CONVOCATION CENTER Two Pa. firms win contracts; 2 rebids due

Concrete and masonry work for the arena will be rebid.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city board of control awarded contracts for mechanical and electrical work at the Youngstown Convocation Center, but some of the work at the facility will have to be rebid.
The board -- the mayor, finance director and law director -- awarded the mechanical contract to D & amp;G Mechanical of West Middlesex, Pa., which submitted the low bid of $2,791,711. The engineer's estimate for the work was $3,319,000.
The electrical contract went to Bruce & amp; Merrilees Electrical of New Castle, Pa., which submitted the low bid of $2,015,466. The engineer's estimate was $2,818,257.
"It is exciting to continue the progress" on the center, Mayor George McKelvey said Monday, adding that the two bids awarded amount to nearly $5 million toward completing the arena, which is under construction between the Market Street and South Avenue bridges in the downtown area.
The mayor added he was glad to see local companies were successful in getting the pacts.
The $41 million facility, which will be the home of a Central Hockey League team owned by businessman Herb Washington of Boardman, is scheduled to open in the fall.
The mayor said 76 percent of the bids that came in last week were within 17 percent of the engineer's estimates.
Bids opened
The city opened bids for electrical, mechanical, concrete, and masonry work, miscellaneous metals, roofing, drywall and acoustical ceilings installation, fire protection, plumbing and heating ventilation and air conditioning and sprayed-on fire protection.
The city cannot negotiate with companies if their bids exceed the engineer's estimates, the mayor said, so some of the work will have to be rebid.
The bids on two crucial segments of the arena -- concrete and masonry -- exceeded the engineer's estimate.
The concrete estimate was $927,000, but the sole bidder, Parella-Pannunzio of Youngstown, was $1,553,399. Five companies bid on the masonry work, estimated at $1,290,806, but the closest bid was submitted by Lencyk Masonry of Boardman at $1,320,864.
Carmen S. Conglose Jr., deputy director of public works, said the city has spoken with the bidders and worked with Hunt Construction, the center's construction manager, to get the bid packages reissued on the concrete and masonry work.
The packages should be sent out in a week and the city hopes to have them back shortly, Conglose said.
The mayor expressed confidence that no construction will be slowed and that the center would be built on time. As Hunt scrutinizes and approves more bids, the board will make awards for other work at the arena, McKelvey said.