Friends of the Zeiss
P.O. Box 1041
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15230-1041 U.S.A.
Telephone: 412-561-7876
Electronic Mail: <
friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc >
Internet Web Site: <
http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org >
2002 December 30
Mr. Chester J. Malesky, Assistant
Director
Department of General
Services
City of Pittsburgh
526 City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15219-2458
Re: Pennsylvania
Right-to-Know Law Requests
Dear Mr. Malesky:
In this morning’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [in the “
Science
Notebook, 12/30/02”], it was reported
that the Zeiss II Planetarium Projector and 10-Inch Siderostat-type Refractor
Telescope had been dismantled and removed from the Buhl Planetarium building in
October. We note that in the
three letters you transmitted to us, from October
to December, this fact was never mentioned.
So, we now request the following
information, under the terms of the
1)
Please provide
the exact date or dates when the dismantling and removal of the Zeiss II
Planetarium Projector and 10-Inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope occurred.
2)
We assume that
the Mercator’s Projection Map of the World may have also been dismantled and
removed at the same time [although the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette did not mention this artifact in the December 30 article]. So,
please also tell us the exact date or dates the dismantling and removal of this
artifact took place.
3)
There have been
other rumors to the effect that the “Rise of Steel Technology” Mural, by Nat
Youngblood, has also been dismantled and possibly removed from the building.
Has this Mural been dismantled? Has it been removed from the building? If so,
please provide the exact date or dates of this dismantling and/or removal? If
it has been removed from the building, where is the Mural now? If it is in
storage, who is paying for this storage? If it has not been removed from the
building, where is it being stored in the building?
4)
According to the
RFP proposal of The Carnegie Science Center [included as a part of the
Memoranda of Understanding between the City and the
“CSC
proposes to document all steps in the evaluation, disassembly and removal of
the artifacts through still photography and through digital videography of key
steps in the procedure. This will create a permanent visual record of the
condition of the artifacts at the time of removal and the actual steps and
procedures in the process. CSC will also provide a written documentation of the
results of the evaluation for the City.”
Mr. Chester J. Malesky 2002 December 30 Page 2 of 3
First,
please provide us a copy of the “written documentation of the results of the
evaluation for the City”, provided by The Carnegie Science Center. Please also
inform us as to how we can review “all steps in the evaluation, disassembly and
removal of the artifacts through still photography and through digital
videography of key steps in the procedure”, as was apparently documented by The
Carnegie Science Center.
5)
The Zeiss II
Planetarium Projector was mounted on a rather unique “worm-gear” elevator,
custom-built by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. In fact, this was the
first elevator in the world to be built and used to transport a planetarium
projector. Hence, it is a very historic piece of equipment in its own right.
Regrettably, this historic piece of equipment was not included in the City’s
RFP [although, Friends of the Zeiss
did include the elevator in our response]. According to the RFP proposal of The
Carnegie Science Center [included as a part of the Memoranda of Understanding
between the City and the
This
historic elevator should not be dismantled, and definitely should not be
discarded, if disassembled. Please inform us of the current status, and of the
City’s plans, for this elevator equipment.
6) Further, according to the RFP proposal of
The Carnegie Science Center [included as a part of the Memoranda of
Understanding between the City and the Science Center], the Science Center also
did not plan to take the current control console for the Zeiss II Projector
[except for original components of the control console]. Please inform us of
the current status, and of the City’s plans, for the remaining control console
equipment.
Please note that the
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law was amended at the end of June, by the
Commonwealth of
In the case of
Thus far, we have not
received a reply to our Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law requests, dated December
17 [
copy of December 17 letter, with requests, attached]. As the amended State
law took effect on December 26, we expect that these requests will also receive
the expeditious response mandated by the newly-amended State law.
Sincerely yours,
Glenn A. Walsh
Project Director
< gawalsh@planetarium.cc
>
gaw
Mr. Chester J. Malesky 2002 December 30 Page 3 of 3
Attachment:
Letter to Mr.
Copy: Members of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh
Members of Friends of the Zeiss
News Media in
Tom Murphy, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
Dale A. Perrett, Director, City of
Pittsburgh Department of General Services
Jacqueline R. Morrow, Solicitor, City
of Pittsburgh
Yvonne S. Schlosberg, Assistant
Solicitor, City of
Senator Jim Ferlo, Pennsylvania
General Assembly
Representative Don Walko,
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Tom Flaherty, City Controller, City
of
Senator Timothy F. Murphy,
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Bryce McMinn, Legislative Assistant
to Senator Timothy F. Murphy