Pittsburgh City Council Approves Bill to Inventory War Monuments
Pittsburgh’s public works, planning and parks and recreation departments must inventory war monuments in the city and develop a 10-year maintenance plan under legislation given final approval Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council.
Council also passed bills creating a trust fund for war monument maintenance citywide and earmarking $20,000 from Council President Darlene Harris’ discretionary funds to repair a Troy Hill monument run over by a minivan in February.
Mrs. Harris, who sponsored the bills, said she saw a need to improve memorial care because little has been done so far to repair the Troy Hill landmark.
City officials have said the restoration of that monument has been delayed by legal and insurance issues involving the minivan driver. Under Mrs. Harris’ legislation, any money recouped from that case will be used to maintain other memorials on the North Side.
The trust fund will hold money the city budgets or receives to care for war monuments citywide. Under an amendment Mrs. Harris offered at the meeting, the fund also will hold money used to repair monuments to “citizen soldiers,” such as police and other public-safety servants.