PLUS: Coraopolis Community Development update COVID-19 continues to spur good deeds among locals RMU helps a community impacted by COVID-19 Moon Garden Club: A hidden treasure in Moon Township Parents organize surprise clap out for students Parkway’s successful transition to online learning Remember When? The Nike missile program Moon Edition Serving Moon Area School District Volume 14, Number 89 July/August 2020 One of 4 editions serving 16 airport area communities www.awmagazine.com FREE Direct Mail Community Publication Allegheny West M agazineclearviewfcu.org/everywhere Access Everywhere At home. On the go. July/August 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 34 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2020 Moon Edition July/August 2020 ~ Volume 14, Number 89 Columns { } Contents - Locally Sourced - Legislative Update - Groundwork - Your Schools - On the Horizon - Chamberlink 8 16 18 19 25 30 10 12 13 18 20 21 22 26 - - - - - - - - Coraopolis Community Development update COVID-19 continues to spur good deeds among locals RMU helps a community impacted by COVID-19 A hidden treasure in Moon Township Parents organize surprise clap out for students Parkway’s successful transition to online learning Remember When? The Nike missile program Camping is still king in the COVID world ABOUT THE COVER Check out page 26 for our guide to camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our July Moon edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope you are continuing to stay safe and well as you enjoy the summer weather. Once again this month, much of our content has been shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a good news magazine, however, we’re bringing you stories about the positive ways that locals are continuing to respond to this crisis. On page 12, read about some local efforts to assist those in need during the crisis and on page 13 read about how Robert Morris University personnel are assisting businesses, medical professionals and their own students who have been impacted. On page 20, read about how Moon Area parents organized a special graduation celebration for rising ninth-graders and, on page 21, read about how Parkway West Career and Technical Center has successfully transitioned to online learning. Starting on page 26, we’re also bringing you a special section on camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Look for our next issue in September, when we’ll be bringing you our special back-to-school edition. Until then, please continue to be safe and well. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor From the Publisher Allegheny West Magazine-Moon Edition is published in January, March, May, July, September, and November, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Crescent, Moon and Moon Area School District. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications LLC. Copyright 1999-2020 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and leftover products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine and the West Allegheny edition of Allegheny West Magazine. MEMBER “GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME” Allegheny West Magazine - Moon Edition, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the Moon Area School District communities of Moon and Crescent to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine Now in Our 21 st Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Doug Hughey WRITERS Jill Bordo Pat Jennette Jocelyn Grecko GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kizina WEBMASTER www.ddswebdesign.com CONTRIBUTORS Barb Kleyman FOUNDING PUBLISHER Pat JennetteJuly/August 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 5Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Heritage welcomes HHS Secretary Alex Azar Heritage Valley Health System welcomed Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to its Beaver County campus on May 29. During the visit, Azar toured the hospital’s orthopedic wing and met with hospital leadership, including president and CEO Norm Mitry and board members. Azar also met with members of the Allegheny County Conference on Community Development and Beaver County Commissioners to discuss the needs of local governments, healthcare facilities and other regional employers as the country begins to reopen. During remarks to the press, Azar first thanked the hospital’s front-line workers who have continued treating patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He then discussed the importance of reopening hospitals for preventative health screenings and elective procedures. “Here at Heritage Valley, we’ve heard about a particularly concerning aspect of this crisis - how measures that we needed to slow the spread of the virus may actually be impacting our health, including drops in important healthcare services,” Azar said. Azar pointed out that, at the start of the crisis, the federal government asked hospitals like Heritage to cease conducting elective procedures so as to conserve personal protective equipment and prioritize treating patients infected with COVID-19. With those restrictions now relaxed, Azar expressed concern that people have