"What do you mean you didn't write that? Luke, you're the only one in the room!"
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Pist-Gazette Will Guest Post For DeSantis Dems
Schultz over at Dems For DeSantis has graciously asked Ms. Pist to contribute posts to his blog from time to time. With great enthusiasm, the Pist-Gazette gladly accepts his invitation.
Starting now, and for the foreseeable future, all Pist-Gazette commentary on Ravenstahl and his antics will be posted over at Schultz’ blog. Be sure to stop in.
Starting now, and for the foreseeable future, all Pist-Gazette commentary on Ravenstahl and his antics will be posted over at Schultz’ blog. Be sure to stop in.
Chaos At Fox Chapel High Schools
The Pist-Gazette Doesn’t Understand At All
As reported by the Trib, Fox Chapel Area High School students are fearful of a major hardship which looms on their horizon. Ms. Pist has read the Trib article a number of times, but has not been able to make sense out of any of it.
The catalyst for the chaos appears to be a technology grant which is to supply laptop computers to 9th and 10th graders. For some reason, this laptop disbursement necessitated a shuffling and relocation of teachers and classrooms, with some teachers being assigned to smaller units.
Now in Ms. Pist’s world, both of these occurrences would be classified as good things. But there appear to be subtleties at work in the world of Fox Chapel ….. subtleties beyond the scope of Ms. Pist’s understanding.
News of the laptop distribution organizational changes taking effect on August 27th came out via a July letter from the district. Again, one would think informational letters from the school district would be a good thing. But according to Senior Tiffany Oliver, the district should have told students earlier.
“It’s a lot of change in three months,” she said. “An assembly, with a chance to ask questions, at the end of the school year would have been a better way to hear about this. Now nobody seems to know what is going on and rumors start in that kind of situation.”
(Ms. Pist says: Have I lost everyone at this point? Is there one person out there who still cares one whit as to where this story is going? I know I don’t …. And I’m writing it!!)
What kind of rumors got started, you may ask? Mind-numbingly inconsequential rumors it appears. Some students feared they would only be fraternizing with students in their own grade….. That sophomores would never get to see Juniors, for instance. (Gasp) Students further fretted that there may be a loss of course offerings. (Double gasp)
Principal Ken Williams quickly assured everyone that there will be no change to course offerings and that class makeup will be the same as before. (Translation: You all went nuts over nothing.)
But when the chaos ball gets a-rollin’ in Fox Chapel, it appears very hard to stop.
“Once school starts again, it will be Judgment Day,” Tiffany opined. “If it is complete chaos, then we’ll know. But it might go smoothly, too.”
Dear God in Heaven, someone put me out of my misery. I think the whole point of the pablum I unfortunately read was that Fox Chapel students are emotionally unprepared to handle the “change” associated with new laptops being handed out to them!!
Dear God in Heaven, how did things come to this point? What would happen to these coddled, spoiled kids if, say, their schools were closed? Never to re-open. A total loss of course offerings. And what would they do if no neighboring schools would agree to take them in? Leaving them to wander the district like Bedouins in the desert. Or to use another metaphor, like Duquesne students wandering around the Greater Pittsburgh Metro Area. Without a BMW or laptop to their name.
God help us all.
As reported by the Trib, Fox Chapel Area High School students are fearful of a major hardship which looms on their horizon. Ms. Pist has read the Trib article a number of times, but has not been able to make sense out of any of it.
The catalyst for the chaos appears to be a technology grant which is to supply laptop computers to 9th and 10th graders. For some reason, this laptop disbursement necessitated a shuffling and relocation of teachers and classrooms, with some teachers being assigned to smaller units.
Now in Ms. Pist’s world, both of these occurrences would be classified as good things. But there appear to be subtleties at work in the world of Fox Chapel ….. subtleties beyond the scope of Ms. Pist’s understanding.
