Nugget promises to produce test results on garage concrete

Sito Negron

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

The Golden Nugget has promised to produce test results of concrete panel walls in its garage by Nov. 3, leading the top building safety official at the city of Las Vegas to drop his demand for a comprehensive safety review.

Las Vegas Building and Safety Director Paul Wilkins had brought up the possibility of shutting down the six-story garage, the scene of two accidents since January in which vehicles broke through concrete panel walls and fell to the pavement, if he did not get the report.

However, he said Wednesday that what the Golden Nugget has promised "is what I really want, the core sample, and that's what, unfortunately because of this accident, I'm finally going to get something from them."

The core sample will test the compressive strength of the concrete panels, which were built under 1982 rules that did not include a resistance requirement.

Edward Marcinkowski, 83, knocked out one of the concrete panels with a rented Chevrolet Impala then followed it off the second floor of the Golden Nugget's self-parking garage Monday morning.

Police have not determined the cause of the accident, although a detective said Tuesday that Marcinkowski either had a medical problem while driving or he mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal -- or both.

Marcinkowski remained in critical condition this morning and his companion, Violet Krywinski, also 83, was in stable condition. Both are from Middletown, Conn.

Two people died in the first accident, in January, just hours before MGM Mirage turned over ownership of the garage to the Golden Nugget's new owners, Tim Poster and Tom Breitling.

In March, Wilkins asked for a detailed report as a follow-up to a preliminary engineering review that found the garage was safe.

The final report is supposed to give the amount of lateral pressure the six-inch concrete panels can withstand without breaking.

A new building code written in 1994 says the panels must withstand 6,000 pounds of pressure but there is no requirement for structures built under the earlier, less stringent code.

Wilkins suggested steps the Golden Nugget could take while the core samples are being taken. Among those are closing the garage above the first floor, installing speed bumps, placing traffic cones at strategic locations, and even closing the garage temporarily.

Golden Nugget spokeswoman Silke Finnegan said the hotel plans to add flashing signs to make sure people drive carefully in the garage.

"We did receive the city's recommendations and we are thoroughly reviewing them and we will definitely give the recommendations further consideration," Finnegan said.