2019: Things to watch

With 2018 behind us, it’s time to look ahead at some significant Alle-Kiski Valley stories that figure to develop in 2019.

Pittsburgh Mills mall

The new year will see some new life at the Pittsburgh Mills mall, but it remains to be seen if new owner Mason Asset Management will be successful in reversing the long-declining fortunes of the Frazer mall.

The Long Island-based company bought the mall in May for about $12 million.

Allegheny Health Network’s Citizens School of Nursing is opening in the former ITT Tech space in January, while a new eatery, Queen Chicken, opened in the largely empty food court. But much of the mall’s interior shops and the former Sears Grand remain vacant.

Harmar hospital

A new Allegheny Health Network neighborhood hospital is expected to be standing at Freeport and Guys Run roads in Harmar by the end of 2019.

The two-story, 10-bed hospital will have 24-hour emergency care and offer other medical services such as lab tests, imaging services and inpatient care.

Allegheny Health Network President and CEO Cynthia Hundorfean previously said AHN picked Harmar for the hospital because there are a high number of patients and network members in the area. It’s between Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison and an outpatient facility near Fox Chapel.

Springdale-Cheswick police merger

Cheswick and Springdale Township will continue to explore merging their police departments.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development recommended it as a way to save money and more efficiently patrol the two communities. A committee including representatives from each municipality will further explore the details of a merger, such as costs and the needs of each department.

Officials have said it could take nearly a year before a final decision is made. Cheswick’s police Chief Bob Scott retired at the end of 2018 as part of the settlement of a lawsuit he filed against the borough. Springdale Township’s Chief Mike Naviglia is serving as chief of both departments for now.

Schreiber Industrial Park

New Kensington’s Redevelopment Authority took ownership of the Schreiber Industrial Park in June, buying the more than 70-acre property from Schreiber Industrial Development Co. for $8 million.

The park stretches for more than a mile along the Allegheny River through the city and neighboring Arnold and was once home to Alcoa’s Pittsburgh Works.

City officials hope the park’s 18 buildings will become home to advanced manufacturing, bringing jobs to the city that haven’t been there since Alcoa closed there in 1970.

Tarentum Depot

Work is expected to get underway on turning an empty Tarentum building that once housed a ceramics shop into a community center with a coffee shop, laundromat and community services.

Crews in December were removing thousands of ceramics molds from the basement of the Fifth Avenue building and gutting the interior to get it ready for redevelopment while the project’s backers were awaiting word on a state grant to pay for roof work.

David Rankin, an elder at Central Presbyterian Church who launched Faith Community Partners in 2015, said whether The Depot gets finished in 2019 will depend on grants coming in.

Staff writer Emily Balser contributed to this report. Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.