Firm: Texas A&M facility wasn't built to code

[November 05, 2009]  DALLAS (AP) -- An engineering firm hired by Texas A&M University to study its athletic complex says the tentlike facility wasn't built to withstand the 90 mph winds as prescribed by the building code.

The analysis by Haynes Whaley Associates of Houston suggests that the McFerrin Athletic Center was built according to a flawed design. That design is similar to that of the collapsed Dallas Cowboys' practice facility.

Both were built by Summit Structures LLC of Allentown, Pa.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Texas Public Information Act show that Summit has added a series of cables to the facility's steel frame in response.

The Cowboys facility collapsed in a wind storm May 2, paralyzing a member of the team's scouting department from the waist down and injuring 11 others.

[Associated Press; By DANNY ROBBINS]

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