City Council passes ban on couches outdoors

‘ ‘ ‘ Students living off campus might soon find their front porches less comfortable than… ‘ ‘ ‘ Students living off campus might soon find their front porches less comfortable than before. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a bill that will prohibit outdoor storage of upholstered furniture throughout Pittsburgh. The bill awaits Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s signature. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Councilman Bruce Kraus expects the bill to take effect after the mayor signs it, a process that usually takes about 10 days. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Police will enforce the bill by passing through neighborhoods and looking for violations, he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Kraus added that the bill didn’t come up against much opposition. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When you look at the video that we got off of YouTube of SempleFest, with people burning couches so close to combustible material, it’s pretty hard to fight it,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The bill aims to deter participants from burning couches during events like SempleFest and football celebrations, he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Also, because couches can provide a breeding ground for rodents and insects, the bill intends to remove this potential health hazard, but some Pitt students say that people should be able to store couches outside at their own risk. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt student Allison Crowell said though people enjoy relaxing and smoking on porch couches, it’s a gamble keeping furniture outside. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘If you keep a couch there, there’s a really good chance that it will get stolen anyway,’ said Crowell. ‘If you want to, it’s your decision.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt students Jennifer Mereby agreed but said she wouldn’t want to keep upholstered furniture outside because it would get dirty. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘If I had a porch, I don’t think I’d put a couch out there,’ said Mereby. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ While the issue has mainly come up in Oakland, Kraus said the bill would cover all areas within the city. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘That’s one of the challenges,’ he said. ‘We have to come up with legislation that will work for the whole city.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The bill bans the storage of all upholstered furniture, which it defines as furniture containing filling material and existing for the purpose of sitting or resting on indoors, in an unenclosed area unsheltered from the elements. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The bill carries with it a minimum fine of $200 and a maximum fine of $500 for every day that the furniture remains outside.