Pittsburg, PA
Whistleblowers allege poor construction of new parking garage at airport, council president says
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The president of Allegheny County Council said whistleblowers contacted him with allegations of poor construction of the new parking garage at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority, though, said any safety concerns are unfounded and it has identified solutions for cosmetic hairline cracks.
Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena said he was sent several pictures and a video showing cracks in the floors of a parking garage that’s being built at Pittsburgh International Airport. According to Catena, a handful of people reached out to him with concerns about the quality of work being done, fearing it would be swept under the rug if it wasn’t made public.
“There are allegations that the principal contractor for the parking garage – Michael Baker International, Inc. – is aware that the condition of the parking decks in the garage is of substandard quality. There are also allegations that Baker has directed a subcontractor – Rycon Construction, Inc. – to apply a coating to the parking decks to conceal the quality issues, rather than fixing them,” Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority runs the airport, and the county still owns the land. Control over what happens on the property was given to the airport authority about 25 years ago, and the authority is required to maintain the airport in good condition and repair.
“It thus appears any cover up of the deficient construction quality in the new garage would also cover up a potential default on the contract by the airport authority,” Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority told KDKA-TV it is disappointing Catena did not contact it directly with any safety concerns, which it says are unfounded.
The airport authority statement also said, in part, “During the preparations to apply a finishing coating on a portion of the new parking garage, hairline cracks appeared. These cracks are cosmetic, and our analysis shows no impact on the structural integrity of the building. The contractor has already developed a plan to seal the cracks in the coming weeks, and the ACAA is closely monitoring the situation through our rigorous quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program.”
Catena is calling on the airport authority to do a review of the alleged construction issues and give the council and the chief executive a thorough, transparent report by Nov. 21, or he’ll initiate a council investigation.
He said he wants to make sure the work is done in the best fashion for all the people who use the airport.
“I think we need to look at everything, at some point whether that’s cosmetic, at some point, even if they seal it, that’s not going to last,” Catena said.
“I have concerns that it needs to be done correctly and safely, and want to make sure that’s it going to last because this is a lot of money, not the taxpayers funding the airport but a lot of money being spent on this project,” he added.
KDKA-TV reached out to Michael Baker International., which said, “Michael Baker International, Inc. (“Michael Baker”) is a full-service engineering and architecture firm and provided the initial design of the parking garage. Michael Baker is not a construction contractor. Michael Baker has not done any construction onsite and does not have the authority to direct any construction contractor or subcontractor.”
KDKA-TV also reached out to Rycon Construction for comment, because Catena mentioned the company in his press conference and it helped with the project but did not hear back on Tuesday.
Pittsburg, PA
Plum Borough parents charged with supplying alcohol for underage drinking party
Two parents are facing charges after police say more than 60 teenagers were drinking at a large party in their Plum Borough home.
According to court paperwork, Ian and Corrine Dryburgh have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors, and furnishing liquor to minors stemming from the incident that happened at a home in Plum Borough late last month.
Police said that officers went to the home after receiving a tip about a large party involving high school aged children.
When officers arrived at the home, they found numerous teenagers, empty beer cans and empty seltzer cans, and multiple bottles of vodka.
The parents told police that a birthday party for their 17-year-old daughter got out of hand and that some kids has been kicked out, but more came and they didn’t know what to do.
According to the criminal complaint, officers said they had been called to the home two previous times for similar reasons.
Police said a total of 66 underage kids were at the home.
Court records show that both parents have been cited via summons and preliminary hearings are scheduled for mid-April.
Pittsburg, PA
Pirates Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Cardinals
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League, but suffered a surprising defeat.
The Pirates lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., taking just their third defeat in Spring Training so far, dropping to 9-3 in the Grapefruit League.
Pittsburgh saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but they are still level with the New York Yankees at the top of the Grapefruit League standings.
This game also came after the first off day for the Pirates on March 4 and a 7-1 win over Team Colombia in an exhibition at LECOM Park on March 3.
How the Pirates Fell to the Cardinals
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller made his third start in the Grapefruit League and threw three scoreless innings, before giving up a solo home run to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman on a slider down in the zone, putting the road team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
That represented the first run that Keller gave up all Spring Training and Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Derek Diamond came in for him after he gave up a single to Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.
Keller has just a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, a good start for the veteran on the starting rotation.
St. Louis loaded the bases against Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk in the top of the fifth inning with three walks, but Sisk struckout top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt and forced Gorman into a double play to keep it a one-run game.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning, as he walked second baseman Ramón Urías, who stole second base, then gave up a single to catcher Pedro Pagés, doubling the Cardinals’ lead at 2-0.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as shortstop Alika Williams hit a two-run home run off of Cardinals left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning, hitting leadoff batter Joshua Baez with a pitch and then giving up a single to pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks to make it 3-2.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn had a strong showing for the Pirates in the loss to the Cardinals with two hits in two at-bats. He is now slashing .462/.563/.769 for an OPS of 1.332 in six Grapefruit League games.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had a hit off the bench for the Pirates, as he is now slashing .533/.611/.733 for an OPS of 1.344 in seven games.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
Pittsburg, PA
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