunitycouncil.com/
Hilltop Alliance is proud to partner with The Carrick Community Council through the Property Stabilization Program so that we may better serve the Carrick community- one of the eleven neighborhoods our organization was created to support.
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