not been getting the healthcare that they need. “We have to balance the health risks of the virus against the health risks of foregoing all of this necessary medical care, as well as the health risks of social isolation and the economic downturn,” said Azar. “The right way to think about reopening isn’t health versus the economy. It’s health versus health.” Particularly concerning to the Health and Human Services secretary were the number of Medicare-funded procedures conducted in western Pennsylvania over the past couple of months. Azar said vital cancer screenings were down 90 to 95 percent between March and April, as were a number of other procedures. “Some weeks in April our data shows zero knee replacements paid for by Medicare across the entire Pittsburgh area, when pre-pandemic there were roughly 50 per week,” said Azar. “These numbers have begun to recover in May but they are still down significantly from what they were pre- pandemic.” On the other hand, Azar said that Medicare funded upwards of 5,000 telehealth visits with primary care physicians per week in April, whereas prior to the pandemic there were none. Azar said the Trump administration has been actively facilitating this arrangement, which allows patients to communicate with their physicians remotely. “We’ve been proud to support that with higher amounts of payment and regulatory flexibility,” said Azar. However, total PCP visits were still down by about half, the secretary said. Like all hospitals in Pennsylvania, Heritage Valley Health System has been working with the state to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its patients during the COVID-19 crisis. The hospital has been taking additional screening measures when admitting patients, including temperature checks. With restrictions now relaxed on screenings and elective surgeries, the hospital is urging patients to reach out to their PCP and to receive the care they need, whether it be cancer screenings, MRIs or elective surgeries. “The COVID-19 pandemic led many individuals to delay necessary healthcare services. Now that we are moving into the green phase of re-opening, we want people to know that Heritage Valley hospitals, Medical Neighborhoods, ConvenientCare clinics, Physician practices, outpatient rehab sites and other services are open and ready to serve you,” said Norm Mitry, president and CEO, Heritage Valley Health System. “We’ve taken additional measures to ensure patients are safe at all our locations. There’s no need to delay care any longer.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at Heritage Valley Health System in Beaver County on May 28. 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2020Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health July/August 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 7%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced My Laundromat celebrates 10 years in business Most people don’t enjoy doing laundry, but for Margie Bauer, who’s owned My Laundromat in Imperial’s Essex Plaza these past 10 years, it’s been her dream job. “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” she says. In 2010, Margie purchased the business with her husband, Greg, when it was still known as Essex Laundromat. They found it listed for sale on Craigslist, of all places. The two added stainless steel washers and driers, free WiFi in a comfortable waiting area, offsite cameras for security, an ATM, vending machines, a change machine, and laundry bar. In 2015, they expanded into the neighboring storefront and also added a popular drop-off service. Greg built lockers so customers could pick up their laundry whenever they wanted. A year ago, they started keeping their doors open 24 hours. As the couple celebrates their 10th anniversary, business is continuing to hum and all that work over the years has garnered My Laundromat a reputation as one of the cleanest and friendliest Laundromats in the area. Most days, Margie and Greg can be found chatting with and getting to know customers. Greg, an electrician by trade, works on the machines while Margie turns out bags of laundry with the help of their two employees, Amanda and Shannon. Because of their location in the airport corridor and sterling reputation, Margie says they’ve had people from across the globe walk through their doors. Some people have even sent them thank- you cards. Others, they’ve watched their children grow. “It’s kind of like the Cheers of Laundromats,” says Margie. A North Side native, Margie says she always wanted to have a neighborhood type of place where people knew each other and felt comfortable visiting. Even though laundry isn’t at the top of anyone’s list of things they’d like to do, she says she still tries to make it as fun and pleasant as possible. Not everyone has the time to do laundry, however, which is what makes their drop-off service so popular. “You should see the guys’ eyes when they realize we do a drop-off service and they don’t have to do laundry anymore,” says Greg. “Their eyes get real wide. They can’t believe it.” The service has been particularly popular with shift workers and busy parents, he says. For those who prefer to do their laundry themselves, My