Pittsburgh council approves package of grants, construction contracts, rezoning and an urgent hiring measure

Pittsburgh City Council on June 17 approved a series of routine and time-sensitive measures, including grant applications for planning around transit sites, construction inspection and engineering contracts for street and bridge projects, a rezoning in the Garfield neighborhood and an urgent resolution intended to address a critical shortage of stationary engineers in the city workforce.

Council members read and voted on a large batch of bills and committee reports. Several items were approved by roll-call votes; the meeting record shows unanimous or near‑unanimous votes for the items presented.

Key financial and planning items approved or forwarded include:

- A rezoning request (Bill 19-38) to reclassify multiple parcels in the Garfield neighborhood from single-unit residential categories and a residential planned unit development to Parks District.

- A professional-services agreement with Starfire Corporation (Bill 19-39) to provide fireworks display services for the city’s Independence Day Festival, a three-year agreement at a total amount not to exceed $252,200, with payments to be made from the general fund (as stated in the resolution).

- Multiple grant applications to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development: $250,000 requests for planning around the Sheridan Bus Station (Bill 19-43) and for planning around the…