YOUNGSTOWN CIVIC CENTER Board, project finalists bargain

Negotiations with finalists will continue until there's a contract with the city.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The civic center board has started negotiations with both finalists for the job of project director.
The top choice will emerge during the talks, said board Chairman Leonard Schiavone.
Besides the price each would charge, the board is evaluating elements including the scope of services each company offers and terms of the contract.
Companies interested: Compass Facility Management Inc. of Ames, Iowa, and the Gateway Group of Cleveland are the two companies under consideration. Both made presentations last week.
The board spent about 40 minutes in closed session Thursday talking about the negotiations.
Any hiring, however, will have to wait until the group reaches a contract with the city, he said.
It could be a few weeks or longer before an agreement is reached, Schiavone said, depending on issues remaining once city council and the administration are done crafting their proposal.
Council is to meet Wednesday about the contract.
Radio show: Council members groused this week about comments some arena board members made on a radio talk show about the contract's status.
The radio appearance, and others before it, are scheduled outreach sessions and part of the board's strategy, said Claire Maluso, chairwoman of the marketing and public relations committee.
That came as a relief to recently named member Charles P. Sammarone, who also is council's president. He wondered if a few members initiated the radio appearance or if it was something that the whole board endorses.
The board's lawyer, Howard Steindler, cautioned that members should make it clear they are speaking for themselves and not the whole board.
Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, suggested the board's government liaison committee maintain contact with city as well as the federal government. That would avoid communication gaps, he said. The board said it would.
rgsmith@vindy.com