News of the laptop distribution organizational changes taking effect on August 27th came out via a July letter from the district. Again, one would think informational letters from the school district would be a good thing. But according to Senior Tiffany Oliver, the district should have told students earlier.
“It’s a lot of change in three months,” she said. “An assembly, with a chance to ask questions, at the end of the school year would have been a better way to hear about this. Now nobody seems to know what is going on and rumors start in that kind of situation.”
(Ms. Pist says: Have I lost everyone at this point? Is there one person out there who still cares one whit as to where this story is going? I know I don’t …. And I’m writing it!!)
What kind of rumors got started, you may ask? Mind-numbingly inconsequential rumors it appears. Some students feared they would only be fraternizing with students in their own grade….. That sophomores would never get to see Juniors, for instance. (Gasp) Students further fretted that there may be a loss of course offerings. (Double gasp)
Principal Ken Williams quickly assured everyone that there will be no change to course offerings and that class makeup will be the same as before. (Translation: You all went nuts over nothing.)
But when the chaos ball gets a-rollin’ in Fox Chapel, it appears very hard to stop.
“Once school starts again, it will be Judgment Day,” Tiffany opined. “If it is complete chaos, then we’ll know. But it might go smoothly, too.”
Dear God in Heaven, someone put me out of my misery. I think the whole point of the pablum I unfortunately read was that Fox Chapel students are emotionally unprepared to handle the “change” associated with new laptops being handed out to them!!
Dear God in Heaven, how did things come to this point? What would happen to these coddled, spoiled kids if, say, their schools were closed? Never to re-open. A total loss of course offerings. And what would they do if no neighboring schools would agree to take them in? Leaving them to wander the district like Bedouins in the desert. Or to use another metaphor, like Duquesne students wandering around the Greater Pittsburgh Metro Area. Without a BMW or laptop to their name.
God help us all.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Again: Property Tax Reform
A Most Aggravating Oxymoron
State Rep. David Levdansky of Forward will hold House Finance Committee meetings today on ways to lower property taxes. This will be the state’s 4-billionth attempt at reforming one of our most pressing problems. Or maybe it’s the 5-billionth attempt ….the PG has lost count.
Rep. Levdansky warns us there is no free lunch. If property taxes are lowered or eliminated, other taxes will have to be increased.
With all due respect to Levdansky and others …. We get it. We know this. We completely understand the dynamics of “left pocket – right pocket” which is why most of us are more concerned about the “reform” part of the equation than which pocket will take the greater hit.
No matter where you live, school taxes are by far the greatest portion of everyone’s property tax bill. Our per-student spending is among the highest in the nation and our children’s test scores are down at the bottom. Additionally, if the majority of a school’s finances come only from homes in its immediate area, a struggling community will continue to spawn struggling schools. The kids who go to these struggling schools are more likely to receive a less-than-adequate education further cementing their fate as struggling adults in their struggling communities which will continue to spiral downward in all respects except one: Property taxes will continue to rise.
We need property tax reform. Reducing property taxes without addressing core problems is not “reform”, it is just “nonsense” according to Bob Logue who heads STOP (Stop Taxing Our Properties). According to the Post Gazette:
State Rep. David Levdansky of Forward will hold House Finance Committee meetings today on ways to lower property taxes. This will be the state’s 4-billionth attempt at reforming one of our most pressing problems. Or maybe it’s the 5-billionth attempt ….the PG has lost count.
Rep. Levdansky warns us there is no free lunch. If property taxes are lowered or eliminated, other taxes will have to be increased.
With all due respect to Levdansky and others …. We get it. We know this. We completely understand the dynamics of “left pocket – right pocket” which is why most of us are more concerned about the “reform” part of the equation than which pocket will take the greater hit.
No matter where you live, school taxes are by far the greatest portion of everyone’s property tax bill. Our per-student spending is among the highest in the nation and our children’s test scores are down at the bottom. Additionally, if the majority of a school’s finances come only from homes in its immediate area, a struggling community will continue to spawn struggling schools. The kids who go to these struggling schools are more likely to receive a less-than-adequate education further cementing their fate as struggling adults in their struggling communities which will continue to spiral downward in all respects except one: Property taxes will continue to rise.
