FEDERAL STREET Board OKs contract change for basement work

Reinforced concrete sidewalks were installed on top of the basements.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city is spending about $200,000 shoring the basements of downtown buildings that extend under the soon-to-be reopened Federal Street.
The city's board of control approved a contract change Friday to pay for the extra work.
The city figured before the project started that the basements would need some work, said Carmen Conglose Jr., deputy director of public works. The additional work wasn't factored into the original contract since the scope was unknown, he said.
The work involved waterproofing the basements and installing reinforced concrete sidewalks on top of them. The reinforced concrete takes some of the pressure off the tops of the basements.
The city also added some work to update wiring to the traffic lights at Phelps Street and Federal and to deal with several old, unanticipated electric and telephone lines.
Costs
The total increase for the basement and utility work is $197,644.
The additional work brings the project to about $2.3 million, Conglose said.
The city has a $2 million federal grant, a $500,000 state grant and a $460,000 state loan to pay for the project.
There may be a few more additional costs on the project, but none the size of basement work since most of the underground work is done, Conglose said.
The project is on schedule for a Dec. 15 opening, he said.
The biggest challenge is pouring all the concrete foundations for the streets before asphalt plants close around Nov. 15, he said. He expects the contractor, Parella-Pannunzio of Youngstown, will accomplish that.
Should several weather delays prevent paving, traffic could still use the concrete streets temporarily, he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com