As the Pirates began spring training in Florida this week, Mayor Tom Murphy's Forbes Field II Task Force eliminated one possible site for a new baseball park. The Center City location, between Grant Street and the Civic Arena, required construction that was too costly and impractical, including raising the park on a deck above Crosstown Boulevard.

According to a recent survey by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the most favored location for a baseball park is the North Side. This site gained support this week when Steelers President Dan Rooney lobbied to build near Three Rivers Stadium. Rooney also suggested a new multi-purpose stadium for both the Steelers and Pirates, an idea rejected by the mayor and new Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy.

The task force is also considering another downtown site in the Cultural District between Seventh and Ninth Streets. It is believed that construction there would not interfere with the proposed expansion of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

On the panel studying the convention center expansion, State Sen. Jack Wagner lobbied aggressively this week to extend the center eastward into the Strip District and enlarge the current exhibit space by almost three times. Another plan supported by the mayor and most of the panel would extend the center westward across 10th Street and increase space by less than twice.

Across town in Oakland, a heated debate centered on the proposed closing of Bigelow Boulevard between Fifth and Forbes Avenues. Proponents, including Mayor Murphy and Pitt officials, want a safer traffic-free corridor between the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union. Opponents, including City Council President Jim Ferlo and several Oakland business owners, say that resulting traffic and parking problems would jeopardize nearby businesses. City Council is expected to take a preliminary vote next week on the mayor's request for a two-month trial closing in the fall.

And, finally, in a preview of an upcoming traffic nightmare, PennDOT had planned to close the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel during the Easter weekend. Cold weather has caused the work to be delayed to an upcoming weekend. The closing will offer a glimpse of the gridlock expected when the bridge and tunnel are closed for several months during 2000-01.