Pittsburgh convention center project hit with problems

By Judy Lin
Associated Press Writer Feb. 26, 2002

Pittsburgh – The flute players are pulling out, an ergonomics society says it would rather be in Baltimore, there is still no deal to build a hotel next door and construction costs keeps rising. As workers prepare for the new Pittsburgh convention center’s first show on Saturday, the troubles continue to mount for the project. This month, a construction worker was killed, and another organization canceled its meeting plans. Earlier this week, the price of finishing the building went up again. “It’s easy to take a step back and say there are problems, but some of the issues are unrelated to one another,” said Greg Yesko, a spokesman for the Sports and Exhibition Authority, which is building the center. Before construction began on the 330,000-square-foot David L. Lawrence Convention Center two years ago, its cost was estimated at $260 million — about $150 million of that coming from state tax coffers. Earlier this month, authority director Steve Leeper said that cost could be $350 million by the center’s completion in 2003. Yesko said the latest increase, $20 million, was needed for upgrades like motorized shutters to cover skylights in the main exhibition room, a glass elevator and a riverfront park. “This will be a signature building for the region unlike any other in the country,” Yesko said. “Some of the decisions to add certain amenities certainly make sense.”

Losing interest

Despite the planned amenities, two groups that would have brought 6,000 people to Pittsburgh have already moved their conventions elsewhere. Last week, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society announced its September convention would be in Baltimore. The National Flute Association said earlier this year that it would hold its 2004 convention in Nashville, Tenn.

The moves came, in part, because the authority fired 10 managers in August and did not hire a replacement until November, Bob Imperata, a vice president with the Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Yesko said he does not believe the authority is responsible for those losses. To cover the rising cost, he said, the authority is seeking additional funding from state programs, foundations and corporate sponsorships. The authority still hopes to see a connected 500-room hotel in operation by the convention center’s March 2003 grand opening, Yesko said. He said at least one group — Interstate Hotels — is interested in building it. Still, there is no deal. Meanwhile, an investigation continues into the death of ironworker Paul Corsi, 37, who was killed Feb. 12 when a steel truss collapsed. Officials remain unsure what caused the collapse. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said there were no complaints of safety violations before the accident.
The convention center and two new stadiums were seen as a way to revitalize Pittsburgh’s downtown. Downtown businesses have high hopes for the convention center’s success in a city that has been struggling with a 50-year decline in population and a $20 million budget shortfall.