The Pirates "aren’t happy" with the $2.6M in reimbursements they will receive from the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority for a "host of capital improvements made to PNC Park" before the '17 season, according to Mark Belko of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Pirates Senior VP/Business Affairs & General Counsel Bryan Stroh said that the team "believes it is owed" $4.5M for the work, which included a "new out-of-town scoreboard, seating replacements, and new field lighting," plus upgrades in the suites and Lexus Club. PACSEA board members on Thursday approved the $2.6M, but Stroh said that "it’s not enough." Stroh added that the Pirates spent more than $10M "making improvements to the North Shore ballpark, owned by the SEA, before last season but sought reimbursement" for only $4.5M. He noted that the team believes all $4.5M in renovations "constituted a 'repair' eligible for reimbursement under the Pirates’ PNC Park lease" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2/9). Stroh also said that the team would "seek the remainder in court if necessary." TRIBLIVE.com's Bob Bauder noted the two sides have "argued for more than a year over how much the authority was obligated to pay" (TRIBLIVE.com, 2/8).
