Monday, September 26, 2016

City Council Approves Legal Transfer of Historic Hazelwood Library to URA

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for LibraryWatchtower

On September 20, Pittsburgh City Council approved Bill 2016-0614 that allows the sale, by the City of Pittsburgh to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) for $1 each, several city properties including the historic Hazelwood Library building. The URA would then prepare the Library building, along with other properties included in the bill, for redevelopment and resale.

Bill 2016-0614 was approved by a vote, of the 9-member City Council, of 7 Aye, 2 No, with no abstentions ---

A motion was made that this matter be Passed Finally. The motion carried. by
the following vote:


Aye: 7 - Rev. Burgess, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Kraus, Mr. Lavelle, Mr. O'Connor, Ms.
Rudiak, and Mrs. Kail-Smith
No: 2 - Ms. Gross, and Mrs. Harris
Abstain: 0

Prior to the official vote during the meeting's Public Comments segment, David Tessitor, long-time city activist and Founder of the Pittsburgh Free-Net, and Glenn A. Walsh, former Life Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in the Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, spoke against the proposed sale of the historic Hazelwood Library.

Mr. Tessitor reminded City Council members that in December they approved a now-ongoing study of the conditions and values of 150 city-owned properties and recommend a 40-year repair and maintenance plan. Since several of the city-owned properties that would be sold by Bill 2016-0614 are part of this year-long study, Mr. Tessitor suggested that it would make more sense to delay the proposed sale until the completion of, what is known as, the Massaro Study (the Massaro Corporation is conducting the study for the City).

City Councilwoman Deborah Gross (representing Council District 7) agreed that it made no sense to approve the sale of these properties, until the completion of the Massaro Study can tell City Council the best places to relocate city services and facilities necessary if these properties are to be sold. Consequently, Ms. Gross voted against Bill 2016-0614.

City Councilwoman Darlene M. Harris (representing Council District 1) also voted no on Bill 2016-0614. She mentioned that, just before the beginning of the Tuesday morning Council meeting, the City Law Department had notified her that the historic Hazelwood Library, which was donated in-trust to the City by Andrew Carnegie, could not be sold without the approval of the Pennsylvania Orphans' Court. Hence, she could not approve the sale of the historic Hazelwood Library by Pittsburgh City Council.

The following are the prepared comments of Glenn A. Walsh, delivered before City Council just prior to the final vote on Bill 2016-0614:

Statement before the        Glenn A. Walsh
    Council of                      P.O. Box 1041
    The City of                    Pittsburgh PA 15230-1041 U.S.A.
    Pittsburgh:                    Telephone: 412-561-7876
Proposed Sale of                E-Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc >
Historic                               Web Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc  >
Hazelwood Branch Bldg., 
                   Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Carnegie Library               2016 September 20

Good morning, I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon. Today I am speaking as a private citizen representing no organization.

I support reuse of the historic Hazelwood Library building, including the large auditorium. However, I oppose Bill 614 which would allow the City of Pittsburgh to sell-off the historic structure.

Last week, City Finance Director Paul Leger said ---
1)     That Bill 614 does not actually sell the properties.
YES IT DOES !!! The bill says, “…conveying AS IS all of the City's right, title and interest, if any, in designated City-owned properties.” If you pass Bill 614, you will convey, and lose control over, the historic Hazelwood Library.

2)     That unless conveyed to the URA, the properties can only be sold at auction.
He did not mention the third option, a long-term lease with a non-profit organization such as the URA or the Hazelwood Initiative, which was done with the historic Buhl Planetarium building in 2002.

The point is that the historic Hazelwood Library should not be sold in the first place. Andrew Carnegie gave this building, including the large auditorium, to the City for a public purpose, and the building should always be owned by the City, so the people of Pittsburgh, through their representatives in Council, will always have a say in what happens to the building.

Redevelopment of the historic Hazelwood Library can occur, as Councilman O’Connor wishes, by a long-term lease under City ownership. However, once this building is conveyed to the URA, neither Councilman O’Connor nor any other member of this Council will have any control over the final disposition of this building. Then the URA Board will make the final decision, not this Council.

I, respectfully, ask that the historic Hazelwood Library be removed from Bill 614, if you feel Bill 614 must be passed.

