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County Council To Meet Over Boyce Ski Lift Problems

MONROEVILLE (KDKA) -- Ski lift "A" at Boyce Park is closed until further notice for the third time this month.

"It's just a frustrating process because we have a company that is well-known in the business and actually has the distribution rights to this type of lift," Allegheny County Public Works Director Joe Olczak said. "And we thought we had the appropriate person and company to make it through the season without any incidents."

Allegheny County is again asking for Doppelmayr, the ski-lift's manufacturer, to come and fix their equipment after this latest lift malfunction Saturday had more than 30 skiers -- mostly children -- stranded.

"I think it's gonna take a little bit more a process in evaluating and maybe running it more days before you know the vendor and state give us the approval to open back up," Olczak said.

Home video of the first incident on Jan. 8 left riders stranded when someone pulled the cable off its guide-wheel when they got off the lift. The park was closed while state inspectors assessed the repairs. It reopened Jan. 12 only to malfunction again that same evening.

County Council President Rich Fitzgerald says he will now hold a joint-hearing Wednesday.

"If this manufacturer can't get it done, we better find someone who can get it done. No. 1, we're losing money. We're losing credibility," Fitzgerald said. "We're losing ... I'm mean it's the prime season when people want to ski, but they're not going to be skiing if the ski lift breaks down and they have to get rescued every other week."

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