Last week, Councilman Bill Peduto sent a letter to the Library Board of Trustees containing a timeline of the events since last October surrounding the announced closing of several branches, and the commitment that the City of Pittsburgh made to provide $1.24 million in funding between 2009 and 2010.

Read the Letter Here

A $1 million allocation to the Carnegie Library was included as a line item appropriation in the City’s 2010 budget.  Mayor Ravenstahl says that this funding was contingent on the passage of the Student Tuition Tax, however it was never removed from the final budget, which has already been approved by both the Mayor and City Council.  City Council continues to pledge it’s support to the library system, and today introduced legislation intended to provide the rest of the $1.24 million that was promised to the Carnegie Library.

Learn more:
Pittsburgh Council Considers More Library Money
Mayor Balks at Giving More Money to Libraries
City Dangles $640,000 Before Library System

Next Monday, May 17, CityLIVE will host “What’s Next for the Igloo?,” a panel and public discussion about the fate of the Civic Arena.

Should the arena be saved, and who should make the decision about it’s future?  Panel experts include Kimberly Ellis, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Historic Hill Institute; Christine Madrid French, Director of the Modernism + Recent Past Initiative with the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Larry Glasco, an expert in the history of Black Pittsburgh and Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh and Rob Pfaffmann, AIA, AICP, architect  and planner.

What’s Next for the Igloo
Monday, May 17
New Hazlett Theater
6:30pm

For more information, or to RSVP, visit the cityLIVE website.

Recently, several cities around the country have begun to look at the possibility of creating streetcar transportation systems. According to an article on Inhabitat, 22 US cities are considering instituting streetcar systems. Streetcars have appeal to several cities not only as a convenient, more environmentally friendly method of transportation, but also as a tool to spark economic development. The Inhabitat article states that in Portland, Oregon, which was the first city to build a streetcar system, “53 percent of the area’s downtown development has occurred along the streetcar line” since 1997.  In 2007 USA Today also looked at the reemergence of streetcars as a tool for green transportation and economic stimulus.

A Streetcar Name Forbes-Fifth

Imagine getting onboard a trolley at Market Square and being connected to:

Point Park University – Art Institute – Downtown – City and County Government – Duquesne University – Mercy Hospital – Palumbo Center – Uptown – Magee Hospital – Oakland – Carnegie Museum – Carnegie-Mellon University – Squirrel Hill – Chatham University – Frick Park – Penn Avenue – Homewood – Point Breeze – East Liberty – Shadyside – Shadyside Hospital – Hillman Cancer Center – University of Pittsburgh – Montefiore Hospital – Presbyterian Hospital – Petersen Event Center – Carlow University – Hill District – Consol Energy Center – Robert Morris University – and back downtown to Market Square.

Some have said the only future for the Civic Arena is to demolish it, but are there other options?

Many believe that the Civic Arena could be preserved as an iconic piece of the City of Pittsburgh skyline.  A recent CNN story documents how the City of Austin preserved the historic Palmer Auditorium.  Instead of demolishing the building, the City instead chose to “remodel” and transform it into a state of the art new structure,reusing as many pieces as possible.  In the end, 45 million pounds of debris were recycled and reused in the new building.

Watch the CNN Video

In 2005 Pittsburgh Architect David Julian Roth proposed a green alternative to the demolition of the Civic Arena.  See Roth’s plan here.  Another local architect, Rob Pfaffmann, has proposed a plan entitled “A Civic Renewal.” These proposals are just two examples of the possibilities for the Arena outside of demolition.

To learn more, or to get involved, join the Facebook group Reuse the Igloo.

This Thursday, April 15, the Guyasuta Fellowship Program will be holding a panel discussion for the 10 year anniversary of the Fifth/Forbes development program.

Panel speakers will include Rob Stephany (Executive Director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh), Bernie Lynch and Pat Clark (Fifth/Forbes Community activists) and Chris Potter (Editor of the Pittsburgh City Paper).

10 Years After – The Lessons of Fifth/Forbes
Piatt Place, 301 Fifth Avenue, Room 3023
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Please RSVP by calling (412) 361-1111

This community discussion is free and open to the public.  For more information, read the press release.

The Post Gazette’s Tim McNulty’s report can be found here.  Tim wanes nostalgic for the old days in City Hall when he covered this story a decade ago.

Learn more about the Guyasuta Fellowship and Thursday’s 10 year anniversary session here.

Meetings Postponed Due to Snow

OnTuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th, CSX will hold public meetings to provide residents with information on the National Gateway Project.

Structures in Western Pennsylvania will be affected as CSX works to increase the vertical clearance along rail lines. This meeting will allow those in attendance to see the plans for the affected structures.

An open invitation has been extended to all for these meetings.  The February 9th meeting will be held in Somerset, PA, and the February 10th meeting will be held in Pittsburgh.

Click Here for More Information

In order to better understand the financial situation of the city and the Mayor’s demand of a student tax, it is essential to see the bigger picture. These documents provide the details of what the city can and cannot do – they also shed light on missed opportunities. Councilman Peduto and Controller Lamb have outlined an alternative plan to the Mayor’s proposed student tax – you can read all the documents here – including the Lamb/Peduto alternative.

Mayor Ravenstahl’s 2010 Budget – Understand who is paying and what you are getting.

Pennsylvania Local Tax Enabling Act – Understand the rules of what municipalities can tax and what we cannot.

Act 47 Five Year Recovery Plan – Understand the changes that were approved in July and then look at the Mayor’s proposed budget to see if we are doing it.

PA Act 55 Public Charity Act -Understand the limitations placed on municipalities in PA to receive voluntary payments in lieu of taxes from non-profits and the restrictions to tax non-profits.

Peduto/Lamb Alternative – Another option for our City.

City Councilman Peduto and Controller Lamb today presented a list of potential budget changes that will make up the $15 million shortfall in the city’s 2010 proposed budget. The ICA rejected Mayor Ravenstahl’s proposed student tax, leaving a $15 million hole in the budget. Controller Lamb and Councilman Peduto believe that this shortfall can be made up through other means – through recommendations approved during the Act 47 process and through other good government proposals that will stregthen the city budget and make it more transparent for years to come.

Their plan is available here.

Earlier this year, Councilman Bill Peduto introduced a plan to create an LED energy-efficient lighting system in the City of Pittsburgh. This plan would not only create a more environmentally-friendly lighting system, but would also save money for City residents by reducing lighting costs for years to come.

But this plan is not just about replacing light bulbs – this plan is also about creating a new model of urban lighting. This new model needs to utilize technology to do more than just create an energy-efficient system- it needs to realize the potential that light offers in creating a safe, livable community.

In New York City, Leni Schwendinger is an artist an designer who leads “Lightwalks” through the City at night. During these walks, Schwendinger shows participants the importance of street lighting in the night life ambience, and looks at street lights in terms of what they add to the community. Check out this video to learn more, and see part of one of Schwendinger’s Light Walks.

Also, check out this article from TreeHugger.com – Nightlife Made Sustainable: Street Lights that Match Evening Sensitivities Save Considerable Energy.  This article discusses the possibility of redesigning street lights to utilize less energy by using information about what part of the light spectrum the human eye is most sensitive to in the dark.