Laundromat’s high-efficiency machines can wash loads in as little as 25 minutes and cut down on drying time. My Laundromat also has a number of larger loaders for bulky items that people can’t wash at home. In all, they have 12 double loaders, one triple loader, five four- loaders, two six-loaders and one eight- loader. They also have 22 driers. Because of their location, people sometimes have trouble finding them. They’re located behind the Essex Plaza, in back of where Garden of Eating is located, at 7900 Steubenville Pike. The business is located adjacent to Helping Hands Childcare. My Laundromat can be reached at (724) 227-0513. Find their reviews on Google and Yelp by searching “My Laundromat Imperial.” CONTENT SUBMITTED ABOVE: Margie and Greg Bauer are pictured at their business, My Laundromat, which is located at the rear of the Essex Plaza in Imperial off Steubenville Pike. BELOW: My Laundromat has garnered a reputation among online reviewers as one of the cleanest laundromats around. Margie Bauer mans the laundry bar at My Laundromat. 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • July/August 2020%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced CONTENT SUBMITTED With the COVID-19 pandemic there have been many changes to the day- to-day operations of businesses, not the least of which includes a visit to the veterinarian. Nearly all veterinary hospitals are no longer allowing clients entry into their facilities due to safety precautions related to the virus. This is particularly difficult for families taking their pets that are either sick or dying. Thankfully, some hospitals are making special exceptions when performing euthanasia, but even then there are certain restrictions for family members. It is impossible to predict how soon or to what extent these safety procedures will continue at veterinary hospitals. The service that Dr. Ferris and his team at Peaceful Goodbyes provide to owners with dying pets alleviates some of the heartache and stress of a trip to the veterinary facility. The thought of saying goodbye to their beloved pet on a cold stainless steel table in unfamiliar surroundings with strange smells and noises is one that many owners would prefer to avoid. In 2016, after 20 years of ownership, Dr. Ferris sold his veterinary practice in Burgettstown (Hilltop Animal Hospital) and started Peaceful Goodbyes, which offers pet euthanasia in the privacy of one’s own home. Dr. Ferris is continuing to offer in- home euthanasia throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and taking the necessary precautions to protect against the spread of the virus during house calls. There are no time constraints with a typical house call and pet owners are given as much time as needed to say their goodbyes. Dr. Ferris will bring a veterinary technician with him and, after the pet has passed, provide cremation options, if requested. When individual cremation is preferred, he will personally transport the pet to the crematorium and, a few days later, return the cremains to the family in a beautiful wooden urn with engraved nameplate and a clay paw print keepsake. Peaceful Goodbyes is not an emergency service, but Ferris is generally available seven days a week until 7 p.m. Dr. Ferris will also, if requested, visit with the family prior to a scheduled euthanasia to meet the pet, assess the patient, and try to answer the many questions concerning their loved one’s failing health. There is no fee or obligation when a client requests this introductory visit. Dr. Ferris says the response he’s gotten over the past couple of years has been overwhelming. He’s posted a number of testimonials to his website at: www.peacefulgoodbyes. comtestimonial.html. Among them are recollections of how grateful pet owners were not to have put their dying pet through the stress, anxiety and pain of one final visit to the veterinary clinic. Area veterinarian continuing to help pet owners through euthanasia process during COVID-19 pandemic In part due to the numerous referrals from families that Peaceful Goodbyes has helped in the past, Dr. Ferris has found an increased interest and use of his services. The territory that he covers has expanded greatly in the past year, and it is not uncommon for him to get requests from the Wheeling and Pittsburgh areas. Due to this increased demand, Dr. Ferris is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Bryn Kreider to his dedicated veterinary team. Dr. Kreider is an associate veterinarian at VCA Five Points Animal Hospital and will be doing house calls on a limited basis when Dr. Ferris is unavailable. Her passion, kindness and empathy for families struggling with end of life issues for their pets make her a perfect addition to the Peaceful Goodbyes team. Dr. Ferris is currently making house calls throughout Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties, as well as part of Ohio and West Virginia. For more information, visit peacefulgoodbyes.com or text/call (412) 671-3773. If unavailable to take your call, Dr. Ferris prefers you send a text message over leaving a voicemail. Dr. Mark Ferris CONTENT SUBMITTED July/August 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 9Next >