After venting for days about violence and other problems in the South Side's nightclub district, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus said he was heartened Thursday by offers of help from police department brass.

Mr. Kraus said police Chief Nate Harper promised to have officers speak with bar owners about the role they can play in maintaining order and agreed to participate in a broader effort -- possibly to include the city's public works department and Bureau of Building Inspection -- to manage East Carson Street's nightclub district.

The councilman said he met for about two hours in his office with Chief Harper; William Bochter, assistant chief of operations; Zone 3 Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly; and Lt. Shirley Sloan. Lt. Sloan is acting zone commander while Cmdr. McNeilly is on a planning assignment at headquarters.

"It was a very productive meeting, and I was very encouraged at the positive response of Chief Harper and the Bureau of Police to mitigating the problems that have grown in the East Carson corridor," Mr. Kraus said.

Mr. Kraus said Chief Harper promised to have police meet with the owners of all alcohol-serving establishments between Station Square and the SouthSide Works. He said he asked the chief to discourage pub crawls and drink specials that may contribute to excessive drinking.

Chief Harper said he has not committed to going door-to-door himself to meet with the establishment owners.

"I will, however, attend a general meeting once scheduled by [Acting Cmdr.] Sloan to address the issues that continue to plague the South Side during the weekends," he said.

Mr. Kraus said he also asked the chief to consider taking the kind of high-profile stand on the East Carson Street problems that he did after an exchange of gunfire near a youth football game in Homewood last month.

Chief Harper traveled to Homewood and went on camera, threatening to shut down the youth football league unless the community turned in the names of the gunmen. He got names in short order.

At the end of a council meeting Tuesday -- two days after the shooting of a bouncer and two other people outside Town Tavern on East Carson -- Mr. Kraus accused Mayor Luke Ravenstahl of being indifferent to the neighborhood's problems and made an emotional plea for help.

Besides occasional violence, Mr. Kraus has blamed bar patrons for litter, vandalism, public urination and noise.

Mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven said Tuesday that the South Side's problems do not constitute a crisis, and she noted that the administration has provided extra police patrols, garbage cans and other resources to help the neighborhood. On Thursday, she said the administration also has worked with the community to develop an improvement plan.

Cmdr. McNeilly said the problems are as severe as Mr. Kraus has indicated. And she said she understands his frustration.

"The man, in my opinion, did everything except stand on his head stark naked in the middle of Carson Street and ask for help, because that's how bad that area has become," she said.

The problems, she said, include foul smells and drunken revelers acting "like animals." At times, she said, the conditions are "worse than Bourbon Street" in New Orleans.

The man charged with opening fire outside Town Tavern was ordered Thursday to stand trial on 11 criminal charges.

Police say George J. Morgan, 27, of Baldwin Borough, was aiming for one man in particular, but his bullets struck three bystanders -- two women and a bar bouncer -- instead.

The shots were fired about 2 a.m. Sunday after Mr. Morgan scuffled with two other men outside the bar, police said. He fled, threw his pistol, and was apprehended shortly later by officers near 20th and Sydney streets, according to police.

Cmdr. McNeilly said conditions in and around the bar district are unfair to South Side residents, police officers, responsible patrons out for a pleasant evening and the other Zone 3 communities that have to share public-safety resources with the East Carson Street area.

During Thursday's meeting with police, Mr. Kraus cited a comprehensive plan that his office released a year ago for managing the neighborhood's hospitality industry. Among other provisions, the plan -- partly based on practices developed by California-based Responsible Hospitality Institute -- calls for coordination of various city departments so that a weekend on the South Side is treated much like a Steelers game or big concert.

A group of bar owners and other businesspeople is pooling money to pay for additional police patrols and cleanup crews each weekend. The group hopes to have the extra services in place within two weeks, Bubba Snider, operating partner of Mullen's on Carson, said.

"We want better security and a cleaner environment," he said. Bar and nightclub owners would be receptive to meetings with the police, he said.

Mr. Kraus said he hopes to set up an interdepartmental meeting on South Side problems, something he believes could set the stage for a public-private task force that would implement his management plan.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.