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Jul 18, 2008 1:24 pm US/Central
Houston Astrodome Hit With Citations
HOUSTON (AP) ―
The aging Houston Astrodome has been hit with nine fire code violations, and Harris county officials may have to pay $250,000 to keep it open for events.
Inspectors with the Houston Fire Marshal's Office discovered problems with the now-shuttered stadium's sprinkler system, which had low water pressure, KPRC-TV reported Thursday.
"This does not come as a big surprise," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett told the television station. "I have always been concerned about people being in that building."
Other citations include an inoperable fire alarm system, faulty emergency lights and several electrical problems, including a broken generator.
Only maintenance workers and security guards are allowed to enter the Astrodome after what was once nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" was hit with the notice of violations.
Other minor problems were discovered at the Astrodome when the county applied for a full certificate of occupancy before it was used for some Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo events.
Although inspectors issued citations this week, they didn't condemn the Dome, and they didn't force management employees out of their offices, county spokesman Joe Stinebaker said. Still, those 36 people moved their offices into the adjacent Reliant Center temporarily, he said.
County officials will now have to figure out what repairs are needed and where to get the money for them, Stinebaker said.
The Dome is the world's first indoor stadium. It opened in 1965 as the Harris County Domed Stadium and was shut down after the much larger Reliant Stadium was built in 2002.
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