4/6/2007, 7:14 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The new president of the Pittsburgh Penguins has agreed to meet with neighborhood leaders seeking a development fund and minority hiring as part of a $290 million arena being built in the area.
"We anticipate having meetings with community members in the Hill District on the redevelopment of the Lower Hill," President David Morehouse said Friday. "It's far too early to anticipate what the outcomes of community meetings will be."
Some community members are seeking $10 million for the neighborhood hosting the arena and related redevelopment promised by casino license winner Don Barden. A proposal delivered to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato also calls for annual payments for 30 years to a development interest and that 30 percent of arena and development jobs be reserved for minorities.
Morehouse said he would consider a minority hiring plan. On the request for development money, he said he was "not going to discount offhand anything I haven't seen." A spokesman for Barden declined comment, saying he had not seen the proposal.
Marimba Milliones, a Hill District businesswoman and a leader of the effort, said a contribution of $10 million to neighborhood development "is actually very conservative when you compare it to the list of public dollars going to the arena for the Penguins."
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