Thank you.


gaw

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

Bill Number 2016-0614, which proposes to sell historic Hazelwood Library building to URA for $1:
Link >>> https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2778755&GUID=3E19B1D7-201D-4C90-B125-623971E58534

Hazelwood Library Photo Album:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/photoalbumCLP-branches.htm#hazel

Save Hazewood Library: Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/hazelwood/

Related Blog Posts ---

"City Council Preliminarily Approves Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library." 2016 Sept. 15.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/city-council-preliminarily-approves.html

 

"Historic Hazelwood Library Public Hearing." 2016 Sept. 13.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/historic-hazelwood-library-public.html


"Proposed Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library: Public Hearing Thursday."

2016 Sept. 5.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/proposed-sale-of-historic-hazelwood.html

 

"Keep Historic Hazelwood Library as City Property." 2016 Aug. 18.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/keep-historic-hazelwood-library-as-city.html

 

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for LibraryWatchtower.
             2016 Sept. 26.


                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
     Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/01/astronomical-calendar-2016-january.html

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive LibraryWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < librarywatchtower@andrewcarnegie.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, LibraryWatchtower Editor / Author:
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc >
Twitter Feed: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
LibraryWatchtower Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com >
TransportWatchtower Blog: < http://transportwatchtower.blogspot.com  >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin Blog: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, etc.: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* West End Branch, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh:
http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/cfl.html#westend >
* Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Carnegie PA:
http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, September 15, 2016

City Council Preliminarily Approves Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for LibraryWatchtower

Yesterday morning (2016 September 14), Pittsburgh City Council preliminarily approved a bill (Bill 2016-0614) that would allow the sale, by the City of Pittsburgh to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) for $1 each, several city properties including the historic Hazelwood Library building. The URA would then prepare the Library building, along with other properties included in the bill, for redevelopment and resale.

The nearly unanimous vote, which included one abstention, occurred during City Council's weekly meeting of Standing Committees. However, the vote did not occur before there was some heated debate regarding the role the URA should take, as opposed to the role of the City Planning Department, in the processing of these properties.

Speaking at the meeting of City Council's Finance and Law Committee, regarding this issue, were City Finance Director Paul Leger and URA Acting Executive Director Robert Rubinstein. Mr. Leger emphasized that if the City marketed these properties for sale, they would have to take the highest bidder at auction, without any consideration for neighborhood concerns. He said that the URA would provide for a community engagement process before the disposal of the properties.

City Councilwoman Deborah Gross said that the URA's process accelerates development. She believes development of the Strip District and Lawrenceville areas of her district is already too fast, and she wants this slowed-down by a better public participation process. Consequently, she asked that the six properties in her district be removed from Bill 2016-0614 (this does not include the historic Hazelwood Library).

There was much discussion over this request. Several of the other councilmen indicated that the URA public process was the best way to handle these properties. City Councilman Ricky V. Burgess said he would agree to Ms. Gross' request just this once; if and when the properties returned for a vote, he would then vote against her. By a unanimous vote, all six of the properties in Ms. Gross' district were removed from Bill 2016-0614.

Finance and Law Committee Chair Natalia Rudiak, who is Councilwoman for Council District 4 (South Hills), expressed deep concern regarding what would happen to the city functions that had to be displaced by these property sales and how much the displacements would cost.

North Side Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who cast the one abstaining vote on the preliminary final bill, was extremely skeptical regarding the value of the URA public process. She gave examples when people in her district disagreed with URA actions on the North Side.

Councilwoman Harris said that the City Law Department had already confirmed to her that the historic Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny, located in Allegheny Center next to the historic Buhl Planetarium, could not be legally sold by the City. As with the historic Hazelwood Library, the historic Allegheny Library was abandoned by Carnegie Library in the last decade, in favor of newer, down-sized library branches. She said that the City Law Department is still conducting research, regarding whether the historic Hazelwood Library can legally be sold by the City.

