Mayor pledges Oakland clean-up

Whether it’s trash, graffiti or dog feces soiling the streets and facades of Oakland’s… Whether it’s trash, graffiti or dog feces soiling the streets and facades of Oakland’s neighborhoods, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Councilman Bill Peduto promise to clean it up.

“I want to make sure we do whatever we can to put the resources in place to clean up Oakland,” Ravenstahl said at Oakland Community Council’s meeting at People’s Oakland Monday night.

Peduto voiced similar dedication, albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

Responding to one citizen’s complaint, he said, “Call me. My job is to clean up dog feces. It is.”

The mayor and councilman each spoke and fielded residents’ questions on a host of issues regarding measures to clean up Oakland in every way possible.

Ravenstahl spoke first about conservative financial planning measures already in effect and how they are a step in the right direction for the city.

“We’ve put a very fiscally conservative plan into effect, and it will enable us to have $60,000 in the bank for next year,” Ravenstahl said.

He believes that as the city’s financial status improves, he and the council can work with area businesses to encourage investment from new companies and the expansion of existing businesses.

“Economic development and job creation, as a young person, is a very important issue for me,” Ravenstahl said. “We understand that people want to stay in Pittsburgh, and we want to make city government an advocate for that instead of an obstacle.”

Ravenstahl told the crowd that a plan is already underway to create an open dialogue between the city’s business leaders and government.

He believes such communication will allow businesses to outline their needs to officials who can then cater to them, thus creating an attractive business climate in Pittsburgh.

The beginning of the question-and-answer session turned the topic to issues that affect area neighborhoods directly.

Many residents expressed concern and frustration with the lack of police patrolling Oakland on weekends and with the deplorable state of many homes and businesses whose code violations have gone unpunished.

In terms of policing, Ravenstahl said he too feels the current system is ineffective.

He still believes that the city can make positive changes by having the city police and the University joining forces.

“I can assure you the University of Pittsburgh Police Department is working very diligently, and if the Pittsburgh Police need them, or they need us, we have that partnership.”

Beyond increased policing, residents also expressed the need for improvements in transportation, parking availability and enforcement of housing codes.

“My number one priority is to link Downtown to Oakland,” Ravenstahl said. “I’m up for discussion and debate on how that line should go, what it should look like, and I believe the community should be involved in deciding this.”

The owner of 53 housing units on Bates Street told the mayor that her renters, mostly students, all purchase parking permits, yet there are only eight spaces available on her street.

“Students will not pay $1 to park, let alone $60,” the woman said.

Ravenstahl promised to assess the parking situation with his staff and to take residents’ desires into consideration while doing his best to keep Oakland from becoming a giant parking pad.

Furthermore, to keep delinquent landlords in check, the mayor said plans are in the works to repeat the absentee code blitz of last fall.

“We’re committed to bringing the houses up to code,” Ravenstahl said. “It’s a long process, we have to do them one at a time, but we’re committed to it.”

Councilman Peduto took the stage after Ravenstahl and outlined his own plans for revitalizing the city.

“This is a great city, it really is, but what holds it back is this old way of thinking,” Peduto said. “What we’ve been doing is looking at the negative aspects and trying to put the tourniquet on.”

Instead of retroactively fighting problems, Peduto feels the city would benefit more from actively pursuing strategies for improvement.

“I have legislation pending that really focuses on Oakland to go after the absentee landlords,” Peduto said. “If we make examples of some of the most ridiculous examples of people using this neighborhood for cash, we can really set a precedent and improve the area.”

Peduto also believes Oakland would be wise to pursue methods of “organic development” in Oakland.

Such development would mean fostering the construction of independent, local amenities like galleries and boutiques instead of the “big-box companies” that currently dominate the area.

Peduto feels that the addition of such small businesses along with a Colorado Car system would allow Oakland to expand and offer more to its residents without becoming a sea of asphalt parking lots.

According to Peduto, a Colorado Car is “basically a trolley on steroids.”

“It runs on existing track and it’s an inexpensive way to get a north-south line through the city,” Peduto said. “The only cost would be building the stations.”

Together Ravenstahl and Peduto offered strategies and called on the community to provide ideas and support for improvements.

“I’m very open to suggestions,” Peduto said. “What I need to know is that there are people that care about changing this city.”