| abstract
| - Bob Coward didn't move from Mt. Washington to a Downtown high-rise apartment for the peace and quiet. The faithful Pittsburgh Pirates fan -- known to PNC Park ushers in Section 113 as "Baseball Bob" -- was forced two years ago to leave an 18-inning game in the 16th inning because he would have missed the last bus home for the night. He decided then to move within walking distance of the ballpark so he wouldn't miss a minute of the Buccos. That decision has cost him a few nights' rest lately as construction workers rip away sections of a third-story roof of Highmark's offices at Fifth Avenue Place, outside Coward's living room window in the 88-unit May Building. "It sounded like thunder, and it reverberated between the buildings. Nobody could get any sleep," he said. The city should restrict construction noise levels between midnight and 6 a.m., at least on weekdays, said Coward, vice president of the May Building's tenant council. Pittsburgh restricts loud noises, such as heavy construction and rumbling garbage trucks, between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. but only in residential areas. Downtown isn't considered a residential district, so there are no noise restrictions on construction, said Councilman Bill Peduto, who's sympathetic to Coward's plight. "We're not asking for a total ban," Coward said. "We understand there's going to be noise. We accept that." Enforcing the existing noise control ordinance in residential areas is a problem for police, Peduto said, because the law requires them to use sensitive sound equipment that must be calibrated to detect decibel levels. Pittsburgh police Assistant Chief of Operations William Bochter said each of the city's police zones has a sound meter, but none is calibrated and so they can't be used. He said the department recently received approval for funding to get the meters calibrated. "We'll be sending them out for calibration within a few days and we'll have them back within a couple of weeks," Bochter said. Noise limits could help the city make upscale Downtown living more attractive, said Coward, a retired corrections officer. "I don't think someone who's paying $4 million for a condominium is going to want to be kept up all night," he said. "But no matter how much you're paying, you're entitled to a good night's sleep." Coward said he would have appreciated advance notice from Highmark or the city about the loud construction. "It's a very valid point. We should communicate," said Kristin Ash, a Highmark spokeswoman. Workers are installing a 22,000-square-foot "green roof," she said. Residents should expect loud noises at night to continue intermittently for two to three weeks. Ash said she would look into Coward's suggestion of moving some of the heavy equipment to Liberty Avenue, where there's more open air between buildings for noise to dissipate. Hollie Plevyak, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said noise complaints from Downtown residents are part of the area's "growing pains" as a residential neighborhood. The Downtown business owners have aggressively promoted the sparsely populated Golden Triangle as a trendy place to live. Plevyak said a discussion between business owners, residents and city lawmakers could spur a solution to noise problems that have bothered residents in other buildings, such as Gateway Towers. "Raising the issue helps," she said. "The construction is not going to be ending anytime soon." Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.
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