Committee recommends selling South Side's Oliver Bath House

A committee reviewing Pittsburgh-owned facilities has recommended the sale of South Side's landmark Oliver Bath House along with the renovation, relocation, demolition, merger or sale of 30 other facilities.

The list includes police, fire and paramedic stations, recreation facilities and senior centers that have deteriorated or are no longer practical to maintain at current locations, according to Sam Ashbaugh, Pittsburgh's chief financial officer. It was based on a report completed earlier this year by Massaro Construction Management Services that estimated the city would need $60 million to repair rundown buildings. Mayor Bill Peduto's office in 2015 commissioned Massaro for $1 million to assess city facilities.

A final decision regarding the buildings will be months in the making, Ashbaugh said Tuesday while briefing City Council, but the committee's report caught several members by surprise.

"Selling Oliver Bath House is not what I was expecting to hear," said Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park. "It's a terrible idea."

Gross and Councilwoman Darlene Harris of Spring Hill said they believed Massaro would assess all city buildings when they voted on the contract in 2015. The company looked at about 240 of the city's more than 400 buildings, according to Peter McDevitt, a senior asset management analyst.

"I think there was some not-so-public decisions about which buildings got assessed," Gross said. "We really weren't looking for them to liquidate community treasures."

Ashbaugh said he and others met individually with each council member about the contract and report. The city previously estimated that Massaro would assess 150 to 300 buildings.

Committee recommendations include the relocation of police stations in the Hill District, Squirrel Hill and on Washington Boulevard, renovation of Warrington Recreation Center in Beltzhoover, demolition and rebuilding of the Robert E. Williams recreation center in the Hill and merging a senior center in Hazelwood with one in nearby Glen Hazel. The committee did not recommend new locations for police stations.

The potential sale of Oliver Bath House, an indoor swimming facility on 10th Street, raised the most hackles.

Council President Bruce Kraus, who represents South Side, said council would be forced to "make difficult decisions" about facilities while debating exorbitant repair costs. He noted that engineers estimate it would cost about $2 million to keep the facility in operating condition.

"I'm not ready to go fire sale right now, and I don't believe we'd have support of the members," he said, adding that such landmark buildings have staunch community support and enhance the "fabric of neighborhoods."

Ashbaugh said the committee would continue to reassess the list and discuss it with council and residents in host communities before making a final decision.

"This is one step in a series of steps that we've gone through, which there are many more," he said. "Council needs time to digest this. The community needs time to digest this. Nothing has been decided."

Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-765-2312, bbauder@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobbauder.