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Weighing Neighborhood Meeting Reforms, Reviewing Storm Damage and a Contentious Snow Removal Debate

City Council

Community groups may be out of the business of organizing neighborhood development meetings.

Since 2018, neighborhood groups have run the community meetings developers must hold for projects that need city commission approval. On Oct. 8, a council member proposed suspending that, saying the city relies too much on nonprofits. The Planning Department wants to run the meetings itself, the council president said. For now, council agreed to the department's request for a two-week hold.

Written by Amy Whipple

Council Member Theresa Kail-Smith of Westwood proposed suspending the city’s use of registered community organizations (RCOs) to manage community meetings with developers.

In 2018 city council passed legislation that gives RCOs the responsibility of coordinating neighborhood meetings required for developers and property owners who want to make changes to their properties that require approvals from city commissions. For example, they organize neighborhood public meetings regarding major developments but also for public art or changes in historic districts. In Larimer the neighborhood RCO, the Larimer Consensus Group, negotiated a community benefits agreement with Walnut Capital for its Bakery Square expansion.

Kail-Smith said she thinks the city is overreliant on nonprofits during the Oct. 8 meeting, adding she wants commissions and departments to coordinate with council members instead.

Council President R. Daniel Lavelle of the Upper Hill District said he talked with the Planning Department about changes to the 2018 ordinance and that members of the department would like to raise the standard for what changes trigger a development activities meeting. The department also wants to organize the meetings instead of relying on community groups, then allow the RCOs to weigh in on whether or not it supports the change after the meetings.

The Planning Department asked for a two-week hold on the suspension so it can complete the amendments and meet with RCOs. Council agreed to the request.

City Council

Duquesne Light’s infrastructure took a hard hit during April’s storm.

Some city residents went nine days without power after the April 29 storm. Five months later, a Duquesne Light official told council the storm did more damage than the company usually sees in a year. The company will invest $2.7 billion over five years, he added. Still, a state utility commission official said burying most city power lines won't be feasible.

Written by Amy Whipple

Five months after a storm left some city residents without power for nine days, city council members sat down with representatives of Duquesne Light and the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission to talk about the April 29 storm and the company’s response.

Council members had already met with Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak in May and with both city and county officials in July to discuss both the response and the need for resiliency plans as the city faces more frequent and increasingly severe storms due to climate change.

Ben Kane, operations center director for Duquesne Light, said the April 29 storm caused more damage than the company typically sees in a year. The company replaced more than 500 poles, 300 transformers and 100 miles of wire. A typical storm requires replacing 44 poles, 53 transformers and 15 miles of wire. The company replaces 400 poles in a typical year. Kane said crews worked 16-hour shifts for nine days to restore power to 300,000 customers.

Jennifer Neiswonger, the company’s director of company experience said it is considering using two-way text messaging services to communicate with customers and installing a chatbot on the company website for basic customer assistance.

Kane added that the company will invest $2.7 billion in infrastructure improvements over five years. According to John Van Zant, reliability and emergency preparedness supervisor for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, moving all or most of the city’s electrical wires underground—as has been suggested—will not be feasible.

City Council

A plan to have Munhall assist with plowing the streets gets kicked to the curb.

Snow removal is a long-standing frustration across the city. On Oct. 8, a council member proposed exploring a services swap so Munhall could help plow three harder-to-serve neighborhoods. Another member said the plan threatened the jobs of union workers who plow city streets. In the end, a majority voted against advancing it.

Written by Amy Whipple

A plan to ask Munhall to plow three neighborhoods was met with hostility by council members who accused the proponent of giving up on Pittsburgh workers.

Council Member Barb Warwick of Greenfield proposed exploring an exchange of services between the city and Munhall in relation to street operations, snow and ice assistance and supply storage. The discussion of her plan immediately became acrimonious during an Oct. 8 Pittsburgh City Council committee meeting.

The Lincoln Place, Hays and New Homestead neighborhoods are across the Monongahela River from the rest of the district and harder to service. Snow removal is a long-standing frustration across the city.

Director of Public Works Chris Hornstein said municipalities such as Munhall that boast efficient snow removal commit four times the resources than the city does.

The dire state of the city’s fleets has been a recurring topic this year. A post agenda meeting on Oct. 15 will cover the topic again with the inaugural fleet efficiency report.

Council Member Anthony Coghill of Beechview said the plan was insulting to the union members who plow the streets and a threat to their jobs. He said if the agreement was signed the union would sue the city for breach of contract.

The agreement, however, would go both ways with the city also helping Munhall clear its streets when possible.

Several council members expressed their frustration that city residents continue to go without consistent basic services like street cleaning. “The concept of continually giving up on Pittsburgh is just unacceptable to me,” Council Member Bobby Wilson of Spring Hill said.

The plan is not moving forward after a majority of council voted against advancing the proposal.

City Council

Warwick looks to use unspent fuel money on new snow plows.

An overlooked liquid fuels trust fund has money that could go toward new snowplows. A council member proposed moving $750,000 from that fund to the Equipment Leasing Authority. She said that should cover four new plows. Council moved the bill forward on a seven to two vote.

Written by Amy Whipple

A separate bill from Council Member Warwick would transfer $750,000 from an overlooked liquid fuels trust fund to the Equipment Leasing Authority. The money, Warwick said, should cover four new snowplows. That legislation was moved forward with a seven to two vote.