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
Where to watch Colorado Rockies vs Pittsburgh Pirates: TV channel, start time, streaming for
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Gas prices continue to sit near the $5 mark for the better part of the Pittsburgh region. Not only is it impacting people’s wallets, but it’s also hitting the bottom lines of first responders’ operations.
While gas prices are not impacting day-to-day operations, budgets are always tight, and if prices stay high, it could have some long-term impacts. First responders say they’ll still come when you call 911, so there’s no need to panic, but there is some concern behind the scenes.
“We can’t charge more for our services. The only way to weather the storm is to become more efficient,” Regional Emergency Support Quick Response Service director Mike Gallagher said.
RESQRS said gas is normally about $2,500 to $3,000 a month. From March to April, it was $5,500. The ambulance they wanted to get this year is now on hold as costs go up.
“It definitely has affected other parts of the business and how we operate,” Gallagher said over Zoom.
It’s the same for volunteer firefighters. Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services had its bill go from $300 to $400, up to $1,000 last month. This price spike was, of course, never anticipated when making the budget last year.
“It absolutely wasn’t. We just have to take money from other things and reprioritize,” SAVES fire chief Mike Daniher said.
Medic Rescue in Bridgewater, Beaver County, covers that county and takes patients to Wexford and Pittsburgh hospitals. They easily rack up hundreds of miles a day driving. Insurance doesn’t cover gas spikes, and fuel reimbursements are set from the prior year.
“I don’t see how it would be sustainable in the long term without some changes in financing,” Medic Rescue director of operations Bill Pasquale said.
An immediate impact for many services is putting new equipment on the back burner. While grants can be used for that, there’s no guarantee it’s accepted.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh will have afternoon storm chances on Wednesday with gusty winds and lightning
It will be stormy this afternoon, and then cooler for the rest of the work week.
Temperatures then warm up with record-setting temperatures possible early next week. It’s going to be a busy stretch of weather. Let’s get right into it.
Rain chances today are low overall. The headline is the storm chance that occurs this afternoon. Gusty winds, frequent lightning, and isolated but intense downpours are expected as a narrow line of storms develops and rolls through Western Pennsylvania. The line of storms will be intensifying as it moves from the west to the east.
Right now, it looks like the storms will roll through between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
By the time you see this blog, our best chance for morning rain should have come and gone. Rain totals will not be very impressive today; most will see less than 0.05 inches of rain.
That excludes rain coming from afternoon storms.
Afternoon storms could add another fifth of an inch of rain for those who see the most ‘intense’ cells sliding through their areas. Temperatures in the morning are in the 50s. We will quickly rise up to the mid-60s for temperatures this afternoon ahead of storms. Temperatures will then dip back down to the 50s for the rest of the day, with brisk winds coming in from the northwest at around 15 mph.
Thursday highs will only hit the mid-50s.
We stay cool through Friday morning. We’d have to worry about frost on Friday if it wasn’t for the cloud cover that’s expected. Friday highs will be near 70°. Saturday and Sunday highs are expected to hit the low 80s both days.
A perfect ‘storm’ of low humidity levels, plenty of sunshine, and a strengthening sun angle will allow us to potentially see record highs early next week. I have high temperatures in the 90s on both Monday and Tuesday next week.
The record high for Monday is 91°, and that is what I am forecasting for a high.
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