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Council advances vape shop restrictions near schools, scrambles to save Bloomfield Pool funding and holds up $481K snow removal invoice

City Council

Pittsburgh plans to keep vape shops 1,000 feet away from schools.

A proposed ordinance would keep vape shops at least 1,000 feet from Pittsburgh schools. On April 15, council advanced the bill to a public hearing that hasn't been scheduled yet. Following city planners' advice, it also dropped daycares and religious institutions from the distance rules. A council aide said the original list would have effectively banned vape shops citywide.

Written by Amy Whipple

Pittsburgh is one step closer to keeping vape shops away from schools.

Council advanced legislation discussed at its April 15 committee meeting to hold a public hearing on legislation to regulate vape shops, including prohibiting shops from operating within 1,000 feet of a primary or secondary school.

The ordinance establishes standards for shops that primarily sell items such as vapes and CBD as well as Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC products. Regulations include the locations of shops, retail hours and points of purchase.

The legislation does not affect licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. 

Council’s meeting came after it received recommendations from the Department of City Planning (DCP) regarding the ordinance as it was introduced in Sept. 2025.

Morgan Martin, a legislative aid for Council Member Bobby Wilson of Spring Hill, said the recommendations included striking daycares and religious institutions from the list of locations with distance requirements. According to Martin, the combination of all the initial locations would have effectively banned vape shops inside city limits.

DCP also informed council that it would be difficult to enforce a requirement to keep products in a locked case or behind a counter.

Council moved to adopt DCP’s recommendations. It will revisit the legislation after the public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

City Council

Council member trying to protect Bloomfield Pool from sinking.

The Bloomfield Pool, the city's second most used according to a council member, relies on a long-closed recreation center. A $400,000 federal grant to study the center expires June 30, and a bill would spend it on demolishing condemned houses. On April 15, council held that bill for a week. Meanwhile, a council member asked the budget office to look for longer-term funds.

Written by Amy Whipple

Council Member Deb Gross of Highland Park has asked the budget office to scour the city’s books to search for unspent money for city projects.

On June 30, a $400,000 federal grant set aside for a feasibility study on the Bloomfield Recreation Center will expire.

Kelly Russell, assistant director of community development, said during council’s April 15 committee meeting that the money needs to be spent before June 30. Legislation before council proposed using it to demolish condemned houses.

According to Gross, the recreation center has been closed for 30 years and planned renovations keep stalling. In addition to regular maintenance and updating, the building needs a new roof, which Gross said will likely cost $1 million. 

Losing the building, though, would mean losing the infrastructure to operate the Bloomfield Pool. Gross said that it’s the second most used pool in the city.

 “It is so beloved, you don’t even have room to put down a pool bag,” she said. “Sometimes it’s like standing room only inside the fence, let alone inside the actual pool itself.”

Gross requested a one-week hold so that the budget office could look for longer-term funds, such as from parks-related bonds, that could be moved to the project. She said in an April 16 interview that having something more than nothing keeps the project on the radar and is an act of good faith to the community.

Council agreed to hold the bill for one week. 

City Council

Council puts $481K snow removal invoice on ice — again.

Snow removal contractor A. Folino Construction still hasn't detailed its $481,320 bill to the city. On April 15, council put off approving the invoice for another week. A council member said the public should know what the bill covered, since it's one of the larger ones. The acting public works director said he'd seek details, but Folino hadn't responded.

Written by Amy Whipple

Pittsburgh spent more than $4 million on outside contractors to clear roads following January’s snowstorm.

Rea Price, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said during the April 8 special budget meeting that the city owes $1.7 million to the five companies that assisted with snow removal. The administration also requested approximately $2.3 million in additional storm-related overtime payments in the amended budget.

One of the five contractors, A. Folino Construction, has been quiet as the fallen snow about its $481,320 invoice, however. 

Council Member Kim Salinetro of Banksville said the invoice lacked detail during the April 8 committee meeting. As one of the larger invoices, she said the public should know what the expense covered.

John McClory, acting director of the Department of Public Works (DPW), said last week that he would try to get the information, but Folino still hadn’t responded by the April 15 committee meeting.

According to McClory’s records, 20 vehicles from Folino plowed parts of Squirrel Hill and Shadyside for seven days during the snowstorm earlier this year. Former DPW director Chris Hornstein said at a February 2025 meeting that the East End neighborhoods are part of the city’s largest snow removal zone, totaling 265 road miles.

Council voted to hold approval of the invoice for another week.