We need property tax reform. Reducing property taxes without addressing core problems is not “reform”, it is just “nonsense” according to Bob Logue who heads STOP (Stop Taxing Our Properties). According to the Post Gazette:
Bob Logue, a former KDKA radio talk show host who heads the STOP plan, said the Levdansky plan doesn't go nearly far enough. Mr. Logue favors totally abolishing property taxes. He fears that while the Levdansky plan would lower property taxes by a few hundred dollars for a year or two, there is nothing to stop school boards from simply raising the school district tax rates and wiping out the savings.
He noted that in May, voters around the state soundly rejected Act 1, which would have increased earned income taxes and lowered property taxes. Mr. Logue said that Act 1 and the Levdansky plan would only mean "a temporary reduction of property taxes and a permanent increase in replacement taxes," which is "nonsense."
In theory, PUBLIC education in Fox Chapel should be no different than PUBLIC education in Wilkinsburg or any of the other 43 (!) school districts in Allegheny County alone. Isn’t that what PUBLIC implies? Especially in a Commonwealth, set up for the “common good”?
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Joey King Asks Valid Question
Gets Non-Answer From The City
With all the recent attention focused on the condition of Pittsburgh’s many bridges, Firefighter Union President Joey King actually asked the city a valid and pertinent question: “Which city bridges should fire trucks avoid because of bridge weight restriction concerns?”
The city’s answer to Joey King: “Use your own judgment.”
???
Let’s repeat that answer to make sure we all digested it properly. The city told Joey King, “Use your own judgment” when asked which city bridges would not safely support the weight of city fire trucks.
Joey said that answer was unacceptable. The Pist-Gazette thinks Joey may have just uttered the first understatement of his entire life.
It comes as no surprise to the Pist-Gazette that the city would not have this critical information at their fingertips. After all, they don’t know the location of all of their sewer and storm pipes. They don’t know how many felons they perchance have in their employ. The mayor’s own staff doesn’t even know where he is half of the time!
Yes, there’s a very long list of things the City of Pittsburgh doesn’t know and that’s because they don’t want to know. The city’s motto seems to be “It doesn’t exist unless we say so.”
But the city firefighters. That’s the surprise. It just seems odd that this one slipped by “In-Your-Face” Joey King. I wonder if the fire department feels a little foolish knowing that some of the money which should have gone to bridge repair over the years instead got diverted into their own pockets.
Hmm……........................................Probably not.
With all the recent attention focused on the condition of Pittsburgh’s many bridges, Firefighter Union President Joey King actually asked the city a valid and pertinent question: “Which city bridges should fire trucks avoid because of bridge weight restriction concerns?”
The city’s answer to Joey King: “Use your own judgment.”
???
Let’s repeat that answer to make sure we all digested it properly. The city told Joey King, “Use your own judgment” when asked which city bridges would not safely support the weight of city fire trucks.
Joey said that answer was unacceptable. The Pist-Gazette thinks Joey may have just uttered the first understatement of his entire life.
It comes as no surprise to the Pist-Gazette that the city would not have this critical information at their fingertips. After all, they don’t know the location of all of their sewer and storm pipes. They don’t know how many felons they perchance have in their employ. The mayor’s own staff doesn’t even know where he is half of the time!
Yes, there’s a very long list of things the City of Pittsburgh doesn’t know and that’s because they don’t want to know. The city’s motto seems to be “It doesn’t exist unless we say so.”
But the city firefighters. That’s the surprise. It just seems odd that this one slipped by “In-Your-Face” Joey King. I wonder if the fire department feels a little foolish knowing that some of the money which should have gone to bridge repair over the years instead got diverted into their own pockets.
Hmm……........................................Probably not.
