Pitt to erect new safety building

Pitt will build a new University Public Safety Building at the intersection of Forbes Avenue… Pitt will build a new University Public Safety Building at the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Halket Street. The new building will create more space and facilities for a security-monitoring and command center, according to a release from the University.

The 26,000-square-foot building will cost $6 million.

Linda Schmitmeyer, the director of news in Pitt’s Office of Public Affairs, said that the building will make the Pitt Police more visible and accessible.

In the University’s release, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg stressed the importance of the new addition.

“Despite the fact that Oakland is the third busiest commercial center in the state of Pennsylvania, there is not a city police station here,” he said, “and our own police force now is the third largest in Allegheny County, with a very significant share of its policing activities involving those who have no connection to our campus. In short, we are doing more and more of what city government used to do.”

The new public safety building will be constructed at the current location of a parking lot near the Eureka Building.

A vote from the Property and Facilities Committee allowed Pitt officials to start work on the planning and design stage of the construction project. The completion date for the project has not yet been determined.

The building will have three stories in addition to a basement, a parking deck and surface parking, according to the release.

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety – which is currently in Benedum Hall – will also be located in the new building, allowing the School of Engineering to expand in Benedum.

The University’s release stated, “[Executive Vice Chancellor Jerome] Cochran said that since 1998, the University’s Police Department has grown from 98 to 133 employees, 74 of whom are commissioned officers.”

Posvar Hall, Public Safety’s current home, “has proven to be insufficient to accommodate this growth,” according to the release.

The release said that one problem with the current building is the lack of space for locker and shower facilities for female officers.