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New Public Works facility announced as city grapples with snow removal complaints

The city of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday it will add a new Department of Public Works facility in one of the city's southern neighborhoods.

The announcement comes after residents have been questioning Pittsburgh's sloppy snow removal this week after a weekend snowstorm.

Mayor Bill Peduto called an emergency meeting at City Hall on Wednesday morning to address problems with snow removal, and the city began making changes hours later.

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Snow still covers roads in the city several days after the storm. Helpline 311 received more than 1,000 complaints after the holiday weekend, and at a city council meeting Wednesday, frustrations boiled over.

“I mean, we are here to serve the people,” Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith said. “We should take their calls 24-7 and we should work on their streets till we get them opened up.”

After Peduto’s emergency meeting, his chief of staff Dan Gilman announced several immediate changes.

Among them: the city will purchase better salt that works faster at colder temperatures, will track when plow drivers are called to come out and who responds to those calls, and the 311 complaint center will remain open for all upcoming storms – it's normally closed at night and on the weekends.

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“I can assure the public that, when we have a major snow event, at least for a period of the day, there will be someone at 311 to answer the call and get information out,” Gilman said.

Gilman said the city had plenty of trucks ready to roll, but not enough drivers because of the holiday weekend. In the future, he said they will improve scheduling with advance notice to employees.
He also said they're considering training other employees to drive plow trucks.

“I need more drivers on the streets, whether it’s voluntary or mandated. We are going to get there,” he said.