YOUNGSTOWN CONVOCATION CENTER Dozens bid for work on arena

The bid opening process was completed in just over an hour.
YOUNGSTOWN -- City and Youngstown Convocation Center officials and consultants are analyzing nearly 40 bids received for a variety of work at the arena under construction between the Market Street and South Avenue bridges.
City officials opened the bids Tuesday in council chambers for electrical, concrete, masonry, miscellaneous metals, roofing, drywall and acoustical ceilings, fire protection, doors, frames and hardware, an ice rink, plumbing and heating ventilation and air conditioning, sprayed-on fire protection and mechanical work.
Prospective bidders jammed the public seating area of the chambers as the bids were read by Carol Peters of the city's purchasing department and marked down by Carmen S. Conglose Jr., deputy director of public works. It took just over an hour to go through the bids.
Mayor's remarks
Before the bid opening began, Mayor George McKelvey thanked the bidders for their interest in the $41 million arena, which is scheduled to open next fall.
"This is another major step for the arena," the mayor said. Once these contracts are awarded and completed, the project will be near 80 percent complete, McKelvey said.
The total engineer's estimate for the work that was bid was $14.3 million. The mayor said he hopes the bids can be scrutinized to make sure they all meet the necessary specifications in the next 10 days so the board of control -- the mayor, law director and finance director -- can award contracts.
Several bids came in exceeding the engineer's estimates.
For example, the three bids made on the arena's ice rink -- Reliance Mechanical Corp., Cleveland, $790,000; Ice Builders, Liverpool, N.Y., $786,000; and Pace Industrial Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, $1,045,000 -- all exceeded the estimate of $680,000.
What's next?
Jeff Kossow, the center's executive director, said, "There's a lot of material to review and to look at to make sure all the i's and t's are in place." He added he also was happy to see the number of prospective bids.
The bids will be analyzed by the city, Kossow, architects MS Consultants of Youngstown and Hunt Construction, the center's construction manager. Bids are awarded to the lowest and best bidder.
The center will be home to a Central Hockey League team owned by businessman Herb Washington of Boardman. Its seating capacity varies from 5,500 for hockey to 6,800 for boxing.
The private concern that will operate the arena is G.E. Compass, a joint venture of Global Entertainment Corp. of Phoenix and Compass Facility Management Inc. of Ames, Iowa.
Kossow said once contracts are awarded, the center will then accept bids for the center's final stages, which would include contracts for painting, carpeting, interior seating, furniture and fixtures and concessions.