Reform Pittsburgh Now
MEDIA ADVISORY
Friday, August 17, 2007
BILL PEDUTO TO LAUNCH WEB-BASED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE:
LIVE WEB-CAST RELEASE TO TAKE PLACE AT PITTSBURGH PODCAMP
Friday, August 17, 2007
BILL PEDUTO TO LAUNCH WEB-BASED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE:
LIVE WEB-CAST RELEASE TO TAKE PLACE AT PITTSBURGH PODCAMP
Bill Peduto will be unveiling the website for Reform Pittsburgh Now at a live web-cast session at Pittsburgh PodCamp on Saturday, August 18, 2007 at 1:45pm. The session will focus on the use of social media to affect policy change. Panelists include Bill Peduto, John Carman, and Justine Ezarik.
Reform Pittsburgh now is the first web-based, interactive political action committee dedicated to policy.
What: Reform Pittsburgh Now Live Site Release
When: Saturday, August 18, 2007, 1:45pm
Where: Pittsburgh Art Institute, 420 Blvd of the Allies, Rm B (435)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Governor Rendell Gets Pissy
Latest Millvale “Tour” Interfered With Pirates Game
Marty Griffin reported this morning that Governor Rendell’s Wednesday tour of flood-stricken Millvale was extremely abbreviated for a reason: Rendell was scheduled to see the Pirates play and he feared a stop in Millvale would make him late for the game. Marty went on to say that Rendell’s “people” had to twist his arm to make the stop. When he finally did grace Millvale’s soggy citizens with his presence, the governor only stayed for a couple of minutes and made damn sure everyone knew he wasn’t happy about any of it.
In his 2-minute address, Fast Eddie told the peasants gathered before him that there’d be no disaster money available because damage to the area wasn’t “bad” enough to officially qualify for the help. He added there might not be any low interest loans either. He then got into his limo and was whisked off to a more pressing engagement…..the all-important dinner and Pirates game that had brought the governor to our side of the state in the first place.
Long pause here.
Just how hard does a person have to be smacked before he finally sees the light? How many times must a person wipe the spit off his face before he acknowledges that the spitter holds him in complete and utter contempt? How many tons of feces-fouled flood waters have to come crashing in to a person’s home before he admits that the politician standing before him is a lying, snake-oil SOB who should be flogged in public and run out of town?
Apparently the answer to the above riddle is “more than three floods in one week” because Ed Rendell bears no flogging marks.
Marty continued his tirade by reminding all of his listeners that each year our beloved state politicians hand out $300 million in WAM monies alone. That the Johnstown Flood Tax is still being collected even though not one penny of that tax is going to flood victims. That we’ve spent over $1 billion on stadiums and a convention center. That the US Government is now sending flood aid to our BFF North Korea. But no one anywhere it seems has a spare buck to throw to the poor folks in Millvale.
I have to hand it to Marty. He says he’s getting calls from local “higher ups” complaining that he’s being too hard on them for their (pathetic) flood response. The big wigs are telling him to lay off the negative comments or …..
Marty’s response? BFD. He doesn’t want them on his show now anyway. Not until they quit scamming the folks of Millvale. Until then he’s instructed his producer not to take their calls.
Well. I guess the Pist-Gazette owes Mr. Griffin an apology.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Millvale Mayor And Borough Council Agree: Flooding Three Times In One Week Is Too Much
Resolution Limits Flooding To Only Once A WeekAfter a poignant comment from an angry Millvale citizen, Millvale’s Borough Council hastily passed a resolution which limits flooding from Girty’s Run to just once a week instead of the three or more occurances which have become commonplace as of late. Millvale Mayor Vincent Cinski happily signed the resolution as well.
“Flooding three times in a week is too much” said Millvale resident Bruce Bruns.
That comment struck a chord with Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato as well as Millvale’s local government officials. Onorato urgently pressed the Federal Government for help and President Bush’s response was almost instantaneous.
