At this week’s  6 p.m. commission discussion session,  Municipal Engineer Dan Deiseroth of Gateway Engineers gave a PowerPoint presentation to help Commissioners visualize various options for either expanding or improving the community’s playing fields, which are overcrowded and overused. This session was educational in nature, as there is a long history of Commission efforts to meet the need of sports organizations.  All options for new fields would be expensive—ranging into the millions and requiring a bond issue.  Deiseroth also discussed some less expensive options for making improvements to fields, such as fixing the drainage problem at Bird Park Field.  Fields will  be an important component of the municipality’s comprehensive planning process, which will take place later this year and will provide opportunities for public input.  Renderings of the various field options should be posted shortly on www.mtlebanon.org.

At the regular 8 pm meeting, the Commission:

—Approved a number of changes, mostly installation of stop signs,  as recommended by the Traffic Board .  Heavy traffic and cut-though traffic are perennial issues in Mt. Lebanon that are unlikely to go away, and making a change on one street often creates a problem nearby.  Kudos to the volunteer members of the Traffic Board, who listen respectfully to residents’ requests and make recommendations to the Commission that  help mitigate traffic problems and promote driver and pedestrian safety.

—Authorized officials to renew a 5-year agreement with the Baseball Association that makes the association  responsible for  the concession stand (and give them the proceeds), requires them to pay for the electricity at the field and sets playing hours.

—Heard from student commissioner Bill Postufka, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School.  Postufka acknowledged that texting while driving is a common teenage activity and assured the Commission that he will see that the high school students are aware of the new state ban on texting while driving.

Commission meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday and 4th Monday of each month in the Commission Chamber in the Municipal Building.  There is a public comment session at the start of the 8 pm. meeting.  Commission meeting are televised on Comcast l7 and Verizon 34 according to the following schedule:  Tuesday, 7 p.m.  Wednesday, 2 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m., Friday, 10 p.m. and Saturday, 5 p.m.