Good morning and welcome to the Standing Committee's meeting for Wednesday, July 8th, 2026.

All council meetings will be live streamed on the city's website, and for guest speakers at the table, please do not turn off your microphones.

Our first order of business is roll call.

Will the clerk please take the roll?

Mr.

Sharman, here.

Mr.

Coghill, Miss Gross, Mr.

LaVelle.

Here.

Mr.

Mosley.

Ms.

Alanetro?

Here.

Miss Warwick.

Here.

Mr.

Wilson.

Ms.

Strasberger Chair.

Here.

Five members present.

Thank you.

Our next order of business is to amend the agenda.

Can I have a motion to amend?

So move.

Second.

All in favor?

Agenda is amended.

Our next order of business is public comment.

I would like to remind all speakers that the rules of council state that comments are limited to matters of concern, official action, or deliberation, which are or maybe before city council, and profanity will not be permitted.

Please state your name and neighborhood for the record.

You will have three minutes to speak.

Our first registered speaker is Keisha Gomez.

Thank you.

I wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself and our organization because I know there are important conversations that you have on the agenda that's happening around violence prevention, community investment, and the allocation of stop the violence funds and others as well.

They're starting businesses, and they're coming back to hope as employees and mentors for the next generation.

That's the kind of long-term investment I believe you're looking for, and that the community needs.

Because none of us can solve these challenges alone.

Thank you for your time.

I look forward to working together to continue creating opportunities for Pittsburgh's young people and hope that the West End is not forgotten.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dr.

Ronald Lynn Miller.

Dr.

Royal and Miller, United States, Pittsburgh PA, and Oxfield Neighborhood, USA, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sioux Falls Center Neighborhood, which is the location of the Ark of Dreams.

New Zealand Alkland, the Maori Center neighborhood, Tehana Te Marana, Maori Cultural Center.

Concerns of this council include diversity and information and intelligence that has to do with the effects of slavery on the city.

Concerns that I have as a candidate for President of the United States 2028 ACE include diversity, with a focus on information and intelligence optimality to millions of copper skin indigenous in the United States and dark skinned individuals of African descent.

The 4th of July is not Independence Day.

July 4 from 1776 is incarceration day.

Using Manifest Destiny, 1846 as an ideological propeller to create a greater USA, twenty of a minimum 40 million indigenous were killed by light skinned, European descent, US American followers of not Pacific, anti-lex teleonist Jesus, but of violentic institutionalized Christianity.

Mount Washmore is a sacrilege to descendants of the Sioux, barbarous, pighead racist, four of them up there.

According to genocide centers in Deutschland, Neon, Mexico, United States of America, and the United Nations, followers of the institutionalized Christian religion at one, a minimum, 100 million killed, are at the top of the list.

The greatest religious killers of all time.

Greater England emerged 1200 to 1800, propelled by the idea of a greater Britain.

And in 1820 or so, the indigenous of Ire uh declined between 1820 and 1900 from 8 million to 4 million.

Um, two million by starvation, and two million who emigrated primarily to the United States of America.

How could Christian England allow this to happen?

Allow Irish people to die in this way.

How could this happen?

How can this be a consequence of being Christian?

It is not.

Leave the institutionalized church and follow Jesus.

That's the primary task.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Lauren Corsey.

Okay, let me just cross my name out on here.

Okay.

Um, good morning, uh, recreation, youth, and senior services committee, and Chairperson Warwick.

Thank you for allowing me to give public comment.

Um, my name is Lauren Corsey.

I'm the director of engagement and sustainability with Hazelwood Initiative by training.

I'm a social worker.

I am here to encourage you to issue an RFP to fund staffing and programming for the recently renovated Bergman Rec Center in Glen Hazel.

This is an opportunity to provide free supportive programming for children from all over Greater Hazelwood and outside of the neighborhood in a building that has already been renovated.

The recenter is all ready for the kids, but they can't use it because it needs staffing and programming.

We know that we have an audience, as so many kids from the neighborhood, as well as from neighboring communities, come to use the spray park attached to the recenter.

Enriching that location with programming will reach and support youth in their out of school time, which is desperately needed.

Nonprofit community-based organizations in the neighborhood like Center of Life, Jada House, Poor Law do a wonderful job of filling in gaps and providing youth programming in Hazelwood.

And still, there is never enough.

They cannot do this work without the tools.

The city's support would go a long way in providing safe and supportive after-school activities for the kids.

Funding the Rec Center would mean out-of-school activities in a neighborhood where there is no movie theater, no arcade, and very few third spaces for children and teens.

This is a great opportunity for the city to invest in the development of kids in the city of Pittsburgh.

After school activities are critical for kids' development and continued support outside of school.

They help students build self-confidence, life skills, leadership skills, and have plenty of other long-term positive benefits to a child's academic and social life, and yet not everyone can access them.

These types of benefits should be available to everyone.

Providing funding for staffing and programs will not only benefit kids in Hazelwood, but will benefit their parents and families who are working or need respite from child care in and outside of Greater Hazelwood.

We are working with parents and families who often cannot afford the high price of enrollment for summer camps and structured after-school programming.

So having a place where low and moderate income families can access those programs is critical.

There has been a lot of talk in the city of Pittsburgh lately about what kids do when they're not in school.

I think that in place of criminalizing children and teens, we need to provide them with options.

Funding the recenter is one concrete way to do that and would be a productive use of valuable city resources and would help to bring some brighter days to Hazelwood.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dylan James Bisescu.

Hello, my name is Dylan Bisescu.

I'm a resident of the South Side.

I've spoken to you for multiple weeks about why you should end the discrimination and the curfews on East Carson Street.

So to be fair, I want to discuss why some people want to keep it going, and I want to explain why they're mistaken.

There is first a perception of increased crime that is held over from the past.

But crime has reduced dramatically without these extremely recent restrictions on public life.

These restrictions are unnecessary, and if they are truly so necessary, the city's restrictions would be, frankly, upon men.

Every statistical measure of crime would support that restriction overwhelmingly if reducing crime was truly all we care about.

But of course, that restriction would wreak too much of discrimination to be tolerable.

But if the concern, alternatively, as some have said, was the unrest on the previous July 4th holiday, our most recent national anniversary has come and gone.

There is not even remaining a pretense of a need for these restrictions.

There is, second, a lack of information.

People across the South Side were informed of the details of these restrictions and these measures only at the last hour, and exactly as intended, had little time to educate themselves and organize to oppose the draconian measures planned months ahead of time, sought funding months ahead of time behind the scenes.

And sadly, and lastly, there are those who have said they want to keep out who they call troublemakers from outside the neighborhood.

And I will not mince words anymore.

This is about race.

No one could be so lacking in candor as to assert the contrary.

To hearken to outside agitators is an echoing cry from a sordid past.

Already we have seen hate groups in the South Side newly repeating this messaging on signs and flyers near my own home.