“We’ll have you cleaned up quicker than an IED attack on a hot Iraqi night,” quipped the President in his trademark folksy manner.
The President has followed through on his promise as the Army Corps of Engineers has just arrived in Millvale to properly dredge Girty’s Run.
“When we’re done, we can categorically promise you that this troublesome creek will never overflow its banks more than once a week,” said a high-ranking Corps official. “This is a promise we fully intend to keep.”
Friday, August 10, 2007
Mayor Ravenstahl Wins the “Meet our Mayor” Contest
Won A Golf Ball and Expense-Paid Golf Getaway To Pittsburgh
Mayor Ravenstahl attended the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago Saturday and he went prepared with an old-fashioned sales hook to lure businesses and conventions to the city. Ravenstahl is widely known as an avid golfer, so the VisitPittsburgh booth offered attendees a chance to play a round of golf with the semi-celebrity mayor. Winners received a golf ball and had their name entered into a grand-prize drawing for an all-expense-paid golf holiday to our City of Bridges.
“We felt this was an excellent opportunity to showcase our wonderful city,” VisitPittsburgh spokesperson Craig Davis said. “We were all hoping the head of some real big corporation would win the trip.”
But the best laid plans sometimes do go awry, as Mayor Ravenstahl was hotter than hot out on the links. “He just couldn’t loose. There were hardly any winning names in the hat besides his own,” Davis lamented.
Those odds certainly worked in the young mayor’s favor: Pittsburgh’s Mayor Luke Ravenstahl had his own name drawn as the lucky winner of Pittsburgh’s “Meet our Mayor” contest! But since Ravenstahl is already very familiar with all of Pittsburgh’s golf courses, he felt it best to take his golf outing trip at the Koolau Golf Club in Hawaii instead.
“This will be an exceptional chance for me to meet, greet and do business with the wonderful people of Hawaii,” Ravenstahl beamed. “In fact, it might be a first-rate idea to continue the “Meet our Mayor” contest there. You never know what big names we might be able to lure to our great city from that locale.”
Mayor Ravenstahl attended the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition in Chicago Saturday and he went prepared with an old-fashioned sales hook to lure businesses and conventions to the city. Ravenstahl is widely known as an avid golfer, so the VisitPittsburgh booth offered attendees a chance to play a round of golf with the semi-celebrity mayor. Winners received a golf ball and had their name entered into a grand-prize drawing for an all-expense-paid golf holiday to our City of Bridges.
“We felt this was an excellent opportunity to showcase our wonderful city,” VisitPittsburgh spokesperson Craig Davis said. “We were all hoping the head of some real big corporation would win the trip.”
But the best laid plans sometimes do go awry, as Mayor Ravenstahl was hotter than hot out on the links. “He just couldn’t loose. There were hardly any winning names in the hat besides his own,” Davis lamented.
Those odds certainly worked in the young mayor’s favor: Pittsburgh’s Mayor Luke Ravenstahl had his own name drawn as the lucky winner of Pittsburgh’s “Meet our Mayor” contest! But since Ravenstahl is already very familiar with all of Pittsburgh’s golf courses, he felt it best to take his golf outing trip at the Koolau Golf Club in Hawaii instead.
“This will be an exceptional chance for me to meet, greet and do business with the wonderful people of Hawaii,” Ravenstahl beamed. “In fact, it might be a first-rate idea to continue the “Meet our Mayor” contest there. You never know what big names we might be able to lure to our great city from that locale.”
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Get Your Bridge Safety Rankings Here: Nationalbridges.com
PennDOT Still Trying To Gather The Info, Says It May Take Some Time
PG reader Mary graciously forwarded this interesting site to the Pist-Gazette: Nationalbridges.com. On this site, one can search for any bridge, anywhere, and retrieve quite detailed information about the bridge(s).
