RAD Denies Taxpayer Funds for Rehab of
Old Post Office Roof, Long-Neglected by Children's Museum

Pittsburgh, Nov. 28 – Despite an additional allocation of $800,000 for regional asset capital needs, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh has been denied $44,639 in taxpayer funds, from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), for replacement of the roof of the Old Allegheny Post Office, a need which has been ignored by the Children's Museum since 2002. The decision came last evening, with the approval of the final budget, for fiscal year 2007, by the RAD Board of Directors. The Children’s Museum is also seeking the same amount of funds from the State, for the $89,278 project.

Owned by the Children’s Museum, the Old Allegheny Post Office (built in 1897) is one of two historic buildings used for the current Children’s Museum operation. The other historic building, The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science built in 1939, is owned by the City of Pittsburgh and currently leased to the Children’s Museum. A third “Nightlight Building,” owned by the Children’s Museum and built in 2004, serves to connect the two historic structures.

Despite the recommendation of a roofing contractor in 2002 that the roof of the Old Allegheny Post Office building needed replaced, at the

same time the Children’s Museum was raising $29 million for building expansion, the Children’s Museum management waited until 2006, asking State and County taxpayers

to pay for this roof replacement. “This clearly demonstrates the extremely misguided priorities of Children’s Museum management,” Glenn A. Walsh, Project

Director of Friends of the Zeiss, told the RAD Board on Aug. 28.

“The Children’s Museum knew the Post Office roof was a priority and ignored it until the capital project funding was depleted. Now they expect $90,000 of taxpayers’ money

to fix the roof in their privately-owned building,“ Mr. Walsh said, in prepared comments before the RAD Board on that Monday afternoon. He added, “Such a large capital campaign could have easily have easily been reprogrammed to include a $90,000 roof replacement project.”

Mr. Walsh went on to say, “It is the position of Friends of the Zeiss that no public funds should be used for this roof replacement project, or for general subsidy of the

Children’s Museum, until the Children’s Museum presents a plan to truly restore important Pittsburgh history with the return of the historic Buhl Planetarium artifacts,

particularly the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, to be used to teach Science to children visiting the Children’s Museum.”

Established in 2002, Friends of the Zeiss is a non-profit organization working to preserve the history, heritage, and functionality of the building, equipment, and artifacts

of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

--30 –

NEWS: Planetarium, Astronomy, Space, Science:

< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >

To read the complete public statement –

Board of Directors, Allegheny Regional Asset District – 2006 August 28 –

Prepared Text:

< http://venustransit.pghfree.net/fotz/statements/ST-RAD-CMP2006828.htm >

Large-Print Version:

< http://venustransit.pghfree.net/fotz/statements/ST-RAD-CMP2006828LP.htm >

News Release of 2006 August 28:

< http://venustransit.pghfree.net/fotz/releases/NR-CMP-OldPORoof.htm >

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh

Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >

NEWS - Astronomy, Space, Science:

< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >

Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --

* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:

  < http://www.planetarium.cc >

* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:

  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >

* Astronomer & Optician John A. Brashear:

  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >

* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:

  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >

* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:

  < http://www.incline.cc >

RAD Denies Taxpayer Funds for Rehab of Old Post Office Roof, Long-Neglected by Children's Museum

RAD Denies Taxpayer Funds for Rehab of
Old Post Office Roof, Long-Neglected by Children's Museum