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Mayor Peduto Wants New Guidelines In Place For Big Events

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Enough is enough. That's the message from Mayor Bill Peduto after this weekend's mess left behind after the Luke Bryan concert at Heinz Field.

Peduto is currently in Denmark, but Chief of Staff Kevin Acklin held a press conference about the clean-up effort Monday morning.

Both indicated that they want this to be a safe and clean city and that includes major events. They also said the city should not have to bear the financial responsibility for "poorly managed" events.

More than 50,000 flocked to Heinz Field for the Luke Bryan show Saturday night. By all accounts, it was a great show and there were no major issues reported from inside the stadium.

However, outside of the stadium was a different story.

According to a statement from Peduto, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials responded to over 300 concert-related incidents.

"Pittsburgh Police issued 37 non-traffic citations (20 for scalping; 10 for public urination; six for disorderly conduct; and one for public intoxication); made at least seven arrests; broke up 15 fights and answered 154 calls to 911. City medics responded to 100 calls to 311 and made 34 transports to hospitals," the statement said.

ALCO Parking took care of the parking inside of their lots. However, the city picked up the tab for cleaning the streets and the waterfront.

Moving forward, Peduto would like to see the promotors pick up part, if not all, of the clean-up costs.

"All these crowds, they gave rock 'n' roll a bad name," said longtime Pittsburgh concert promoter Rich Engler. "I mean, this was a country show and we never had garbage like this. I don't know what was going on."

Engler says he agrees with Peduto's desire for accountability, but says fans should be prepared to hand over more cash.

Peduto wants to discuss when the parking lots open for tailgating and would also like to see a limitation on boat access along the riverfront.

All of these changes would have to be approved and they want it done quickly because there are two more big events on the horizon.

Country music star Jason Aldean will play at PNC Park on July 26.

The next day, AC Milan will take on Manchester City in the Guinness International Champions Cup at Heinz Field.

Director of Stadium Management Jimmie Sacco issued a statement regarding the Luke Bryan show and future events:

"Luke Bryan attracted thousands of fans to the City of Pittsburgh and generated a significant economic impact to the area.

I'd like to thank the City of Pittsburgh Police Department and the many other workers who provided support for the concert and allowed a record-breaking crowd to enjoy a great event at Heinz Field.

Although a small number of fans showed a lack of respect for the area, we are pleased that so many fans were well-behaved and enjoyed a beautiful night in our city.

We will continue to work with the City of Pittsburgh and all of our support partners to improve the efficiency of hosting large events that attract thousands of visitors to the region."

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RELATED LINKS:

Superstar Luke Bryan Brings Thousands Of Country Music Fans To North Shore (6/21)
Officials Hoping Luke Bryan Concert Won't Leave Trail Of Trash (6/20/14)
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