Due to public pressure, PennDOT has recently reversed its policy of not releasing structural integrity ratings for our bridges. They’ve now said this information will be forthcoming, but it may take some time for them to put it together. Just for starters, someone should help PennDOT out by referring them to the above site.
According to Nationalbridges.com, the following Allegheny County bridges have Structural Evaluation ratings of 2. A rating of 0 means the bridge is already closed, 1 means there is an imminent threat of collapse, and 2-4 are varying grades of “Poor” condition. No wonder PennDOT feared the public’s response to seeing these statistics in print.
In addition to the “2”-rated bridges below, there are 6 other Allegheny County bridges listed on the site which have already been closed due to their “imminent failure” status. The total repair costs for the “2”-rated and closed bridges is listed as being $31,297,000.
A few things immediately scream to mind as one reviews this information. First, in all the big cardboard checks Gov. Rendell has handed out lately, $31M would seem to be a veritable drop in the bucket. He couldn’t find this paltry amount anywhere in any of his “rainy day funds” or WAM monies? And he's now bellyaching that the deplorable state of our bridges is a prime example as to why his plan to toll I80 should be accepted. But hasn’t he already earmarked those new tolls to bail out the Port Authority? Oh, excuse me, I forgot. Rendell’s standard operating procedure is to promise the use of the same monies in two, three, sometimes four different places. He thinks we don't remember these things from day to day.
Pittsburgh’s own City Council has behaved as disgustingly as Rendall in this regard. Unbelievably, Council approved a TIF for “needy” PNC Bank when the bridges the city owns and maintains are also in deplorable condition. But what the heck …. What’s more important, feeding wealthy power brokers so as to maintain their political standing, or the safety and welfare of the citizens of Pittsburgh?
Lastly, if this doesn’t just scream out loud for “regional consolidation”, I don’t know what does. Millvale is looking at a half million dollars in critical bridge repairs and “prosperous”, flood-ravaged Etna is on the hook for close to that number. Where in the world (and WHEN in the world) are those two town-lettes going to come up with that kind of money? Multiply that question times 130.
Read and weep, my fellow citizens:
LR 120 Forbes Ramp From Blvd of Allies
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 2% (out of a possible 100%!!)
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 17,688
Cost to Repair: $944,000
Maurice St Ramp from Forbes Ave Over Blvd of Allies
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 21,160
Cost to Repair: $2,583,000
West Ohio St
Owned/Maintained by: Railroad
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 3,526
Cost to Repair: $1,251,000
Millers Run Rd
Owned/Maintained by: South Fayette Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 2%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 4,158
Cost to Repair: $1,091,000
Hulton Bridge
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 3%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 21,740
Cost to Repair: $8,749,000
Baptist Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Bethel Park
Sufficiency Rating: 3%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 12,499
Cost to Repair: $426,000
Lovedale Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Lincoln
Sufficiency Rating: 4%
Scour: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 8,772
Cost to Repair: $218,000
Old Hemlock Dr II
Owned/Maintained by: Hampton Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 7%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $48,000
Dravo St Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Shaler Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 12.1%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 50
Cost to Repair: $257,000
Timberland Ave Off Route 51
Owned/Maintained by: City of Pittsburgh
Sufficiency Rating: 16.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 30
Cost to Repair: $107,000
Hans Rd
Owned/Maintained by: North Fayette Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 21.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 100
Cost to Repair: $188,000
McArdle Roadway #1
Owned/Maintained by: City of Pittsburgh
Sufficiency Rating: 23.8%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 1,000
Cost to Repair: $1,058,000
Pennmont St
Owned/Maintained by: Elizabeth Township
Sufficiency Rating: 26.4%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Scour: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $86,000
Wood St
Owned/Maintained by: South Park Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 26.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 200
Cost to Repair: $163,000
North Ave Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Millvale
Sufficiency Rating: 33.5%
Superstructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 2,500
Cost to Repair: $351,000
Clearview Rd
Owned/Maintained by: Hampton Twp
Sufficiency Rating: 34.2%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 300
Cost to Repair: $188,000
Dewey St
Owned/Maintained by: Etna
Sufficiency Rating: 36.8%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 500
Cost to Repair: $389,000
Fremont St Over Girtys Run
Owned/Maintained by: Millvale
Sufficiency Rating: 37%
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 50
Cost to Repair: $174,000
Ramp Below Westinghouse Bridge
Owned/Maintained by: State of PA
Sufficiency Rating: 37%
Substructure Condition: Critical
Structural Evaluation: 2
Average Daily Traffic: 7,543
Cost to Repair: $8,145,000
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Only In Pittsburgh
Only in Pittsburgh will you find an off-duty policeman, previously convicted for a road-rage incident, living in a trailer in Oakdale, on disability for a year due to carpal tunnel syndrome, which by the way didn’t seem to interfere with his homemade bomb production, bombs which were ostensibly created to blow up pumpkins in the woods, except for one that found its way into the trunk of his ex-wife’s car, and another which must have malfunctioned blowing up his trailer and blowing off his hand, scattering his possessions including white supremacy literature from the Aryan Nation, which was found by police as they answered a call by neighbors to investigate a loud “kaboom.”
