Dear Friends and Folks with connections to the 'burgh!

Advance Notice. Call for LOCAL (Pgh. PA) Political Action, No $ Solicitation

Seeking Sports and Fitness Advocates for a newly forming Coalition

Those with brain-power to spare with political, grass-roots, and community access interests are most welcome to join the South Side's Markethouse Athletic Association as we convene a coalition to champion ideas and issues central to sports participation opportunities.

In November 1998: The URA (Pittsburgh, PA's Urban Renewal Authority, http://www.ura.org, and UPMC (Univ. of Pittsburgh Medical Center, http://www.upmc.edu, began a 90-day OPEN DISCUSSION period. A $25-30M sports-medicine / sports-performance compound is on the drawing board for a large section of the LTV site on the South Side.

The Past: At the Washington's Landing development, the URA invested $3M in tennis courts and park space. Furthermore a .9 acre site is leased at nominal charge to the non-profit Three Rivers Rowing Association, http://www.threeriversrowing.org, for its boathouse, fitness center and offices. Gems like these found in other development projects are uncertain -- quote: community access issues are nebulous at best -- when it comes to the LTV site.

The Future: Ideas and voices needs to be organized and shared.

Please send email to: Backyard@SportSurf.Net

Get further information and a kit geared to getting yourself, community agencies and regional businesses into this extended planning process.

Mark Rauterkus

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Thanks for listening. This advance notice was posted by Mark Rauterkus, convener's chair, mrauterkus@sportsurf.net. The message went to a number of contacts such as yourself via BCC. Your address is part of Mark's personal email address listings. News agencies, thanks for NOT publishing, rather wait for the pending OFFICIAL Press Release. Feel free to forward this message others you know who might be keenly interested. Please do NOT post as spam or broadcast to USENET Newsgroups.

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