The Pirates are "threatening legal action against the Sports & Exhibition Authority over its refusal to pay for a host of capital upgrades to PNC Park being sought by the team," according to a front-page piece by Mark Belko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Pirates President Frank Coonelly in a Dec. 21 letter called the SEA’s positions on the repairs "'illogical and unsupportable' and suggested the joint city-county authority is taking the stance because the capital reserve fund used to pay for ballpark improvements is short of money." However, SEA Exec Dir Mary Conturo said that the agency, which owns the ballpark, is "simply doing its due diligence in trying to determine whether the repairs requested by the team are the public’s responsibility under the lease." The tussle involves "efforts by the Pirates to use the capital reserve fund, financed by a ticket surcharge, to pay for repairs to PNC Park seats; new carpeting for suites as well as carpeting and wood flooring for the Lexus Club; painting; and new field lighting." A key point of contention appears to be "plans by the team to upgrade the out-of-town scoreboard as well as some of the park’s other video boards." According to Coonelly, the SEA has "taken the position that an upgrade that involves replacing an outdated or malfunctioning component with another using current technology constitutes an 'improvement' and not a 'repair' covered by the lease." It is clear from Coonelly’s letter that the two sides have been "discussing ways to develop new or enhanced revenue sources for the fund." Coonelly said that the Pirates have "offered to contribute their own dollars into the fund on a matching basis with new revenue sources and to pre-pay future obligations, only to have the options 'denied, ignored or both'" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 12/29).
