City to spend $120M on capital projects 2015-2018

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by Yac

I usually stay on the sidelines here, but I feel I have a unique perspective and can actually contribute to this somewhat off topic part of the discussion
As a Pole living in Poland, with Polish parents etc, here's what would happen if there were Pierogi statues put up:
Every Polish media outlet would send their reporter there to do a story about how finally someone out there in the west appreciates our huge contributions etc etc, bla bla. long story short: you'd have a lot of silly but completely positive feedback.
So there. Now back to the shadows ...
Yac.

Hmm. I wounder if Bill Peduto has any Polish companies in mind to set up North American headquarters here?

[Buckeye Burgher]

Originally Posted by ferraris

It's more like paying off a few credit cards and then finding out your roof needs replaced. As pman quoted from the article, the first $50M of it would just be replacing expiring budget obligations.

For long term infrastructure projects I think debt is a fair way to finance it. If many generations will enjoy the benefit, why should just one have to front the cost entirely?

There might be a good argument for that if the debt/revenue ratios were kept in line, which this
city has obviously never done. Sooner or later someone is actually going to have to pay for all this stuff.

As it stands it's like being 90% of the way to maxxed-out but opening another Visa card because
you got an introductory rate of 1.9% APR.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

When you pave over cobblestone and streetcar tracks, there is no way the asphalt will last that long. You either have to remove the old stuff, and create a solid roadbed, or you will have to continue paving again and again.

And actually replacing the cobblestone/brick roadbed isn't cheap or easy. We are entering year two of such a project on West Carson.

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by GeneW

Bigelow Blvd already has a sidewalk, it just ends abruptly right down by the main post office. It wouldn't be terribly hard to finish it to downtown.

I'm looking at this right now out of my office window. It actually looks like any sidewalk extension would have to involve a ramp that leaves the roadway before it joins the off-ramp from the Veteran's Bridge. Might be easier to run something along the hillside above the train tracks/busway and join Bigelow further up the hill.

[ferraris]

Council advances $55 million bond package - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Looks like Peduto is splitting up the new bonds and the refinancing of the old ones. Hopefully it doesn't slow down the process too much.