Sunday, September 21, 2003

By Gary Rotstein, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Planners for the 2005 national Senior Olympics in Pittsburgh say people can count on it being here and being well-funded, regardless of city budget troubles that have jeopardized other events.

Representatives of the Pittsburgh Local Organizing Committee, which bid successfully for the senior event, note that it is a partnership of various public and private entities that never sought or received funding commitments from local government.

The city remains one of those partners, along with Allegheny County, UPMC, the University of Pittsburgh and the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Because the UPMC/City of Pittsburgh Marathon is put on by the city, with the medical center providing staff support and financial sponsorship, officials said last week that Pittsburgh's financial troubles had made the marathon's future uncertain. The city already canceled the Sept. 28 Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race.

City services also will be needed to accommodate more than 10,000 athletes 50 and older expected for the 2005 Summer National Senior Games, as the event is formally known, but other sources of help are expected to be much broader than for either the marathon or the great race.

"The games have never been in jeopardy of being pulled out of Pittsburgh," said David White, executive director of the Pittsburgh Local Organizing Committee, a private partnership group planning the 2005 event.

"The mayor never committed financial resources -- it's more ancillary services" to make the Senior Olympics successful, White said. "We're still a fair distance out, and I'm not worrying about city services as of yet. We haven't had a chance to sit down in depth to discuss needs at various sites."

The committee has set a fund-raising goal of $2.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions, primarily from corporations and private institutions. Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey has served as chairman of a committee aiming to obtain $2 million of those commitments by the end of this year.

Roddey said he was confident thus far of obtaining $1.5 million and at least $300,000 in in-kind contributions, based on formal and informal commitments.

Early contributions totaling about $125,000, primarily from UPMC and Citizens Bank, are covering the committee's costs for a host city fee to the National Senior Games Association, payroll costs for White and two other initial staff members, and operations of their new Oakland office.

Roddey said discussions were under way with about five potential major sponsors in the $500,000 range, at least two of which are "good prospects" despite the still slumbering economy.

"It's more of a business proposition than a charitable donation," Roddey said of the way companies are being approached. "This is a very unique event, not something that comes very often."

An economic report done for the 2003 Senior Olympics in Hampton Roads, Va., said it drew 28,000 visitors overall, including 10,750 athletes, and $26 million in spending over the two-week span on lodging, food and more. That is less than the more than $30 million that Hampton Roads organizers hoped for and Pittsburgh committee officials said they anticipated attracting in 2005.

The Hampton Roads report's analysis estimated the true economic benefit at a lesser amount, $15.4 million, by accounting for spending that would have occurred otherwise if the event were not held.

The participants stayed an average of 6.5 nights in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach, Va., area, with an average traveling party of 2.6 people spending about $175 a day, said the report by Patrick Rishe, an associate professor of economics at Webster University in St. Louis.

Local officials made a strong push to attract the games last year on the basis of economic benefits and the influence it could have on promoting the health of local seniors. The Pittsburgh region has the largest concentration of elderly among any major metropolitan area outside of Florida.

Mary Esther Van Shura, city assistant director of parks and recreation, said the Murphy administration was committed to supporting the event as a positive promotion for the area. She noted that participation in local Senior Olympics competitions put on in both winter and summer by the city has been growing, and that the competitions would go on as scheduled in 2004.

One issue up in the air is development of a horseshoes site for the 2005 games, which city officials formerly said they might undertake at a West End location adjacent to the neighborhood's senior center. Horseshoes is one of 18 sports that the National Senior Games Association requires.

Van Shura said the city obtained a state grant of $5,000 that could be used for providing up to 18 portable horseshoe pits, which could be used for both the national and local competitions. A permanent site may still be developed, but she and White said it might be elsewhere than the West End, to bring the competitors closer to other events taking place primarily at Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, Schenley Park and North Park.

One of the main criticisms from athletes attending the Hampton Roads games was too many events were far apart from one another, from their lodging or from any central hub of activity.

White said the local organizers are sensitive to those concerns. Most activities in June 2005 will be in and around the Oakland colleges during the pre-summer semester break for both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University. Discussions have begun with the two colleges to plan for dormitory housing of athletes, if they want it.

E-mail this story   Print this story