You just can’t make this stuff up.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
I wonder if the hand he lost was the one with carpal tunnel .....
Public Service Announcement: McArdle Viaduct No 1 Has 1.875 Car Weight Limit
The McCardle Viaduct No. 1 on the South Side (owned and maintained by the city) is so deteriorated, it has a puny 3-ton weight limit and is inspected by the city as often as twice a month. Guy Costa insists it is safe “just as long as drivers obey the weight and speed limits,” he said. If need be, Costa stressed he wouldn’t hesitate to shut it down.
Since the average size car weighs 1.6 tons, it would seem that only 1.875 average size cars should cross this span at any given time. And since most larger SUVs exceed the 3 ton limit all by themselves, it would seem these vehicles should not be crossing at all.
Ms. Pist is very interested in fully obeying the weight and speed limits along this stretch of McArdle but has no idea where Viaduct No. 1 is located. Since Ms. Pist drives a whole automobile and not a .875 automobile, it would be best for her to be aware of this precarious stretch so that her crossing will not tip the scales should there be another auto in front of her.
PG readers should take note and immediately assess if they are driving whole cars or .875 cars so as to safely navigate this span themselves. And by the way, if anyone knows where McArdle Viaduct No. 1 is …… please email the PG immediately.
Since the average size car weighs 1.6 tons, it would seem that only 1.875 average size cars should cross this span at any given time. And since most larger SUVs exceed the 3 ton limit all by themselves, it would seem these vehicles should not be crossing at all.
Ms. Pist is very interested in fully obeying the weight and speed limits along this stretch of McArdle but has no idea where Viaduct No. 1 is located. Since Ms. Pist drives a whole automobile and not a .875 automobile, it would be best for her to be aware of this precarious stretch so that her crossing will not tip the scales should there be another auto in front of her.
PG readers should take note and immediately assess if they are driving whole cars or .875 cars so as to safely navigate this span themselves. And by the way, if anyone knows where McArdle Viaduct No. 1 is …… please email the PG immediately.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
PennDot Refuses To Release Deficient Bridge List
Except They Did So Earlier, Must Have Forgotten
Smithfield Bridge On Their List Of “Weight Restricted” Bridges
In the wake of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota, Pennsylvania officials immediately went into spin mode, trying to portray our state’s abysmal bridge statistics as something other than alarming.
PennDOT’s initial Public Hoodwinking tactic was to redefine the problem as narrowly as possible. They quickly and proudly announced that Pennsylvania has 30 bridges of the same basic design as the collapsed Minneapolis bridge, only four of which are classified as “structurally deficient” and none being located in Allegheny County.
