Council tables pool funding, approves redevelopment sale

Maybe it was the wind chill. Maybe it was the threat of snow. Whatever the reason, the… Maybe it was the wind chill. Maybe it was the threat of snow. Whatever the reason, the Pittsburgh City Council just couldn’t think about summer.

The council postponed ruling on a number of bills yesterday designed to fund the swimming pools and other recreation centers run by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Among the bills held for another week was one approving $250,000 for the construction of aquatic playground facilities called Splash Zones, and another bill that would provide the department with up to $100,000 for the maintenance of swimming pools throughout the city.

However, City Council did approve a number of pieces of legislation designed to improve the infrastructure of Pittsburgh, redevelop the Downtown area and address the issue of worker compensation for city employees.

The council approved a bill allowing the sale of a number of properties in the Downtown area to the Urban Redevelopment Authority for residential and commercial rehabilitation. The properties, located on Fifth Avenue, Forbes Avenue and McMasters Way near Market Square, have been appraised at $2.5 million, although the sale to the URA is for $2.31 million.

A spokesman for the URA explained that the discrepancy in price is because of the difference in tax breaks that would have been granted to a private developer. Since the URA is redeveloping the properties, the city chose to reduce the initial price rather than offer tax breaks, as it would normally do with a private firm.

The properties, which had been part of former mayor Tom Murphy’s proposed Fifth and Forbes corridor, offer an opportunity for economic growth in the city. However, Councilman Bill Peduto, who represents part of Oakland, and Councilman Ricky Burgess raised some issues regarding the opportunities that other developers would be given in the revitalization of Pittsburgh.

“I believe that a lot of people should be in the mix and have the opportunity to redevelop Downtown,” Peduto said. “I want to make sure that the taxpayer’s money is not being given away,”

Burgess echoed that sentiment by stating that the city should “use public dollars to attract private dollars.”

Burgess also reminded the council not to ignore the needs of other areas of the city.

“The emphasis on Downtown must be used to spur growth throughout the city,” he said.

Also during the meeting the council again addressed problems related to Pittsburgh’s infrastructure, this time returning to a bill held from last week’s meeting, which allocates $9.46 million for the paving of city roads.

The council had previously requested a more detailed breakdown of expenditures from public works director Guy Costa. The money will pay for the resurfacing of approximately 50 miles of roads in the city.

Costa said there was about $200,000 left over from last year’s budget but also warned that the amount of work done with the funds was dependent on the price of asphalt.

“The price of asphalt is entirely dependent on the oil index. We hope that it either stays the same or goes down,” he said.

The funding for the projects will come from both city money and bond money, although Costa noted that the city has borrowed as much as $8 million to fund programs in the past, whereas this year’s budget requires only $4 million in loans.

One major obstacle to the legislation was the fact that the list of roads to be paved is not public knowledge.

Costa defended this policy by saying that residents whose roads are not paved might be unhappy with the city and the department, but Councilman Patrick Dowd countered by stating that “the more information we could provide will help instill confidence in the public.

“The more people learn, the more satisfied and confident they will be,” Dowd said.

Peduto also supported making the record public knowledge.

Responding to concerns that phone calls from angry constituents will flood the council offices, Peduto said, “That’s our job, to answer ‘why.'”

Councilwoman Tonya Payne of the Sixth District proposed a pilot program in which the Department of Public Works paves abandoned lots rather than continually cutting weeds in order to reduce maintenance costs.

“It would provide huge savings for the city,” she said.

Costa also saw the benefits of Payne’s proposal but noted, “there are potential negatives to this plan.”

Despite these concerns, the council unanimously passed the bill.

Costa also informed the council that next year the Department of Public Works will begin using an electronic Pavement Management System that will gather and monitor data about the city’s roads.

The council also passed a bill that provides $278,000 for professional legal services to represent the city when faced with worker compensation claims. The amount will be divided on a monthly basis and will remain fixed, regardless of how much legal service is provided.

Peduto supported the bill, but raised concerns about the lack of women- and minority-owned business involvement in the legal representation of the city.

“This contract has traditionally been given to women and minority law firms,” he said. The city had previously used such a law firm for legal representation, but since that firm went out of business more than a year ago, the city has not been able to find another one to fill its place.