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 >

 

                       NEWS RELEASE

 

For immediate release: 2004 September 21

For more information -- Glenn A. Walsh:

                    Daytime: E-Mail < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >

                    Evening: Telephone 412-561-7876

 

RAIN RUNOFF FLOODING MAY HAVE AFFECTED HISTORIC

       BUHL PLANETARIUM EQUIPMENT IN SCIENCE CENTER WAREHOUSE

Pittsburgh, Sept. 21 - Rain runoff flooding, from the heavy rains of September 17 caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, may have entered a Carnegie Science Center warehouse where historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts are being stored. In a letter to City Councilman Bill Peduto, Friends of the Zeiss Project Director Glenn A. Walsh stated that flooding from rain runoff was seen adjacent to the Science Center warehouse on Saturday evening, just after the Ohio River had crested at 31 feet.

In the letter, Friends of the Zeiss is asking Mr. Peduto, who chairs City Council’s Standing Committee on General Services, Technology and the Arts, to investigate the status of the City-owned Buhl Planetarium artifacts, by asking The Carnegie Science Center management three questions:

“1)           Was there any flooding in The Carnegie Science Center warehouse this past weekend, and did this flooding have any affect on the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts?

 

“2)           W hat is the current condition of the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts stored in this warehouse?

 

“3)           What steps are being taken, by The Carnegie Science Center, to prevent damage to the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts, by a future flood event?”

 

Mr. Walsh notes in his letter, “that although the Science Center may have insured these City-owned assets, historic equipment such as the Zeiss II Projector, which prior to dismantling was the oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world, could not be replaced if damaged by flood waters.”

Mr. Walsh concludes the letter by asking Mr. Peduto to report the results of his investigation to City Council and the public at a City Council meeting within the next few weeks.

- 30 -
 
 
To read the complete letter, click here:
 
< https://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/friendsofthezeiss/L-Peduto.htm >
 
To read the companion statement, before Pittsburgh City Council, click here:
 
< https://buhlplanetarium4.tripod.com/friendsofthezeiss/ST-PghIvanFlood.htm >
 
gaw
 
 
 
 
Glenn A. Walsh
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc > 
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://www.planetarium.cc > 
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: 
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer & Optician John A. Brashear: 
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com > 
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: 
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc > 
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://www.incline.cc >