A Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Saturday 11:00 AM performance of Pete the Cat at Mt. Lebanon High School began with chaos, confusion, and anger after the parking lot could only accommodate about half the audience.
“This is the worst parking situation for a venue hosting a show that I have ever seen,” said one of the event organizers from the Trust. She was also overheard commenting that Mt. Lebanon had been very difficult to work with.
By 10:40 AM, all the designated open spots were already taken. Families then began arguing with themselves, and each other, about who could use the spots with signs posted for “Superintendent Only” and “District Officials Only.” One parent said to an organizer from the Trust, “If they charged you anything for this venue, you should demand a refund.”
It was then explained to parents that the venue had been selected because it had far more seats that Upper St. Clair High School’s auditorium, which has only 800.
Meanwhile, panicked families negotiating mounds of dirt in the high school backyard, with some making spots of their own until all available land was full.
By 11:00 AM, many had dropped off half their families and gone far afield to look for a spot. Angry mothers approached leadership to beg them to delay the start time of the show so families could be reunited. One received the response, “It doesn’t matter when we would start the show – the parking here is horrible.”
Several guests arrived at close to 11:30 AM after running over a mile from distant parking spots. They ended up missing over half the show, which ended at 11:50 AM.
29 comments:
Remember how the district went to court over zoning code parking requirements?
What date was this performance?
The performance was yesterday, January 14, 2017, 10:21 AM.
Elaine
Seems like the argument over who can park in the "Superintendent Only" or "District Officials Only" spaces was a dumb argument, considering it says on the sign who may park there. Don't you think they should have considered the parking when they rented the space? Couldn't they have just parked in the Lutheran Lot, Commisoners Lot, South Lot, Dixon Field Lot, On Main Entrance, South Lot or any of the other places that are in close proximity? That's hundreds of spaces right there.
How many parking spaces are available at the high school right now? How many are for school staff? How many are for students? Recall that students have been banned from parking on some residential streets recently because residents complained. If students don't have the year long pass the requires them to cross Washington Road after parking in the church lot, they now have an even harder time finding on street parking thanks to the school district indifference and the commission actions.
Did I miss something?
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2011/02/10/School-renovation-gains-approval-in-Mt-Lebanon/stories/201102100491
"Commissioners Dan Miller and Matt Kluck dissented. Mr. Kluck said he wanted more time to review the plans, citing traffic and pervious pavement issues as items deserving further study. The commissioners could have delayed the vote until their March 8 meeting.
Two conditional use requests -- one for renovating and building a high school on a property zoned R-1 single-family residential and another for a shared parking agreement between the school district and the municipality -- were approved unanimously by the commission.
The first approval included the condition that the approval does not allow any non-high school uses to take place on the property, and that additional zoning approvals may be necessary.
The commission also unanimously approved the execution of a development agreement between the school district and the municipality."
Actually, 11:25, the commission greatly reduced the no parking zone that the residents requested after other residents and students spoke at the meeting. The commison came up with a nice compromise that please parts of both parties.
11:05 AM, imagine you are a parent taking your young children to the performance. You drive around looking for a parking space. There are no parking spaces in the high school parking lot, even though you got there in plenty of time before the performance. What do you do? Do you drop your three or four year olds off at the door and say, "Mommy/Daddy has to find a parking space somewhere else. Don't talk to strangers. I'll be back as soon as I can." No. Or do you want to drive to Timmy's church parking lot and walk your gang of toddlers along Washington Road, crossing at the intersection which is flagged with a Look Up Lebo banner obviously placed there because it is a dangerous intersection. Also, it is a fair distance for those short little toddler legs. Show some compassion, 11:05 AM.
Elaine
That is not a dangerous intersection. You hit the cross-walk button, wait until the walk sign, and it gives red lights to all cars from every direction. No car is moving while you walk across. Don't be so dramatic.
Um? It's a .2 mile walk from that intersection to the front entrance on Cochran of the High School (which leads directly to the auditorium.) Probably a 2-3 minute walk down a hill. Too much for toddlers legs? Give me a break.
Good to know, 12:33 PM. Why don't you tell the Mt. Lebanon Police Department that they picked the wrong spot for that tear drop banner? Tell them that they should find a dangerous intersection where the banner is needed.
Seriously, do you have to argue with everything I write?
Elaine
Down hill both ways? Gimme a break.