A final vote on Bill 2016-0614 is expected, by City Council, during their regular weekly meeting on Tuesday Morning, 2016 September 20 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 14:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

During the Public Comment segment at the beginning of the Standing Committees meeting, both city activist David Tessitor, Founder of the Pittsburgh Free-Net, and long-time library advocate Glenn A. Walsh, who served as a Life Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie PA (1995 to 2000), spoke against the proposed sale of the historic Hazelwood Library. The following are the prepared comments of Glenn A. Walsh:

Statement before the      Glenn A. Walsh
    Council of                     P.O. Box 1041
    The City of                    Pittsburgh PA 15230-1041 U.S.A..
    Pittsburgh:                    Telephone: 412-561-7876
Proposed Sale of              E-Mail: < gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc >           
Historic                               Web Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc  >
Hazelwood Branch Bldg.,
              Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Carnegie Library                2016 September 14

Good morning, I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon. Today I am speaking as a private citizen representing no organization.

I support reuse of the historic Hazelwood Library building, including the large auditorium. However, I oppose Bill 614 which would allow the City of Pittsburgh to sell-off the historic structure.

Bill 614 specifically states: “…conveying AS IS all of the City's right, title and interest, if any, in designated City-owned properties to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh ("URA") for consideration of $1.00 each…” Once this conveyance occurs, the City of Pittsburgh, and the people’s duly-elected representatives in this Council, no longer have any control over what happens to the building.

The City should seek reuse of the Hazelwood Library building the same way it sought reuse of the historic Buhl Planetarium building in 2002---by long-term lease. This way, the City retains control of the historic structure for the benefit of city residents.

I would have no problem with the URA, or a community group such as the Hazelwood Initiative, leasing the building from the City and reusing it. However, Andrew Carnegie gave this building to the City for a public purpose, and the building should always be owned by the City, so the people of Pittsburgh will always have a say in what happens to the building.

It is just plain crazy for this Council to give-up continuing control over this building, simply because the Planning Department may not have the resources for a proper public process. If the Planning Commission cannot do this, then contract-out the public process to the URA and keep the building as City property. Do not give-up a valuable piece of City property simply because the URA can do something the Planning Commission cannot do!

Thank you.


gaw

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

Bill Number 2016-0614, which proposes to sell historic Hazelwood Library building to URA for $1:
Link >>> https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2778755&GUID=3E19B1D7-201D-4C90-B125-623971E58534

Hazelwood Library Photo Album:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/photoalbumCLP-branches.htm#hazel

Save Hazewood Library: Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/hazelwood/

Related Blog Posts ---

"Historic Hazelwood Library Public Hearing." 2016 Sept. 13.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/historic-hazelwood-library-public.html


"Proposed Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library: Public Hearing Thursday."

2016 Sept. 5.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/proposed-sale-of-historic-hazelwood.html

 

"Keep Historic Hazelwood Library as City Property." 2016 Aug. 18.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/keep-historic-hazelwood-library-as-city.html

 

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for LibraryWatchtower.
             2016 Sept. 14.


                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
     Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/01/astronomical-calendar-2016-january.html

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive LibraryWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < librarywatchtower@andrewcarnegie.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, LibraryWatchtower Editor / Author:
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc >
Twitter Feed: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
LibraryWatchtower Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin Blog: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, etc.: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* West End Branch, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh:
http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/cfl.html#westend >
* Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Carnegie PA:
http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Historic Hazelwood Library Public Hearing

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for LibraryWatchtower

A public hearing, regarding the proposal for the City of Pittsburgh to sell the historic Hazelwood Branch of Carnegie Library library building to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for $1 for redevelopment, occurred in the Pittsburgh City Council Chamber last Thursday Afternoon, 2016 September 8 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) / 18:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The public hearing was chaired by Bruce Kraus, President of Pittsburgh City Council. Other City Council members in attendance at this public hearing were Darlene Harris, Corey O'Connor, and Theresa Kail-Smith.

Four people registered to speak at this public hearing. The three registered people, who spoke, were all opposed to the legislation (Bill 2016-0614):
  1. Jacqueline Bey
  2. David Tessitor (who had petitioned for this public hearing)
  3. Glenn A. Walsh

Although Yvonne Francine Brown had registered for this hearing to make a comment (not committed to either being in “Favor” or “Opposed”), she did not attend the hearing.