What about other types of bridges in the area? Are any of those bridges deficient as well? We unfortunately do lead the nation in structurally deficient bridges. A 2006 PennDOT report states that 23 percent of our 25,335 STATE-MAINTAINED bridges (There are thousands of other bridges in PA owned and maintained by counties, municipalities and private concerns) are classified as structurally deficient. However, the term “structurally deficient” can be misleading, they warn. Just because a bridge falls into that category doesn’t mean it is in imminent danger of collapse or failure.
The above parsing and selective statistics didn’t set well with the Beaver County Times. That newspaper decided it was time to get to the bottom of the situation and asked PennDOT to disclose the specific rankings of structurally deficient bridges in the area. Their request was made in April under the state’s Right To Know Law, long before the high-profile collapse of the 35W Bridge. PennDOT refused to release the information at that time and has again recently denied their request, saying this type of information does not fall into the category of “public records” as defined by law.
PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi confirmed their refusal to release the bridge safety information, saying the released information ……… not the unsafe bridges themselves, mind you, just the INFORMATION regarding unsafe bridges …….. could endanger the public by posing a security risk.
“There’s a fear that the general public might not understand what those numbers mean,” Struzzi said. “It might set off undue concern. A bridge might have a structurally deficient rating, and that might be low, but that doesn’t mean that bridge is unsafe or will collapse.”
Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the PA Newspaper Association, said PennDOT’s refusal might have sound legal standing, but only because Pennsylvania’s Right To Know Law is one of the weakest in the nation. What a surprise.
“It really comes down to the fact that we have a bad law and it needs to be changed,” Melewsky said. “I think the public has a right to know whether or not they’re traveling on safe bridges.”
While PennDOT hasn’t released a list showing each bridge’s specific safety ranking, it has already published a list of the worst offenders: Bridges that are closed or are weight-restricted because of their poor condition. In Allegheny County, the Smithfield Street Bridge and the Forbes Ramp from the Blvd of the Allies are just two of the bridges that are in poor enough condition to be weight restricted. The American Society of Civil Engineers says bridge rankings in the “structurally deficient” category run from “1” (Imminent Failure) to “4” (Poor). A rating of “0” means the bridge is beyond corrective action and is closed. The Pist-Gazette is hopeful that PennDOT would not be foolish enough to allow traffic on a Category 1 bridge (Imminent Failure) if weight restriction was the only “repair” system in place. Assuming this minimum level of competency, the Smithfield Bridge must therefore fall somewhere in the “2” to “4” category range.
Doing a scary bit of basic arithmetic ….The Smithfield Bridge has a weight limit of 23 tons and the average car (not light truck) weighs 1.6 tons. This means there should not be more than 15 “average sized cars” on the bridge at the same time. The Pist-Gazette could be wrong, but we fear this limit might be exceeded on a daily basis during rush hour!
How does PennDOT ensure the weight limit on the Smithfield Bridge (or any other bridge for that matter) is enforced? Are there signs posted? Are there electronic counters, much like parking garages, that let the 16th person in line know not to proceed forward, that the “Bridge is Full”?
It would appear from spokesman Struzzi’s comments that PennDOT feels this type of information would unnecessarily “endanger” the occupant of the 16th car by causing him “undue concern” whilst he trundles across the structrually deficient bridge.
Where does Gov. Rendell stand on the issue? He wants more money, of course. And he’s blaming the State Legislature for nixing his plan to lease the PA Turnpike. And he's bellyaching about their reticence for turning I80 into the PA Turnpike II.
Before Rendell, state and local politicians and other “civil servants” open their mouths to whine about the lack of funds and resources for our crumbling, unsafe infrastructure (including sewer systems and our electric grid), they should first slither under the nearest rock. While there they should contemplate the millions and billions of dollars they have wasted on building stadiums for their rich buddies, TIFs for PNC and other “needy” businesses, tunnels to nowhere, and a legion of other disgusting, wasteful pork projects. No matter how they spin it or where they try to deflect the blame, the general public has finally had their eyes opened. We know what we see and we’re seeing plenty.
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