Look 12:51 and Elaine if you seriously think that parents should try to avoid their 4 year old walking uphil for 1,000 feet then maybe this shows a bigger problem with how people think in this day and age. Any intersection can be dangerous if there are bad drivers. They put the banner there because it's a main, busy intersection, not because it's extremely dangerous to pedestrians. You don't want people to have to cross streets because maybe there's a 1/1,000,000 chance that some driver at 11 am decides to plow through a red light and hit a family? Because a young kid can't walk a 1,000 feet? Do you live in a world of fear and hypotheticals? I'm sorry that the priveledged families of the south hills couldn't use parking that wasn't designated for them, just so they could have a nice and easy 5 foot walk. I live in the real world, where if you showed up at a time where there was no more close parking, you did NOT show up with enough time to get good parking, and if that's the case, you park somewhere else and walk a little.
Here's my problem with the whole thing. The school district publicly says that the school construction is done, but yet 1/2 of the main parking lot is still filled with construction equipment, one of the fields is a huge pile of dirt and not usable, no tennis courts yet, a main access road is closed and the may of the sidewalks are still not finished. I struggle to think how they may be meeting fire codes and ADA compliance with all the mess that is there.
-A
A, no one said the construction is finished? Read the construction update posted on the district website from 1/11/17. It states that the construction is in its final phase, focusing on the back parts of the campus... which is exactly what is happening.
12:33, You declare that's that isn't a dangerous intersection???
Then I guess we don't need a crossing guard there.
One would think that students with not much more to focus on than getting across a busy intersection should be able to do it themselves.
Why can't the reserved space be open to anyone after school hours?
The super can't walk 1,000 feet to attend an event like everybody else.
Most customer or client oriented businesses demand that employees park the furthest away (even executives).
"Two conditional use requests -- one for renovating and building a high school on a property zoned R-1 single-family residential and another for a shared parking agreement between the school district and the municipality -- were approved unanimously by the commission.
The first approval included the condition that the approval does not allow any non-high school uses to take place on the property, and that additional zoning approvals may be necessary.
The commission also unanimously approved the execution of a development agreement between the school district and the municipality.
In, Pete the Cat wasn't a high school use was it?
I share this community with you 1:00 PM, and your myopic attitude. Did you ever consider that this event brings in young parents or grandparents who are not from Mt. Lebanon? Are there signs at the school directing visitors to other available parking off sight? Also, there may be those with physical disabilities who could not find a spot close to the school.
And if you want to talk about the odds of pedestrians being hit, you might read the Mt. Lebanon Police Blotter some time. There are pedestrians who should be playing the lottery since they seem to beat your odds.
Elaine
12:33 do you remember that one of the justifications for the bridge over Horsman was that high schoolers couldn't cross between the two buildings safely?
Look it up, it was made by one BOSN people on either the Reallebo or Bloglebo blogs.
For the newer Lebo Citizens readers, BOSN stands for Build Our School Now.
Elaine
Look, unpublished comment submitted a few minutes ago. I am not going to argue with you about the safety of that intersection and when pedestrians were hit. Mt. Lebanon Police chose to have the Look Up Lebo banner at that intersection. Crossing guards are also there to cross our children. If you want more data, please contact the police department and I'm sure they could find the information that you are asking.
Elaine
That's cause you love to run your mouth without facts Elaine this ain't nothin more than the fact news that got your boy elected to the oval
I've had people from other communities tell me about their terrible experiences going to the MTLHS for a variety events. If there isn't an issue with parking, there is usually one with entrances being locked and detours.
If I weren't a resident I'd have no idea to expect that a suburban high school doesn't have adequate parking for an event it is hosting. Further, I doubt I'd know there was a church parking lot up the road and to the right that I should know to use.
The intersection is dangerous and students have been hit there. Perhaps the most recent student was a high school runner that a driver waved ahead to cross in front of him, but then was hit by another car. No charges were filed, of course.
3:52, I guess you'd rather have Hillary "I didn't have classified info on my private server" and Bill "I did not have sex with that woman" Clinton back in the White House.
You lost, get over it! I think we're dealing with Lebo issues here.
Well.. no charges were filed because if you cross the cochran/washington intersection and get hit by a car, then the light was likely green. and if the light was green, the no walk sign was on. there is a LONG delay between red lights and the walk sign/other green lights.
let's break this down with some math.
you may cross iff the walk sign is on
you may get hit iff the walk sign is off and you cross
the walk sign was off and you crossed
therefore
you may get hit
the walk sign was not on
therefore
you may not cross.
a "wave on" from a car is not the same as the walk signal. see how easy that is?
...and all that negates that being a hazardous intersection?!
Ha ha ha ha
Traffic Board, school board, police department save us some money and get rid of the crossing guard at Washington and Cochran, 5:18 said it's safe and the lights are sufficient.
Sorry for the change in the commenting policy, Timmy. It must be really frustrating for you now. Glad you saw this post. Whoever deals with the booking of events at the high school might try being a little less difficult to work with.
Elaine
I appreciate the comment sent in, but I will not be able to publish it, unless you sign your real name. No initials, please.
Elaine
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