Pittsburgh City Council will discuss this issue, including the results of the public hearing, on Wednesday Morning, 2016 September 14 at 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC.

The following are the comments of Glenn A. Walsh, delivered at this public hearing:

Statement before the        Glenn A. Walsh
    Council of                       P.O. Box 1041
    The City of                      Pittsburgh PA 15230-1041 U.S.A.
    Pittsburgh:                      Telephone: 412-561-7876
Proposed Sale of               E-Mail: <gaw@andrewcarnegie.cc> 
Historic                                Web Site: <http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc>
Hazelwood Branch Bldg.,
Carnegie Library                 2016 September 8
                         Blog: <http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/>

Good afternoon, I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon. Today I am speaking as a private citizen representing no organization.

I support reuse of the historic Hazelwood Library building, including the large auditorium. However, I oppose Bill 614 which would allow the City of Pittsburgh to sell-off the historic structure.

Bill 614 specifically states: “…conveying AS IS all of the City's right, title and interest, if any, in designated City-owned properties to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh ("URA") for consideration of $1.00 each…” Once this conveyance occurs, the City of Pittsburgh, and the people’s duly-elected representatives in this Council, no longer have any control over what happens to the building.

If the building is sold to a third party, there is no guarantee that the structure will be reused for the benefit of city residents. This third party may make all types of promises, but after obtaining the building and learning how much it will really cost to rehab the structure, they may give-up and the building will sit empty for many more years.

The City should seek reuse of the Hazelwood Library building the same way it sought reuse of the historic Buhl Planetarium building in 2002---by long-term lease. This way, the City retains control of the historic structure for the benefit of city residents.

I would have no problem with the URA, or a community group such as the Hazelwood Initiative, leasing the building from the City and reusing it. However, Andrew Carnegie gave this building to the City for a public purpose, and the building should always be owned by the City, so the people of Pittsburgh will always have a say in what happens to the building.

Thank you.

gaw

Related Blog Posts ---

"Proposed Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library: Public Hearing Thursday."

2016 Sept. 5.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/proposed-sale-of-historic-hazelwood.html

 

"Keep Historic Hazelwood Library as City Property." 2016 Aug. 18.

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/keep-historic-hazelwood-library-as-city.html

 

Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for LibraryWatchtower.
             2016 Sept. 13.


                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
     Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/01/astronomical-calendar-2016-january.html

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive LibraryWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < librarywatchtower@andrewcarnegie.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, LibraryWatchtower Editor / Author:
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc >
Twitter Feed: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
LibraryWatchtower Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin Blog: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, etc.: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* West End Branch, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh:
http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/cfl.html#westend >
* Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Carnegie PA:
http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Monday, September 5, 2016

Proposed Sale of Historic Hazelwood Library: Public Hearing Thursday

http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/CLP-Dome1.JPG
Ornamental dome skylight over the circulation desk of the historic Hazelwood
Branch building of Carnegie Library, which opened to the public in 1900.
(Image Source: History of Andrew Carnegie and Carnegie Libraries Internet Web Site;
Photographer: Lynne S. Walsh)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for LibraryWatchtower

In July, the City of Pittsburgh proposed selling the historic Hazelwood Branch Library building of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) for $1, in preparation for sale to a third party for redevelopment.

Last month, long-time city activist David Tessitor, who founded the Pittsburgh Free-Net Internet web portal < http://pghfree.net/ > in 2004 (immediately after The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh abandoned their Three Rivers Free-Net), successfully petitioned for a public hearing before Pittsburgh City Council, regarding this proposed sale. This public hearing will occur this-coming Thursday Afternoon, 2016 September 8 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, in the Council Chamber of Pittsburgh City Council – located on the 5th floor of the City-County Building, at 414 Grant Street in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh had abandoned the historic Hazelwood Library building, in favor of a down-sized library branch on the second floor of a new retail building, on 2004 March 13. On 2004 July 14, the historic Hazelwood Library branch building, along with four other historic library branches (West End, Mount Washington, Lawrenceville, and Homewood), received a unanimous vote from the Pittsburgh City Council naming each of these five buildings as a "City-Designated Historic Structure," after receiving the nomination for this designation by the late Walter Kidney of the the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.

