Pitt begins rebuilding 5-year-old events center

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Part of the exterior concourse at the University of Pittsburgh’s five-year-old Petersen Events Center, which has been beset by cost overruns and other problems, was being rebuilt because it had deteriorated, the university said.

The concrete was “faulty” and “not well-constructed,” university spokesman Robert Hill said.

Hill declined to estimate the cost of reconstruction, which has started, or identify the company that did the original work.

Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection officials discovered that necessary city approvals for the work had not been sought when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sought details about the work last week.

“They’ve obviously been placed on notice that they need to come in for a building permit,” said Sergei Matveiev, a bureau engineer.

Structural integrity of the center is not at issue, Hill said. He would not discuss whether water has leaked into the building or other issues. The surface should be reopened by the end of October, he said.

In the spring, Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner said the state failed to control costs, and that the state’s construction management agency, the Department of General Services, accepted poor results at the center.

A leaky roof cost the university an extra $6 million to fix and is the subject of a lawsuit to recoup the money.

The Post-Gazette calculated that the cost of the 12,500-seat arena had ballooned from $35 million to $119 million, not counting the roof repair costs.