Leaders want to make Wilkinsburg an arts and cultural hotspot
WILKINSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — Wilkinsburg has dreams of becoming a hotspot for arts and culture.
Linda Atkins is not just a Wilkinsburg councilperson. She also has vast experience in the arts, even running a dance group for students.
"We reached out to CMU and Pitt students to give them an opportunity to learn dance skills and be on stage," Atkins said.
Her love for arts and culture is something she has been trying to incorporate in Wilkinsburg, with an expanded series of music events happening each Saturday in the Harold Young Parklet throughout the summer.
It is all part of her plan to make Wilkinsburg a hub for entertainment, arts and culture.
"It's really growing now," she said. "I'd like it to be connected and have a focal spot for people."
One of those entertainment hot spots Atkins is talking about could be the East Ridge Cultural Center. It is a former church that borough leaders are working to renovate as a performance area, art studio or workspace.
"Weddings, fashion shows, we have some opportunity in the back," Wilkinsburg Councilperson Pamela Macklin.
"We're probably going to look for someone to run this as a business where they have their offices or program upstairs, but they can facilitate all of the groups that are coming in here," Macklin said.
The borough owns the building, but it needs weatherproofed windows and a new roof. Borough leaders are hoping to secure grant money to tackle some of the renovations.
