Friends of the Zeiss
Telephone:
412-561-7876
Electronic Mail: <
friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc
>
Internet Web Site:
< http://www.friendsofthezeiss.org
>
2004 September 20
Bill Peduto, Chairman
Committee on General
Services, Technology and the Arts
Council of the City of
Re: Possible Flood Damage to
Historic Buhl Planetarium Equipment and Artifacts
Dear Mr. Peduto:
In 2002, the City of
In addition to the three
pieces of equipment and artifacts mentioned in the first paragraph, several
other pieces of historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts may be in
this warehouse. Attached is an
inventory of these additional City-owned assets.
I am aware that three of the artifacts on this inventory
(
4-inch Zeiss Terrestrial
Refractor Telescope,
746-Pound Iron-Nickel Meteorite, and the Fairbanks-Morse
Planetary Weight Scale) are actually being used in The Carnegie Science Center.
However, I am not aware of the specific location of the other artifacts listed;
these may also be in storage in the
The flooding this past
weekend, from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, was not as bad on
However, it is quite possible
that rain runoff, from the very heavy rains on Friday, did enter the warehouse
and may have affected the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts.
Early Saturday evening, just after the
I heard a rumor that water backed-up through
the drains flooding the inside of the warehouse. The rumor also indicated that
not all of the sump-pumps, which would pump water out of the building, were
operating properly. Of course, I have no way of confirming this rumor.
From the rain runoff flooding
I did observe outside of the warehouse, there is a definite possibility that
some of this water may have entered the warehouse and affected the historic
Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts. Please note that although the
Bill Peduto 2004
September 20 Page
2 of 2
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.
With this letter, I am asking
that you investigate this matter, regarding the current status of important
City-owned equipment and artifacts. Please make an inquiry to The Carnegie
Science Center management asking 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) What 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?
I would ask that the results
of your investigation be reported to City Council and the public at a City
Council meeting within the next few weeks.
Sincerely yours,
Glenn A. Walsh\
Project Director
gaw
Copy: Members of the Council of the City of
Tom Murphy, Mayor, City of
Tom Flaherty, City Controller, City of
Dale A. Perrett, Director, City of
Members of the Board of Directors, Allegheny Regional
Asset District
David Donahoe, Executive Director, Allegheny Regional
Asset District
Members of the Allegheny
Members of Friends
of the Zeiss
News Media Representatives
Interested Members of the General Public
