Laurels & lances: Grass and granite
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Laurel: To acknowledging a problem. Brittni Bair, 33, of Springdale was cited by the municipality for not mowing her lawn. To be fair, it’s been growing unchecked for a while now.
Bair hasn’t cut the grass since before June 2. She knows the date because that was when the Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks were imploded, blanketing much of the area with dust and debris. She said she didn’t want to kick up the dust and stir the chemicals it contains back into the air.
That might seem like a stretch to get out of a ticket — but during an October hearing about an injunction to stop demolition of the remainder of the plant, testimony was presented about state Department of Environmental Protection testing that showed the presence of arsenic and vanadium in other yards. Bair could have a point.
While no one says who did it, the charges have been withdrawn. That seems to indicate an understanding of the concerns.
But months of uncut grass is its own issue and can invite other problems, like vermin. Maybe Springdale didn’t cause it and maybe Bair shouldn’t have to deal with it, but somebody needs to figure out what to do about it.
Lance: To a monumental problem. Another second Monday in October has come and gone with dissension over what to do with the 13-foot-tall bronze and granite statue of Christopher Columbus that stands in Schenley Park.
It stands there, but it isn’t exactly displayed anymore. The statue’s head is shrouded in plastic, remnants of the wrapping that was done in the early hours of Oct. 11, 2020, amid a lawsuit from the Italian Sons and Daughters. That suit came after then-Mayor Bill Peduto recommended removing the statue and his appointed Pittsburgh Art Commission unanimously agreed.
Two years to the day later, the issue was brought before Commonwealth Court on Wednesday for arguments on whether the city had the right to do so. The Italian Sons and Daughters argue the measure wasn’t done properly.
No decision was reached, so it’s anyone’s guess if the statue will stand there until next October.
The issue has devolved to a stalemate between the city — which just decided to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day on that second Monday going forward — and the Italian heritage group, which sees Columbus as a symbol of the contributions of their culture. Maybe the covered figure is the perfect way to represent a conflict where nothing is accomplished.