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Resolution authorizing, pursuant to Chapter 173 of the City Code, the naming of the soccer field at Riverview Park as “Ravenstahl Field”.
(Needs to be held for a Public Hearing)
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WHEREAS, the Ravenstahl Family has a long history of dedication to public service to the City’s North Side neighborhoods, the region and the entire City of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr. graduated Perry High School and served in World War II as a member of the United States Marine Corps, before he joined the Pittsburgh Firefighters where he fought fires for twenty (20) years on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Ravenstahl, Sr. was promoted to Pittsburgh Fire Deputy Chief yet continued to fight side-by-side with the firefighters; and,
WHEREAS, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr. was “old school” as a firefighter, he became a part of the rough-and-tumble world of North Side politics. He was elected and served as the 26th Ward Chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and also served in the role of Alderman in the late 1960’s; and,
WHEREAS, in 1975, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr. won a special election then was elected to serve a full term as an assemblyman in the House of Representatives for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and,
WHEREAS, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr. passed, in 2015, at the age of ninety (90 y.o.) years old having served his community well. The evidence of his political legacy, his true legacy, is in his children and grandchildren some who follow his footsteps. His son, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Jr., has served as Magisterial District Judge for the 26th and 27th Wards of the North Side, first elected in 1989 and currently serving. His Grandson, Luke Robert Ravenstahl, elected to City Council in 2004, became the 59th Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh and was the youngest mayor ever to serve [at twenty-six (26)], serving from 2006 to 2014. His grandson, Adam Ravenstahl, first elected in 2010, continues to serve North Siders and the region as a State Representative in the State House just like his grandfather, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr.
WHEREAS, the entire Ravenstahl family has exhibited a long-time love for and dedication to the residents and the youth of the North Side neighborhoods and the City of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, Robert P. Ravenstahl, Sr. loved people and loved helping people. He instilled this selfless quality in his children and grandchildren; and,
WHEREAS, naming the soccer field at Riverview Park as “Ravenstahl Field” will pay tribute to and honor a family that has dedicated their lives and careers to public service to the residents of the North Side Communities, the region and the City of Pittsburgh.
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. Pursuant to Chapter 173 of the City Code, entitled “Commission on Naming Public Properties”, section 173.02 “Powers and Duties,” subsection (f), City Council hereby names the Riverview Park Soccer Field, in Riverview Park along Mairdale Avenue, behind Perry
Traditional Academy High School, occupying parts of lot-block numbers 115-C-341, 115-G-294, and 115-G-265, as “Ravenstahl Field”. Effective _____________, 2019.
Section 2. The Mayor, the Director of the Department of Public Works, and the Director of the Department of Parks & Recreation are hereby authorized to install a plaque at an appropriate location at or near Ravenstahl Field designating the name “Ravenstahl Field”.