And I am sure they are glad for a local government that validates their belief that outsiders are an insidious threat against their safety.

I am asking you again, stop giving aid and comfort to people who would see us oppressed with glee.

End these fruitless restrictions.

Thank you.

Our final registered speaker is Chief Ikohana Helmakina.

I do not see them online, so we will come back to the chief.

We will now move on to those.

We will now move on to those in the audience wishing to speak.

Thank you.

Carlino Jumpolo, Pastor Hollow.

In my testimony yesterday, I mentioned that the actions of council members Barbara Gorwick and Bob Charman in fully supporting the Walgar graffiti, encouraging underage drinking and recreational drug use at the Oakland Do It Yourself skate park are a broken trust for the people of Pittsburgh.

I went on to say this council has full knowledge of these two council members' broken trust and ask that you file your report to the proper authority for their breach and violation of the code of conduct.

My full testimony is on the website, Pantherhollow Playground.com.

On Monday, July 6th, I sent an email to Mayor Corey O'Connor.

Here are a few excerpts.

Since my email to you on January 12, 2026, you have been aware of the Oakland DIY skate park issue, severely impacting Panther Hollow residents.

In my email, I also congratulated you on your election as mayor and shared our commonality of Central and Duquesne graduates and being blessed with exceptional parents.

On April 15th, 2026, I sent you an email in hand delivered photos of the vulgar graffiti inside the skate park that encourages underage drinking and recreational drug use.

Painting over the vulgar graffiti would not solve the issue.

The solution is to shut down the Oakland DIY skate park altogether.

This issue has now moved beyond your administration.

When I filed a report with the Allegheny County Health Department about rats in the skate park, I learned that Pittsburgh Public Schools in Allegheny County also own this property.

These co-owners can delegate authority to the city of Pittsburgh to maintain the property, but they cannot delegate responsibility.

Tomorrow I will speak at the Allegheny County Council meeting asking council members to as private citizens to do the same.

Whether they contact you or not, ultimately, your own personal dignity will make the final decision.

End of excerpts.

Simply because it is the right thing to do.

Thank you.

Hello, good morning.

My name is Easton Hill.

I'm a resident of Hazelwood.

I'm here to tell you why I think the uh recenter in Bergwin should be open.

Kids are running the streets and doing whatever they think they want.

Um there's only a couple camps in after schools, and the bathroom does not work, and we have to use the field.

So I think we should open the recenter.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Next speaker, please.

Hi, my name is Denise Johnson.

I live in Hazelwood.

That was my son.

The reason why I think the Bergwin needs to be open, because we see what's going on every day out in the streets.

After school programs, we have a couple, but it's not enough to serve Hazelwood.

So you got the kids over here running the streets, you get the kids over here.

Learning.

There's enough for everybody to be at one of these three or four different facilities that we could be at.

It's not like other neighborhoods have it.

And yeah, they get the cuda.

We don't.

They seem like we're forgotten.

Other things is more important than our children.

And we just need to help.

I mean, I I could do it.

I would open it up to get these kids off the streets.

But I can't do it.

But I'm just here to ask for some help.

And I appreciate you all, and thank you.

Have a great day.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good morning.

My name is Lula Coke, and I'm a resident of Hazelwood for 26 years.

And I'm a member of the Art of Scourgeon of Hazelwood.

But my group are here to support you and help you to get Berkeley Center back open so we can get the kids off the street and give them something to do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Hello, my name is James Cole.

Um I'm the program director of Poor Law.

And I'm the person who um, well, our organization is the one who has been uh doing programming out of the Bergwin uh building for the past six years.

Uh the building we started off with having football 12 years ago and um with having football, we uh used to have uh just tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and uh we would pull out tables and chairs and just do tutoring before we would do football because we want we wanted to ensure that the kids understood that uh school that you're a student athlete, not just an athlete.

And through that, we needed the with it with rain and stuff, we would have to pull out tents and everything, and we knew that we needed a space where we can be indoors and do the work um and create a wraparound program where the kids could not just only come for sports, but also uh um also educational purposes.

We um got in 2020, we uh started talking to the city city and Miss Uh uh and I think our name was Kathy at the time uh about getting access to the building.

We received access to the building, and we have been doing programming for the past six years.

We've partnered with uh different neighborhoods to stop the violence with our uh with uh within our community by uh partnering with um Ammons and That Porter, uh Southside, Vaughn Manton.

Um uh we were able to create uh memories with these kids.

We partner with them with our summer camps uh and with after school programming.

Um we've been doing this for the past six years, but we've been doing it on a minimal budget.

We haven't had the funding to really do it, but we make it happen.

Uh I was spending a lot of my own money.

Um, and it's uh, yeah, it's getting it it it's got to the point where I had to go and get another job, which has made it where as though I can't do with uh my passion is um at this point, and that is to inspire and empower the kids in my community.

I'm one of the first, I'm I'm one of the people of the community.

I'm born and raised in Hazelwood.

I have um I'm one of the people from the neighborhood who went off and got their bachelor's degree from Morgan State University.

I'm a Morgan State grad.

Um the building uh was being used.

Well, yeah, it's still being used, but this, we need funding.

At the end of the day, our organization, we need funding to be able to continue to do the work that we've been doing.

Um, it's crazy that most underserved communities have small nonprofits who are doing programming within these city buildings, um, and uh, within these city buildings and wealthier neighborhoods, get the funding and have all of this stuff together.

Thank you very much.

Your time has expired.

Or getting the same monies to be able to do this, which is making it.

Thank you very much.

Your time has expired.

We need to give everyone equal time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, next speaker.

Yes, so I want to continue what my son was just saying, which is we do need funding.

And I think that it's a blatant disrespect to put our RFP out because we have been doing this work for a long time now without an RFP.

So again, and the children that we serve are the ones that a lot of chip people in our organization in our community don't, and that's the at-risk children.

We are working with the children that other organizations don't want to work with.

Let's keep that right in the forefront, okay?

And like my son said, he he loves working with the youth.

This is what he does.

This is what we do.

Okay?

These are the youth of our future.

Okay.

These children right here trust us.

Okay.

You bring somebody else in the community, you're not gonna get the effect that you would get if it was us.

Understand that because you have to build trust.

Okay, and this building is where people come, they eat.

Because I was cooking at home, bringing food up to the wreck so that our children can eat.

We had them specifically fix this building to how we need it to be fixed.

They have a little kitchenette in there.

We can teach them cooking, we can teach them a lot of things in here.

So I just want to I just wanna say this.

We do $500,000 worth of work for 10,000.

Okay?

That's what we do.

That's the blatant disrespect.

We earned it, we deserve it, and we're still here.

We're still here because of these children.

I've been doing this longer than my son been doing it.

Okay, so I know.

I know what's going on.

So again, we, the people, we deserve that wreck.

Okay, we got people that live around in the community that watches that wreck, not only watch the wreck, but they watch the children.

Because the children is is in our park, they're in the park, they might be smoking.

We'll have a resident that the children know and respect.

Come over and tell them to stop.

Guess what they're gonna do?

They're gonna stop.

Because they listen and they respect us.

And when you have that, you have something.

You you just like children just don't like anybody, they gotta trust you.

And that trust is important, y'all.

Okay, it's very important.

So I'm not asking for RFP.

That's not what we're asking for.

We're asking that money should be designated to the people who've been doing this work.

Okay, that's where it should go.

Now, if anybody else feels different, that's on them.

But right now, we deserve it because we put the work in.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Hi, how are you doing?

Good morning.

My name is Brianna Fisher.

I am a former resident of Hazelwood.

Uh, and Sondra Cole just spoke about the effect of Hazelwood in which she had stayed and which she had done.

I stand before you at 31 with children now of my own.

Someone who sat with her, and I had endured that neighborhood of Hazelwood, and I've endured us not having funding or anything.

And I don't know anything that, if they say anything, uh idolmine is the devil's playground.

You can either give funding where it is needed and where it is used, and allow these kids to have something that my children, the seeds of my seeds.

Because I am Hazelwood.

I'm a daughter in Hazelwood, I'm a mom in Hazelwood, I'm even an activist at Hazelwood.

And you can give them people that funding.

Because I know I rode past Shady Lane and I seen them outside cutting the grass and the kids running up with the little shorts on and everything.

But I didn't see that when I ran through Hazelwood to get here.

I didn't see that at all.

Whether it was Shady Lane or the Shady Lane after school program or the summer camp.

But I don't see that money being allocated in Hazelwood, and they're continuously coming up here to fight for something that's already should be theirs.

Now you can sit and say, Oh, well, these kids are rally and they don't do this and they don't do that and keep allowing people in different communities and everything to be uprooted and then say, Oh my gosh, I can't believe those kids are doing this or doing that, and then you see them on the news and everything, like there are downtown and East Liberty and everything.

Or you can give these kids an option.

You can give them something to do, and then you can see the result.

You can see me.

I'm 31.

I didn't sit in her yard, I done said in Nayard, I done played well, they don't even remember my name because I'm grown now.

I done had to move out of Hazelwood to give my three sons a chance.

But in the neighborhood we live in, we're not necessarily welcome.

So I have to come back to Hazelwood.

To provide my kids with something, and again, this is coming from a daughter in Hazelwood, a mom in Hazelwood, somebody who cooks in Hazelwood, somebody who looks like Hazelwood and somebody who is Hazelwood.

Provide the funding, and maybe they could be something and not have to move like I had to move.

Just to come back and say, Oh, yeah, y'all, we can do something.

No, we can do something a day.

Impact, you see it.

And also need, you see it.

It's up to you guys.

Put it in your hands and allow these people who work hard every day.

This lady right here, she don't even have her son no more.

She's here fighting for rights in the community that she lives in because she wants the community to do better.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

My name is Renee Wilson, and I live on a hill.

I'm here today to talk to the people that we elected to make laws for this city.

With this body, okay, based on everything publicly reported.

The city of Pittsburgh did not follow the normal legal process required to impose a curfew in the public square.

We're talking about market square.

Instead, we let Pittsburgh Partnership and Public Safety do this curfew.

Which is not the way this is supposed to be happen.

We elected you all to do our laws.

So how come this is done without you all?

Okay, there's no ordinance, no executive order, no public hearing, no authorizing official, none of that happened here.

So that's not the worst.

The worst is after this curfew was put in place, they started moving the children out of Market Square.

They can't even sit down by past three.

If they come from one bus stop to the other, they sit down, they're told to move, they're told to move.

There was an incident with my daughter who took our children down to Market Square after a dance recital.

They went into Starbucks.

The people said, Oh, they're too loud.

They flew out the black children and left the white children in the store.

So anytime that you start mixing, law with somebody's perception, you're you're making a very big mistake.

But the worst mistake that you made is that you were loud when you knew, because I know y'all know the law, that they were using pepper spray on minors, chasing these people, and spraying them with purpose spray.

Now, this happened in East Liberty.

We didn't do a whole curfew for the whole city.

So why we don't mind a 10 o'clock curfew at night.

We don't want the kids out, but we do not want our children chased, and we definitely don't want them pepper spray, which is excessive force.

And that's the way it's written in the law.

We don't want that to happen.

We want you to do your job.

There need to be a curfew.

You all better get it together and stop allowing other people who don't have no right to make law.

We urge all that for that.

That's why we elect the job.

Please change it.

Please change it.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good morning.

My name is Leah Pugh.

Um, when I first began my career in community social work over a decade ago, um I quickly learned to know Hazelwood to be a community of mutual aid, and one to this day that I think is the strongest in those efforts.

When I spent time at the after school or working in the summer camp, organized by the cool family members behind me, um, I saw firsthand brothers and sisters that were residents of the community of Hazelwood come together to support and uplift the youth of Hazelwood.

With that comes authentic, competent care centered on the community.

Um I also brought my own children along and saw firsthand the effect that the cool family had on Hazelwood residents.

Um now that I'm in the education sector, I can't even place a number on how many students come to Coach Coose as a beacon, and this means that the work is working.

There are students that in school face a lot of challenges, but when I see them in the after school, they aren't there, they aren't there.

That means that they're listening, that means that these are effective community leaders.

Um they tell me that it was six years that they've been doing um their work with after-school programming.

Um before resource came in, one thing I've also learned in my line of work is that it that usually the labor is not matched with the appropriate amount of support from the city.

Um, but it is in fact benefiting the city of Pittsburgh at large through this personal investment in the youth.

Uh, it doesn't make sense to me to hamper these efforts with RFPs when the work is already right there and the funding is what needs to be present.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good afternoon.

My name is Pastor Jean Jeffries.

I am a lifetime resident of the greater Hazelwood community.

I raised, I was raised in Hazelwood, I raised my children in Hazelwood, and I stand in support of Hazelwood in an effort not to echo all of the things that you have already heard.

I see before me not just council people, but I see souls, hearts and minds.

I come on the behalf of a higher power, that there is a political arena that the world is circulating in.

Much of what we have heard today speaks to the injustice and the misrepresentation and the mishandling of people.

But I don't come as just another voice on behalf of people.

I come as a voice on behalf of a sovereign God who said, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

And I don't know what kind of religious backgrounds you may come from or what your religious spirit thinking is, but you've already heard testimonies that the work is being done by the hands that need to be enabled, and we're fighting through the bureaucracy of politics.

And at the end of the day, though, we're all gonna have to stand before a righteous God because we must do what is right for people.

We're not gonna be judged by the money that we made, the house that we lived in, the position that we sat on, we're gonna be judged by how do we deal with people in an equal and equitable way.

For God did not say he so loved certain people, it was not a denominational thing, it was not an educational thing, it was not a political thing, regardless.

Black or white Democrat, republican, we're all people, and children are our greatest investment.

Because we're only given a window of time that we have on this earth, and then, as we all probably have experienced, death comes, and when death comes, we'll stand before a righteous judge who will judge the quick and the dead, and so whether you don't agree with some of our perspectives or you don't agree with some of our political allegiances, you will agree that there will be a day that there will be no more longer in this year, but in the world to come.

And so my appeal is to throw out to he that have an ear.

Let him hear.

You probably have children.

You probably have grandchildren, nieces, nephews, whatever, guard children.

Would you do this for your own children?

And this world is separating who deserves it and who does not.

And that's a lie, because there is enough.

Every time we pay a bill and we get our taxes paid, there's enough.

So let's do it according to the heart of the matter and not the religious or the political or the whatever other arenas are affecting us.

Again, my appeal to come to you as a woman of God is to say, listen to the heart of God and serve the people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good morning, council.

My name is Junique Brown.

I'm a homeless mother.

I was born on White Flat Road in my house.

And I'm here today because I'm here every week.

And I'm going to keep being here.

And I want to talk about what the city chooses to spend its money on.

First thing I want you to notice is something about the people that come down here.

When white residents come down to this podium, they are asking you to take things out of their neighborhoods.

A development they don't want, a shelter they don't want nearby, a business they don't like.

But when black residents come to this podium, we are begging you to put things in our neighborhoods.

A grocery store, a program, a chance to own a home.

They come here with demands.

We come here with prayers.

And that difference right here is the story of Pittsburgh.

I've been here for months.

But I looked into a couple things.

So the 10 million a year in housing opportunity fund.

What happened to that?

The $13 million in federal C D B G money that by law must help low-income residents.

What happens to that?

The $8.3 million in home ARP funds meant specifically for homeless families.

What happened to that?

A 70, wait, a 721 million dollar budget that just raised everybody's taxes for the city, but has no programs to help any residents of any black neighborhoods.

Y'all have nothing for us.

This city is reimbursing a council member.

Who are you at?

Anthony, $54 for cleaning supplies.

You could have donated that.

A public works employee is getting $147 for floor decor.

I'm not saying those aren't real expenses, because I'm sure they are to y'all.

I'm just saying you are tracking $54 to the penny.

But you cannot find money for programs or home ownership on programs for the people that are sleeping without a roof like me.

This is not a budget problem.

This is a priorities problem.

The money exists.

The only question is who you decide it belongs to.

Stop making us beg for what other demands for what others demand to get away.

They don't even want it.

We're begging for it.

And they want the stuff out of their communities.

Y'all don't even help us at all.

And a couple of y'all uh black skinned white people up there, y'all need to start working for us.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Oh, you better.

Yeah, well, I'm Hazelwood bound.

Okay.

I'm Hazelwood Bowl.

Okay, my name is Howard HP Jackson, Black Political Empowerment Project.

I grew up with NACP all my life in Pittsburgh.

And uh the human nature and uh the unity that like I'm standing with because I moved to Wilkinsburg after my limb got cut off, my leg got cut off, and I haven't been able to participate in my community like I really want to, like I always have done.

Okay, always been a community activist, blessed by the hand of Sarah Dixon, okay, and I call Sondra Cole, Sarah, okay.

But anyway, the reality of the complaints and disagreements, you done researched your hearts.

I've been participating with the council for years, okay, and seeing the work that you have done.

You know, I'm not pointing fingers at nobody.

You know, because human rights is human rights, and uh disagreements is disagreements, but Bergwing, poor law, Center of Life, Robert Murray, myself.

We had a meeting with Propel in order to reopen Bergwyn.

All right, and we made it happen, and now we need your help to go here to pursue and protect our children, right?

I'm tired of hearing the song The Love of Our Children and look at them.

You know, you gotta really go ahead and man up and be that parent, just like you are with your own loved ones, and visualize like how you want your children to visualize how you want to present them to be, right?

You know, like I was lied to growing up.

Jesus was white, okay.

All right, Columbus discovered America.

Never put a foot on okay, I don't have to go with the bylaws, but human rights and protecting our babies.

You know, there's a vision, right?

I had a vision when I was a child.

I went to Berwin, loved it.

Believe me, then I went to Gladstone's smallest school in the city.

But I'm gonna tell you about Hazelwood's heart.

They played Western House two years in a row, 66 and 67.

So the identity of growth and what your heart is and what you stand for, that's an example right there.

But it changed after Martin got killed in '68.

And we kind of got dismantled.

But Sarah Dixon unified the whole community, black and white, and named the organization of mothers, prep mothers.

Wow.

And they unified black and white.

So we can go ahead and put that package together and touch our youth, and we need your help to support the vision that they already been working for.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good morning.

My name is Yvonne F.

Brown.

I live at 715 Mercer Street.

That's the high rise up on Bedford.

192 apartments.

Now, every time when I come down, it's a lot of times I come with questions, and most of the time with problems.

Now I've come with a problem that we experienced last night.

I signed up to speak at County Council.

Last week, sometime.

Anyway, me and my daughter comes down to speak.

All the doors are locked.

I go to the front.

I'm banging on the doors.

That's locked.

But it says till five in the front.

And for years, you can come in the back.

I went to the back, we couldn't get in.

We walked around, and I went to the guard's office.

She's in there by herself.

But then she called and tried to get somebody to let us in.

Finally, here she said, stand there.

Here comes the man, and I said, Oh, good, sir.

We signed up to speak.

Okay, but I didn't know it was the councilman coming to get the young lady that's getting the proclamation.

They had took the program at the hearing, they did the recess.

So they uh they brought the meeting back, you know, like you do, and they let the young girl, they gave her a proclamation.

Then they ended.

I am protesting because I came in with like in fact I came before her because she was coming.

He was letting her in.

I didn't know it was the councilman, but I told him I had signed up to speak.

I should have been able to speak.

I don't care what you say.

And I feel like that's a real, you know, I do a lot of talking, but I think I need to write and sue that I couldn't get into the meeting.

Because when we got in, the man, the the the man at the thing said the meeting's almost almost over.

How do you know?

And then we stood there, they turned the machine off.

He had to turn the machine back on.

We stood there for minutes till it warmed back up.

We're supposed to be able to get in the courthouse.

We're supposed to be able to.

Anytime there's a hearing that I signed up last week sometime.

I'm tired of it.

You say it's me, but I found all the little quirks that just know what to do that the people don't know because they don't come down.

If they came down here and saw you every day while we're talking, you well, lately you haven't been because we've been fussing at you.

You should be on your phone, computer, even go sit over in the corner, talking on the phone while we're speaking three minutes.

And especially a bunch of white people come, you went out there in the hall while we're still speaking.

Three minutes.

You can't stop for three minutes.

Come on.

We're here hours, hours, watching you, listening to you, and you won't stay for three minutes.

We tried to get five years ago.

We couldn't even get five minutes.

Um sorry.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Okay, okay.

Wait a minute, we gotta pick.

Let me get C B.

Okay.

Why not a time?

I think that you should keep the rec room open because if kids don't have a place to go, they won't, like their parents, they have work still in the summer, and there's kids that don't have anywhere to go, so they still need to go somewhere.

And yeah, yeah.

I think they should keep the rack open because uh the kids learn.

They have a lot of education, there's a lot of things to do at the rec.

I think y'all should open that so kids can go there after school and play and learn more.

I think that you guys should open up like after schools and stuff, so everybody can learn and play and eat after school.

I think um more kids um should go to school and when grown-ups uh and like when like more and more kids lose their homes, and they're their grown-ups, um are losing their jobs.

So I think that more they they should make more schools and after school program, thank you.

Okay, that's it.

Yes.

Say thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Good morning, special agent.

The missing child series sale.

Wow.

God, you really work in mysterious ways.

I'm the 1981 CCAC dance instructor, and I um a vocalist for Harper Street mission on the north side on Sundays.

Between I say give their attend until one, they feed, they do a lot for the homeless.

I know you guys are not homeless, but this is a mission that I support vocally as well as uh with messages from God.

Um when I sing, I'm looking for background dancers.

I'm looking for um models, the little ones, y'all like come with a suit on, put that dress on, and please come so I can tell you, tell get the mic, you can get the mic and tell people who you are, where you're from, and which who you represent in Jesus' name.

That's something you guys can come and do with me.

Please come on Sunday.

Right over by the overriding building on the north side.

Sunday between I say get there at 10 till one o'clock.

It's in the out thing uh that they do, they do a lot.

Um, if you need anything, you know anybody need anything, please come.

Um, but I want to read the 14th Amendment from section one.

Uh no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within his jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The reason I read that is because my four the Fourth Amendment rights have been completely violated.

I was privileged as a child, left two houses, you guys.

Two, somebody left me as a child.

They were stolen.

I'm 62 now.

They were stolen by the city.

If not the city, they know who did my family, the people that raised me.

I was abducted, kidnapped, whatever you want to call it.

There's been over a hundred thousand children abducted from your right here, human traffic, right here to become what?

Slaved?

Really?

Slavery was a balls when somebody, anybody, in Jesus' name.

Lamentations 357 says, you came here when I called you, and you said do not fear.

Fear is written in the Bible 365 times.

That's one day each of this year of a year.

Every day of the year, God is telling us not to fear.

A reminder to live each day fearlessly in Jesus' name.

Proverbs 22 11 says, He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.

The song for that uh scripture is I am a friend of God.

The song today's song comes from Kirk Franklin.

All things, God can do all things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please.

Seeing no further speakers, we will move on to the standing committee's agenda.

And we move right into invoices.

You'll notice that you were handed an additional invoices sheet.

And on that sheet, you'll see an addition at the bottom of the second page at the bottom of Department of Parks and Recreation.

$10 to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the Homewood Pool application.

This is necessary to open Homewood Pools.

So I will need, I believe, a motion to suspend the rules to add this to the agenda.

So moved.

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Motion passes.

And now we can take up uh invoices as it is recorded here on this additional um uh amendment.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Discussion?

Seeing none, all in favor of invoices, please say aye.

Aye.

Invoices are approved.

That takes us to P cards.

Is there a motion on P cards?

So approved.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor of P cards, please say aye.

Aye.

P cards are approved.

That takes us to recreation youth and senior services committee chaired by Councilmember Warwick.

The fur papers, Bill 643.

Resolution authorizing the mayor, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the director of the Department of Parks and Recreation to issue requests for proposal for social services programming at the Bergwood Recreation Center and to enter into an agreement or agreements with qualified providers at a cost not to exceed $200,000.

Motion to approve discussion.

All right, thank you, everybody.

I uh I'd like to share my screen.

One second.

Ah, here we go.

All righty.

No.

Can we see?

Am I sharing?

Just a moment.

Oh, here we're sorry, apologies.

There we go.

Alrighty.

Okay.

Great.

Alrighty.

So I would like to.

There we go.

Okay.

Great.

All right.

So this bill, as we have all heard, is for um for funding uh for after school and summer programming at the Bergwin Rec Center.

So I just wanted to start today to talk a little bit about Bergwin rec and the work that is done here because I've had a lot of conversations at this point, and I think that there's um maybe uh a little bit of confusion about uh what goes on there, right?

So I know there's some folks that have said it's not a rec center, it's just a pool building, uh oh, they only do football.

Um so I just wanted to to you know give a little insight into the work that's done there.

So um uh a gentleman named James Cole who spoke at public comment today uh has you know been doing the football there for a number of years, about 12 years I'd say, and um coming out of the pandemic uh was when uh poor law got the lease for the building and the after school program was launched uh after school and summer programming.

Um so it is true that Bergwin was the old pool building, and uh there so anyway.

So I'm just have some photos here.

You see, kids are getting fed, lots of kids, performances, homework help, again food, right?

Food is a big deal for you know, for for communities, just sort of these are just picks just hanging out, lots of kids, all ages.

You can see we've got teens, we've got littles, a little composting there for councilwoman gross.

Thank you, little art, music programming again.

Just homework help.

There's Mr.

Cole, as you can see.

Uh there's you know, reading room, so this is a little reading nook, um, little library nook, uh, which is really kind of like a closet, right?

It's just like this tiny little space.

Got the video game console, um, you know, some kind of activity.

There we go.

The teens just kind of hanging out, having some food, we got a you know, fun activity.

Someone brought uh a snake, some dance, right?

Um the second room, it is two rooms, it's two large rooms with some office space upstairs.

Um, you know, this is the game room.

Uh they do summer programming as well, outdoor stuff like planting, gardening.

You know, these are the kids.

They grew some tomatoes.

Again, I think this is more composting, right?

So I just want to make it clear.

Oh, this is indoor growth.

This is like high, you know, hydroponic indoor growing, uh, you know, growing your own food.

I think they're doing cucumbers.

This is a drumming class.

This was probably, I think this is was during the summer program.

Uh, this is a field trip.

They also take the kids on field trips.

They did an overnight camping field trip.

I'm uh, you know, that's what that's what this is.

Um, again, another art project, doing some some signs.

Oh, this is another field trip to the caves, field trip.

Oh, going to the beach.

All right, this is again, this is inside the rec.

Oh, the print making where they make their own t shirts, right?

So this is making t-shirts for the team.

Um, Mr.

Cole again helping with homework.

Reading.

That's just Pittsburgh's cutest there.

And then, you know, that's just sort of like a final, a final picture.

So I just wanted to show for the record that even though the building, you know, isn't it, you know, was not in great shape, right?

They they it was being used regularly, right, for after school and summer programming every day.

And that is why uh I moved funding into renovating the building, right?

Because it was not uh an adequate building.

Had concrete floors like water on the floor, kind of gross, the bathrooms were kind of a little bit yucky, right?

And I felt that this community deserved a better space for this programming.

At any rate, uh so um during sort of the the one and a half years or so that it took to renovate the building, uh, you know, it's obviously been closed for the renovations.

And um, you know, over that time, we all know that operating programs like this has become increasingly difficult, right?

CDBG dollars are drying up.

Foundations, unfortunately, I have to say, unfortunately, are shifting uh their focus away from operating budgets and wanting to do more like um one-off projects, uh, and competition for this kind of funding is uh has become greater and greater.

And so what you have, and what you all you know always have had here essentially, and I think we heard from from Mr.

Cole, you know, who had to leave to go to work, is that you know we are asking communities to essentially run a volunteer organization, right?

And uh and uh in the case at Bergwyn, uh that has become no longer feasible, right?

Um I heard about this back in May.

He's is he's still running the football program, but he's no longer able to sustain the daily programming.

You know, like all of us, he has bills to pay, he has rent, he's starting a family of his own, and he actually has, I think you say, you know, he has a job that's a sort of job job, right?

Not this job, another job.

Um, so the renovations are going to be complete soon.

The school year will be starting before we know it, and um, it is my priority to ensure that the kids in Glen Hazel have access to a safe place to go after school to do homework to get food to have fun.

Um, so you know, with this bill, why why stop the violence funding?

Well, we all know that the purpose of Stop the violence Funding is to provide culturally competent social services for our highest need communities, especially our youth.

This includes violence intervention and programming uh for for uh for kids to support support families, keep you know, keep families from being evicted, make sure that that kids have a place to go uh while their parents are at work.

Um this does not include paving or building renovations or police cars or demolitions, all of which are important, but that is not what these dollars are for.

Um, you know, just over the past couple of weeks we've moved a million dollars to learn and earn 250,000 to safe passages, all fantastic programs that I fully support.

Um the money is there, we know, just under 9 million dollars, unencumbered.

Uh so there is more than enough to ensure that we can cover programming at Bergwin at least for the coming school year.

Um now I know that there's been some concern among community members about why an RFP.

So I first came into this asking if City Parks could just staff, right?

If we could staff.

I would love it to be honest.

In my perfect world, we as the city would be staffing uh programs like this, and we would be staffing them, you know, looking at least to staff them out of the communities, right?

So not only would we providing services to the communities, we're providing you know good city jobs to people who work in the who live in the communities, right?

That that would be uh the ideal, but obviously that's um you know, the hiring at the city can be slow.

Operating budget is locked up till the end of the year to the budget process, um, so that did not seem uh like the most expedient avenue.

Um the only other option is to pay a third party.

Um, you know, in the RFP process, when it's public dollars, we we do an RFP.

That's just how it works.

Um so you know, where did I come up with 200k?

Uh this is basically just a rough budget that I put together based on uh similar programming that we run at the city.

Um again, it doesn't have to be this number, it could be less.

I it it could be more if that's if that's what's needed.

Um but the purpose of this legislation is that council would authorize the use of stop the violence funds for this purpose, right?

Um, and uh and just sort of in response to to the the concern that well, if we give it to Glenn Hazel, then everybody's gonna want some.

I would say yeah, yeah.

Right?

Because this is a citywide issue, right?

This is a citywide issue.

There are multiple council members at this table who have programs just like this, operating small nonprofits on shoestring budgets, you know, sort of barely, you know, maybe they're relying on a retiree that's just you know being a hero for the community, right?

Uh uh, but but that's not how it's supposed to work.

My kids, I live in Greenfield.

My kids have access to free after school programming at the City Rec Center at McGee Rec.

There's a gym where my son can go, my teenage son can go play basketball with his friends.

There is free summer programming, which um I think all of my kids at least at some point or another uh did the McGee summer program.

And uh there's an after school where my nine-year-old goes basically every day after school, he gets help with his homework, he gets to play with his friends, he gets dinner, and he's there until we go pick him up around 5 30 or 6.

And it is a godsend.

But in poor communities across this city, communities like Glenn Hazel, kids don't have that.

Instead, we say to those communities, figure it out for yourselves.

If you're lucky, we'll let you use one of our run-down buildings.

But if you can't find the funds, then your kids and your families will go without.

It's time that we change that.

I believe that we can.

The money is there.

We just need the will to do it.

So I spoke with the mayor and chief Gilman and and Director Sloan uh on Monday, and I believe that they too now understand the situation at hand, and that um and um they've expressed that they're on board uh to work toward a solution.

But they did ask for some more time.

And uh, and uh so you know, I want to be respectful of that.

Uh so I am gonna motion to hold this bill for two weeks, uh, to let them have conversations uh and uh but but I will say that regardless of what they figure out, regardless.

I promise you, I promise you, it is going to cost money.

So, you know, when we all come back to the table again next week, I hope that you know I that we have a solution, and and if the solution again is this to make sure that the money that is needed today, right now, uh I hope I can I hope I can have your support in um in allocating those funds.

So uh with that I I would like to motion to hold for two weeks.

We have a motion to hold there's a second and discussion.

Councilwoman McGross.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, so we, many of us in many different kinds of discussions over many years said we wish we could do more for all the volunteer groups in our districts because there used to be a time when we were able to provide programming directly as the city before austerity, before Act 47, we had paid city employee grown-ups in recreation centers who were there for our kids, right?

Decades ago.

It's been a long time that some of our rec centers have been closed, decades, in my district, and in so in the interim, Pittsburgh stepped up and started doing the work, right?

A lot of our districts have really robust athletic leagues, whether it's soccer, whether it's baseball, whether it's football, and those are parents or just community members who get their certifications to be able to work clearances to work with kids, who raise the funds, who do all the organizing, who pay for the insurance.

I have watched these coaches come into meetings with like 10-inch binders.

They're like, if they're running a small business, you know, in their spare time, and we require that they carry the insurance to be able to pull the permits for our fields, right?

We put all of this work on to community members, but it isn't only in kids' programming.

We also do it because we weren't doing city planning for so long.

We all had community development corporations kind of doing the community organizing, raising money to pay for actual city planners to write city plans that weren't our city planners, but like for you know, just hiring their own planners in the marketplace, um, and doing the work, buying buildings, rehabilitating buildings, creating business districts on their own, because we didn't have the city staff to do it, um, and in some of these cases we have created cooperation agreements where it's like okay.

Well, we have we have this facility, for example, or you know, an athletic building.

Um, I always think of like I I don't actually have in front of me how the um clubhouse, the golf clubhouse works, right?

But like an there's a nonprofit that raises money and does things.

I think a classic example here is when we were doing um how to allocate the parks tax funds, and we kind of realized there were like 53 different agreements with just the parks conservancy, and we do those because it's kind of like an equal exchange of resources, right?

So maybe we're paying for some things, but we understand that the nonprofit is paying for other things, either with in-kind staffing, right?

So they're covering payroll or they're providing free volunteer staffing, or they're bringing in a special skill set, or they're bringing in, they're raising outside funds.

And in it's my understanding, in those situations, there is not a competitive bid process.

We could be, I could be wrong, right?

But I always thought there were like three buckets.

Like you um, if the city decides it wants to purchase something, it has to go through a competitive bid process.

Um sometimes the law department and the second bucket says there's actually only like one person that exists on the planet who can provide this, and those are like professional service agreements.

And then in the third bucket, there's a kind of like we're, you know, we do this intergovernmentally, like maybe there's a cooperation agreement with the county and the city, but sometimes it's with the nonprofit in the city because we're saying, well, you're kind of providing these things and we'll provide those things, and then that's a cooperation agreement.

I now see sometimes in the records that if you look, you can just find these things on the city.

They should all be on the city controller's website, right?

On the open book.

Like these aren't seeing we're not allowed to have like secret agreements, right?

So everybody in the public should be able to read these.

Um there's another one that is like if we if there's um an organization in a neighborhood, again, I'll just go uh use a sports team as an easy example.

You know, a baseball team and they're storing things in a portion of a city building, then that's a separate thing called a facility usage agreement.

Um so I don't know where the lines fall here and where the buckets fall, but I do think it would be constructive to find out before this comes back to the table to figure out kind of if the you know, how do these things work in various um city kinds of facilities, whether those is you know a RAD park versus uh a regular city park or a city building, et cetera.

So I just um I think it's really important that we be consistent.

Um, and I that's the thing that I can't say confidently that we are because that was part of what I heard in public comment today, is that you know there's some um either correct understanding or misunderstanding that there's certain types of city arrangements in some parts of the city and a different kind of city arrangement in other parts of the city, and that is not okay, and we should be sure that we clean that up and that we're making sure that we're being consistent.

So I just wanted to offer that as well, Councilman Ward.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Further discussion, Councilman Coghell.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Uh, first I want to thank the the people from Hazelwood that came down and spoke on this, and and the kids as well, it's always effective.

And thank you, Councilwoman Warwick.

It's uh really great presentation.

Seems like a a really worthwhile great place.

Um so I'll let you work that out with the administration as as to where the funding comes from.

I think that's the only thing that's in question, as far as I'm concerned.

Uh, you know, but I'm committed to you know, finding or helping you find or get them approved the funding, so this place can continue to operate.

Um, like I say, it's uh seems like a really great place.

I am confused about one thing, and if you'll allow interrogatory, madam uh chair.

Um so uh I got the message from the folks that spoke that um they didn't want an RFP going out, basically.

They just said, you know, like we're the ones that are operating this.

We were you know, in RFP, I feel like they feel like they're being undercut.

So I want to know, I guess first, are they a 501c3?

Can they they can apply the the people the folks that come down that run the place can apply through the process procedure?

So you understand, I guess, and maybe they didn't today is through the procedure, and you know, has to go through RFP process.

And uh obviously I would think they're the favorites to you know uh accept it, but I I don't know that, but I'm just assuming.

But uh yeah, there's certainly no better people than then to to uh operate this place.

So did you want to say?

Correct, yeah, yeah, thank you.

And I mean the the way that I sort of approach this with the help of of uh Sean Carter is that of course, as city council, we are not in a position to say that that's not what we do, right?

We allocate money, and it is the administration's role to figure out how, you know, this is money allocated to programming at Bergwin Rec, and it is the administration's role to figure out how that works, and uh, you know, obviously taking into account all of the factors, including uh the long time work that has been done there by the committee and by Mr.

Cole.

Right.

Okay, well I hope you uh reach a consensus with the administration as to where or what funding, whether it be you know to stop the violence funding or another part of money.

But um, yeah, so seems like a great place.

That's all I wanted to say.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Councilman Wilson.

Yeah, just to further reiterate, um, like what I've heard was that it was it would be uh blatant disrespect to do an RFP, and that um the money should be given to the people that have been doing it.

And so, you know, my understanding with an RFP is that well, first off, like if they don't they don't want the RFP, then why are we doing this legislation?

Do they want a sole source or some sort of agreement that could be worked out?

Um there seems to be it seems to be some sort of disconnect.

Yeah, so again, it's not I I don't see it as my role as the council member to make decisions like that.

That is the administration's role.

But there is, you know, there's funding and I mean if we wanted to amend to just say that the funding should come from stop the violence and how it works, that would be fine.

I that would be fine with me.

I was just sort of under the impression that an RFP was the kind of you know the appropriate way to move forward with stop the violence funding, uh taking into account the the amendments that we made, I think it was la last year, right?

Um that was the way we wanted to move forward with stop the violence.

So at any rate, um uh, they just seem very concerned that they're not gonna be able to get the money if it goes out to RFP.

That's what that's what I heard.

So I I heard those concerns too.

Yeah, so uh this seems like I don't know if you I don't know which more I could say about that, but um I'm interested to see how this plays out.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Okay, the two-week hold is uh is the motion, all in favor of a two-week hold for bill six forty-three.

Please indicate by saying aye.

Aye.

Bill will be held for two weeks.

Thank you all.

That moves us to new papers, Bill 687.

Resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the city of Pittsburgh to enter into an agreement or agreements or amendments there too with LA twenty-eight for coordination of events related to the LA twenty-eight Olympic and paralympic games at no cost to the city.

There are motion, motion to approve.

Second, discussion, seeing none, all in favor of Bill 687, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That moves us to innovation performance asset management and technology committee chaired by councilwoman gross.

Bill 682 resolution authorizing the mayor and the director of the Department of Innovation and Performance on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh to enter into an agreement or agreements or amendments there too with EPLE Technology Inc.

for the purpose of general networking and IT support to augment the existing internal team at a cost not to exceed $95,440 over one year.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor of Bill 682, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Bill 683.

Resolution providing for the issuance of a warrant in favor of Dell Financial Services, any amount of $58,283.18 cents to pay the remaining balance to this vendor for electronic devices with installation and support services.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Sorry.

I got lost in the agenda.

Am I are we still on my committee?

We're at Bill 683.

Page six.

For Dill.

I am totally.

Oh, I'm in the wrong agenda.

Look, I have two agendas in front of me, so uh forgive me to my colleagues.

Motion to approve.

Discussion.

Discussion.

Councilmember Charland.

Yes, I believe people are here to discuss this.

I'm probably gonna have some questions about the last bill, too.

I probably should have asked.

Good morning.

Would you guys like to introduce yourselves?

Uh Sylvia Here's Acting Director, Department of Innovation Performance.

Zoe Burning, Senior Manager of the Service Desk.

So what I mean, I the bill explains that we're paying a remaining balance.

Uh why we don't usually see remaining balances.

What's going on with this?

Yeah, so um we inherited this budget.

This would happen um before our time, and um they did not account for interest over the four years.

So that is the interest that had occurred.

But once we pay that off, we will be fully fully paid off for our four-year lease.

And we do own the devices.

So this is for our computers.

Yes, correct.

And there was interest accruing on it?

Correct.

That we uh it was a lease, yeah.

And it was included in the contract, but it didn't get budgeted for.

That's correct.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh yeah.

How did that budget mistake happen?

We don't know.

This was previous director.

Okay.

Um, it just got missed is what it what it looked like.

Gotcha.

Can you also explain?

I should have asked before um just what the previous bill was um with the IT support um augmentation.

Right, yes.

So that is for um a specific person that we had that designed the network originally has worked with it over the years, and so we need that person to help us stand up some connections that we have, and also uh to be able to document this so that we do no longer have to have that specific person.

So we're paying one person 95,000, is that right?

So this is over a period of um a year, I believe.

Um, and that person is going to do other networking uh support as well.

Okay, uh why aren't we hiring them?

Because they work for uh E plus.

Okay.

Um, okay, that seems a little odd to me, but uh I can understand that.

Uh that includes my questions.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Councilwoman Gross.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, so let's start with Bill 682 that we were just talking about, the $95,000 um supplement um for IT support.

Um, that is um basically what I heard is our innovation and performance department, bringing skills in-house.

Yes.

Okay, and that is good.

Yes.

So next time we won't have to pay that is correct.

We'll have it in-house.

That is correct.

Okay, so that's super good.

I'm gonna give like two thumbs up.

Like we're reading in a community or something.

But yeah, so that is that's always what we're looking for, and I really appreciate that because I know it's been a big transition over the last 10 years that I've seen the kind of, you know, the internet has completely changed everything.

We used to have our own servers, you know, right that we managed and now managing um both cloud-based and going digital in so many ways in so many departments is a lot of management.

Which brings me to the next bill, which is when you say um devices.

How many devices?

Um there was a both.

I would have to have the count, but it was over 2,000.

It's all the laptops that you guys are using today.

Anything that says Dell on it, um, the desktops, the laptops, the tablets, the rugged, the it was everything that we've had since we moved over to Dell that was included.

Got it.

So 2,000 devices.

A correction to the invoice, basically, $58,000 for over 2,000 devices over we say over four years.

Over four years.

All right.

Yeah, very good.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

That's all I have, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Okay, seeing none all in favor of Bill 683, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

Thank you.

Bill 684.

Resolution amending resolution 762 of 2025.

Which authorized the mayor and director of public safety to an amended agreement or agreements with Julata for software subscription based client relations management services by increasing the total not to exceed amount by 520 for new total not to exceed amount of 276,044.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor of Bill 684, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That moves us to Intergovernmental and Educational Affairs Committee chaired by Councilman Mosley.

Bill 685, resolution providing for a professional services agreement and or contracts with Malady and Wooten Inc.

for professional consulting services for state government affairs and legislative services and providing for the payment thereof at a cost not to exceed 264,000 over four years.

Motion to approve.

Second.

Discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor of Bill 685, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation, Bill 686.

Resolution granting unto Elkassan, their successors and assigns the privilege and license to construct, maintain, and use at their own cost and expense.

Two new below grade diversion structures at no cost to the city at 2200 Spring Garden Avenue, 26 Ward First Council District.

Motion to approve.

Second discussion.

Seeing none, all in favor of Bill 686, please say aye.

Aye.

Affirmative recommendation.

That exhaust our meeting agenda.

Meeting announcements this afternoon at 1 30 p.m.

Council will hold a cable cast public hearing on bill 518 pertaining to the East Carson Street neighborhood improvement district.

Speaker registration has closed.

Tomorrow, Thursday, July 9th at 11 a.m.

Council will hold a cable cast public hearing on Bill 513 as it relates to the rezoning of parcels on Kelly Street in the Homewood West neighborhood.

Speaker registration will close at 8 a.m.

Thursday morning.

Next week, council will hold their regular and standing committees meeting on Tuesday, July 14th, and Wednesday, July 15th, respectively, both at 10 a.m.

Speaker registration will close at 9 a.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

To register to speak at any of these meetings, please complete the sign up form on the council meeting webpage or contact the clerk's office at 412-255-2138 by the applicable registration deadline.

So anything from members?

Councilman Conkill.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

You know, I really just wanted to say uh thank you to our fire department and our police department and EMS.

Uh the fire last night on uh Grandview Avenue, the Presbyterian Church was it was an inferno, really.

And my Lisa, I was more as a constituent, Lisa lives right next door to the place.

So um, but I wish everybody could see our firefighters in action on such a difficult fire and battle that they had in front of them.

It was it was really simply amazing.

And um, for them to come out, nobody was injured, the fire didn't spread, um, the professionalism and and the equipment that they had, um, and just reinforces me as part of the equipment leasing authority board along with Councilwoman Warwick, we're gonna be fighting hard.

That fire gets their proper apparatus.

But um, but but it was a job very well done, and it was a sight to see.

I know we spend a lot of money on public safety, but I will tell you they're worth their weight in gold.

And um, you know, a situation like that was very dangerous.

And I want to thank Councilwoman Salonetra, who was on the scene throughout, and she was fueling questions through our neighbors and all the neighbors, and uh, you know, thank you for informing.

And I even though I didn't see you because of we were separate ends of this thing, but uh many people I ran into that had spoken to you, and you know, you're trying to just figure out what the next steps are, and my Lisa is most impressed and not an easy task, I just know uh so thank you for your uh leadership up there, and um, yeah, it was it was great that everything uh, you know, nobody was injured, so thanks.

Thank you.

Further discussion.

Councilwoman Salonetra.

Well, I want to echo what uh Councilman uh Coghill had said, but I also want to make sure that both of you know, Barb and and Anthony, that um when I spoke with the firefighters after the I spoke to the um acting chief.

Yeah, yeah.

And he told me all three vehicles that I was looking at had the check engine lights on.

Somebody told me you told me that.

And I was I wanted to talk to you about that, so thank you.

Yeah, so I mean, I think that's food for thought.

That you know this fire had been fought for many hours.

And by the time, you know, they were putting out hot spots in the very end, you know, check engine lights were on.

So that really again reinforces the need we have uh to upgrade our equipment and our our fleet.

That's it for me.

Yep, yeah, further discussion.

All right, I'll take a motion to approve the minutes and adjourn the meeting.

Second.

All in favor?

Okay.

All right, meeting is adjourned.