The Pirates' PR problems continue to pile up like commemorative bricks in a recycling center.
The Pittsburgh Sports and Exhibition Authority on Thursday approved new funds for sidewalk renovations at PNC Park during a meeting in which officials stressed that the $104,358 had nothing to do with the Pirates’ recent Bucco Bricks controversy.
The agenda item came up days after thousands of commemorative bricks removed from sidewalks outside the ballpark were seen at a recycling facility, sparking fan outrage amid the Pirates’ already rocky start to the season. With that in mind, SEA Project Executive Doug Straley, who was reading the agenda item at the SEA’s regular meeting at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, emphasized that the new funds were unrelated to the bricks that once lined the sidewalk.
And just to be sure, board Chairman and state Sen. Wayne Fontana asked Mr. Straley to repeat himself — as a point of emphasis to the audience.
That didn’t stop Pirates fan Gabe Mazefsky, who has become a fixture at SEA meetings, from interrupting the meeting several times to demand the board investigate whether tax dollars are being used in any way to “pay for the destruction” of the Bucco Bricks.
Mr. Mazefsky has been leading a charge against the Pirates, previously petitioning the SEA to raise the Pirates’ rent at PNC Park and also raising money for billboards around the region imploring owner Bob Nutting to sell the team.
He was escorted outside by city police officers while trying to explain why he should be let back in, to no avail.
Back inside the meeting, board members approved the funding for “additional work due to unforeseen conditions of the sidewalk replacement” outside PNC Park.
The SEA originally agreed to a $1,122,869 contract Sept. 12, 2024, with construction company PJ Dick to replace the sidewalks. While the project was “substantially completed” by March, workers had to replace the eroding subbase — the load-bearing layer of pavement — and a structural slab at the Roberto Clemente statue, officials said.
Additionally, workers had to remove and haul more concrete than was specified in the original agreement and install fencing for safety purposes, Mr. Straley said.
The change order is funded 75% by the Pirates and 25% by PNC Park’s capital reserves, which the SEA manages to facilitate repairs.
Damage control
The Bucco Bricks controversy followed several missteps by the team, at least in the eyes of an impatient fanbase hungry for a winner.
It started with an offseason that frustrated many Pirates fans because the team — seemingly on the rise with the debut last year of phenom pitcher Paul Skenes — signed few players of note to bolster the roster.
The Pirates then started the season with a disappointing road trip in Florida, winning just two of seven games.
Then came the home opener last Friday, when Mr. Mazefsky had a plane fly over PNC Park with a sign urging Mr. Nutting to sell the team, and several fan chants of “sell the team” during a lopsided 9-4 loss.
The Pirates drew even more ire last weekend with their decision to replace a tribute logo for Roberto Clemente with an advertisement — prompting Roberto Clemente Jr. to post on X: “WOW…………..”
Then on Tuesday, the organization was once again in an unwanted spotlight over the disappearance of the fan-funded bricks.
Many served as memorials to lost family and friends with personalized messages. Fans’ annoyance built Tuesday when Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV reported that the removed bricks had been spotted at a construction recycling facility in Reserve, miles from the ballpark.
The Pirates explained in a statement that the bricks — which had been damaged through “a host of environmental factors including weather and foot traffic” — had to be replaced in the past and will be replaced again in honor of PNC Park’s 25th season next year.
“We respect, appreciate, and understand just how meaningful these messages are,” a team spokesman said in the statement. “We share in that feeling. We have been actively planning to develop and unveil a more permanent display for these special messages to honor the enduring support that our fans shared then and continue to share in our future.”
On the field, meanwhile, the Pirates are tied for last place in the National League’s Central Division at 5-8.
In other SEA news Thursday:
• Board members approved $55,000 to repair “For Pittsburgh,” a “kinetic artwork display” by Jenny Holzer consisting of 688 LED tubes that debuted at the convention center in 2003. Sunrise SESA, the Massachusetts-based firm that installed the display, will lead the repairs.
• Venture Outdoors, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit, will relocate its kayak rental service from the North Shore to a barge next to the convention center’s Riverfront Plaza later this spring. It will cost around $300,000 to install pilings and relocate the 99-foot-long barge, which will be connected to the riverwalk by a gangplank, Mr. Straley said.
Construction will begin in May. The kayak rental service is expected to be up and running by June 1 and last through September each year, weather permitting, Mr. Straley said.
First Published: April 10, 2025, 9:09 p.m.
Updated: April 11, 2025, 7:48 p.m.
