Old Beltzhoover Schoolhouse To Get Makeover Thanks To URA Grant

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's an abandoned schoolhouse, but community leaders believe it could be the anchor of one Pittsburgh neighborhood's revitalization.

Mayor Bill Peduto was on hand to present a community group with a $72,000 check to stabilize and repair the old Beltzhoover Elementary School.

Initial plans are to turn the building into a community center, but the building could be developed into affordable housing. The mayor called the grant from the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority "the first step."

"What is your dream for this building to become? You imagine it, and we will do it, and that's what we're here to celebrate today. The first step of a journey. The first step in bringing back the anchor of this community," Mayor Bill Peduto said.

The money is part of the URA's Neighborhood Initiatives Fund, which will be awarding a total of $568,000 to 12 neighborhood projects.

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