Athletic Association averts sheriff’s sale
The struggling Pittsburgh Athletic Association in Oakland fended off a sheriff’s sale that had been set for Tuesday morning by paying $55,000 toward taxes it owes for the county’s 7 percent drink tax.
The Allegheny County sheriff’s office was set to auction off the 109-year-old club’s furniture, paintings, kitchen equipment and liquor license to satisfy a judgment for not paying the drink tax from October 2015 through August 2016.
PAA officials made the payment Monday evening, according to Mike McCabe, solicitor for the county treasurer’s office.
The club also signed a consent judgment for taxes still owed from September 2016 through March 2017, he said.
The association will be responsible for any taxes determined to be due in excess of the $55,000, plus any court costs, sheriff’s fees, locksmith charges and the treasurer’s audit fee, Mr. McCabe said.
The county had seized the club’s liquor license and scheduled the sheriff’s sale in March because of the delinquent drink taxes.
The once-prestigious club has sunk deep into debt in recent years amid declining membership and mounting bills. Water to the iconic clubhouse on Fifth Avenue was shut off three weeks ago because of overdue bills and has yet to be restored.
In addition to claims worth hundreds of thousands of dollars by taxing bodies, vendors and contractors, the association is facing foreclosure on its $2.6 million mortgage. According to county court documents, the club stopped making monthly mortgage payments in September 2015.