Should a sale of the historic Hazelwood Library building occur, the people of Pittsburgh, and particularly the people in the Hazelwood neighborhood, will no longer have any influence in the use, or disuse, of this historic property. This building includes a large auditorium, which has been used for community events for more than a century.

City residents, and particularly residents of the Hazelwood neighborhood, are encouraged to attend and speak before City Council at this public hearing, regarding this important issue. Any member of the public can speak for three minutes, at this public hearing. It would be best to register ahead of time to speak at this public hearing, by telephoning the Pittsburgh City Clerk's office at 412-255-2138, during normal business hours.

Personally appearing and speaking, before City Council at this public hearing, would be the best way to register your opposition to the proposed sale of the historic Hazelwood Library building. However, if for any reason you cannot appear and speak at this public hearing, you can write a short electronic mail message and send the message to me, Glenn A. Walsh, at the following address:
                                          < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc >.
At the public hearing, I will submit to City Council any and all e-mail messages I receive, in opposition to the sale of the historic Hazelwood Library building.

The following is the official City notice of this public hearing:

Public Hearing Schedule

Bill Nos. 2016-0614 & 2016-0663 Cooperation Agreement & Petition, City-owned properties sold to URA
Thursday, September 8th, 2016 - 2:00 pm
2016-0614 Resolution authorizing the Mayor and the Director of the Department of Finance to execute  a quit claim deed or deeds,  and any other necessary or appropriate documents, agreements, and instruments conveying AS IS all of the City’s right, title and interest, if any, in designated City-owned properties to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (“URA”) for consideration of $1.00 each, contingent upon the Mayor and Director of the Department of Finance first entering into a Cooperation Agreement or Agreements with the URA setting forth the rights and obligations of the City and the URA relating to these initial conveyances and further setting forth the rights and obligations of the City and the URA relating to the subsequent disposition of these properties to third parties. (CABLECAST)
2016-0663 Petition from the residents of the City of Pittsburgh requesting a Public Hearing before City Council relative to Bill No. 2016-0614 as it relates to legislation conveying City-owned properties to the URA. The Petition is valid in accordance with the Home Rule Charter. (CABLECAST)

Internet Links to Additional Information ---

Bill Number 2016-0614, which proposes to sell historic Hazelwood Library building to URA for $1:
Link >>> https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2778755&GUID=3E19B1D7-201D-4C90-B125-623971E58534

Hazelwood Library Photo Album:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/photoalbumCLP-branches.htm#hazel

Save Hazewood Library: Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/hazelwood/

Bauder, Bob. Pittsburgh moving to sell properties to promote development
Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh 2016 July 12.
Proposed sale of original Carnegie Library, Hazelwood Branch, from City of Pittsburgh to Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for one dollar, for future redevelopment.

Belko, Mark. "Pittsburgh looks to join development boom in its own backyard."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2016 July 12.
Proposed sale of original Carnegie Library, Hazelwood Branch, from City of Pittsburgh to Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for one dollar, for future redevelopment.

Pittsburgh Free-Net: Link >>> http://pghfree.net/

Related Blog Posts ---

"Historic Hazelwood Library Public Hearing." 2016 Sept. 13.

(Includes public statement of Glenn A. Walsh before Pittsburgh City Council)

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/09/historic-hazelwood-library-public.html

 

"Keep Historic Hazelwood Library as City Property." 2016 Aug. 18.

(Includes public statement of Glenn A. Walsh before Pittsburgh City Council)

Link >>> http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/08/keep-historic-hazelwood-library-as-city.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh Reporting for LibraryWatchtower.
             2016 Sept. 5.


                                                               Historic 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.
        2016: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Observatory
     Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2016/01/astronomical-calendar-2016-january.html

                             Like This Post? - Please Share!

Want to receive LibraryWatchtower blog posts in your inbox ?
Send request to < librarywatchtower@andrewcarnegie.cc >.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, LibraryWatchtower Editor / Author:
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc >
Twitter Feed: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
LibraryWatchtower Blog: < http://librarywatchtower.blogspot.com >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin Blog: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, etc.: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* West End Branch, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh:
http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/cfl.html#westend >
* Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Carnegie PA:
< http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >