Member Highlight: Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone

1. Organization:Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone, Inc
2. Founding Date:2005
3. Executive Director:Iris Whitworth
4. Current Staff Size: 1 full time; hiring a 2nd full time in December 2013
5. What geographic area do you serve?Lower Allegheny River Towns on the western side of the river: Millvale, Shaler, Etna, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, Blawnox, O’Hara
6. What is your mission statement?Working on an inter-municipal level, ARTEZ incubates economic opportunities to enhance quality of life and make our seven communities even more desirable places to live, work, and play.
7. What is one project, program, or event that you are really excited about?We are leading the capital campaign and managing development of a riverfront park for Etna. Etna has less than one-thousandth of an acre of green space per resident. The park will be an important community resource and also serve as a crucial bulkhead for the development of the Three River Heritage Trail “up the Allegheny” toward Erie and Harrisburg.
8. What is your organization’s proudest accomplishment?We have garnered over a million dollars of resources for the environmental evaluation of brownfield sites. These resources have been applied to nearly 2 dozen sites around our towns.
9. What is one “must-see”/”must-do” when visiting your neighborhood?You must WALK the business districts in Millvale, Etna, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and Blawnox. Be sure to check out:Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery, the bioswale, the community gardens in Millvale;E-Town (on Butler) and the community garden (on Locust St) in Etna; andthe La Dorita and Silky’s Crows Nest on the riverfront in Sharpsburg.

1. What is your community’s best kept secret?  Lively business districts; the Maxo Vanka murals in Millvale; 2 great coffee shops: Aspinwall Beans & Cream and Blawnox’s Curbside Coffeehouse; Aspinwall is also home to the National Register of Historic Places and recognized architecture by Frederick Sauer; and Millvale features a Belgian brewery—You can catch a tasting after lunch at the Original Pamela’s Diner on Lincoln Ave.   
2. What is your favorite restaurant or business in your neighborhood?Curbside Coffeehouse and Starlite lounge for giant pierogies in Blawnox.
3. Interesting fact:We were one of the first multi-community economic development corporations in the region when we formed.
4. Upcoming event(s):We are moving to a new office location in November; and hope to have an open house once we get settled.
5. Contact information:Name of contact person for further inquiries:Iris Whitworth, Executive DirectorAddress:Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone211 Grant AveMillvale, PA 15208Website:www.artez.orgARTEZ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlleghenyRiverTownsEZ