IN THE LAST WEEK
All is not as hunkydory as it sometimes seems with a couple of Pittsburghers’ favorite gathering places.
Market Square became a popular Downtown outdoor dining and seating area after receiving a $5 million makeover in 2011. Previously, concerns abounded that the square had become overrun with drug activity and vagrants.
Now some of those same complaints are back. At the request of merchants, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has removed the public tables and chairs that had been in the center of the plaza on a 24/7 basis, opting instead to place them there only during the busy 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. lunch period.
A leader of the merchants said multiple crime-related incidents last year “kind of put a black eye” on the square, in addition to rising problems with public drunkenness and drug activity. “We can’t have another summer in Market Square like we did last summer,” said Mike Mitcham, operations director for Primanti’s. On fall afternoons, 60,000 or more people gather within walking distance from Market Square at Heinz Field, but the home of the Steelers has its own problems — at least in the club’s eyes.
The Steelers are seeking a number of stadium improvements — including a new scoreboard and expansion of the Great Hall — but say they’ve been held up by a lack of cooperation from Heinz Field’s landlord: the public Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority. Steelers president Art Rooney II expressed concern that disagreements could hinder future efforts to attract big events, such as the Penguins’ successful Winter Classic outdoor games.
“For whatever reason, working with these people ... to get anything done, it’s like pulling teeth,” Mr. Rooney said.
Officials from the SEA and city government, however, say the Steelers may be asking for more than they should in expenditure of public funds. While there’s a stadium reserve fund, they say it may be needed for future long-term maintenance, and other improvements may have to be paid for by the team and its fans.
One bright report — mostly — did show up concerning the region.
The Brookings Institution does an annual economic
ranking of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, and it placed Pittsburgh third on its new list behind only San Jose, California, and Houston.
Wages, the standard of living and worker productivity all increased at a relatively impressive pace here between 2010 and 2015, according to the report.
The downside: The Brookings researchers found African-Americans were largely bypassed by ongoing economic improvements and suffered a decline in median wages. Also, the report covered a span when Marcellus Shale drilling was building in the region, creating numerous jobs; that activity has since considerably slackened.