State auditor general conducts review of Pete

Two weeks ago, State Auditor General Jack Wagner directed his staff to begin a review of… Two weeks ago, State Auditor General Jack Wagner directed his staff to begin a review of documents concerning the construction of the Petersen Events Center. The decision is a new development in an ongoing dispute concerning cost overruns in the building’s construction.

An investigation by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that possible causes of the cost overruns include an increase in the Petersen’s size, change in location and the hiring of excess contractors.

The final price of the Pete continues to raise concern for taxpayers. According to the investigation, the taxpayer’s share in the project grew five-fold from the original estimate.

Soon after its completion, there were problems with the building. According to past articles in The Pitt News, these problems included a leaking roof, poor wiring, the inability to operate equipment as designed, temperature control problems, pipe failures and problems with communication wiring.

These alleged problems resulted in a lawsuit filed in the winter of 2004 by Pitt and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services against the roof’s manufacturers, architects and original contractors.

Months later, architects Apostolou Associates of Mt. Washington and Rosser International of Atlanta filed a countersuit against Pitt, claiming that the University was to blame for the malfunctions with the Pete.

The lawsuits are still pending. The two firms could not be reached for comment on the Auditor General’s decision.

The cause of cost inflations during the Pete’s construction remains an object of public attention. According to a May 3 Post-Gazette article, the final cost of the building tripled from its original cost estimate to a grand total of $119 million.

The Auditor General’s staff refused further comment on the review. They cited spokesperson Steve Halvonik’s comment in a May 11 issue of the University Times that Wagner has directed his staff to review available documents, but this move is not necessarily the beginning of an investigation of the Petersen.

Wagner wrote about the status of the review in an e-mail.

“We are presently in the process of entertaining the prospect of doing an audit on the Petersen Center. The analysis will not be complete for at least 30 days,” he said.

His staff had no comment on how this process could affect future events at the Petersen or the building itself.

University spokesperson John Fedele, of the Pitt Public Affairs Office, said that he doesn’t foresee any problems in Pitt’s cooperation with the Auditor General’s review.

“The University cooperates with the Auditor General’s office on a regular basis. Obviously, that would apply here as well,” Fedele said.