DOWNTOWN ARENA Structural steel, concrete pacts are next

A local company seems in line for the million-dollar concrete contract.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Major parts of the downtown arena are taking shape.
The city expects to award big contracts next week for the steel that will frame the $42 million building and the precast concrete that will support its 5,500 fixed seats.
The city opened bids Tuesday to supply and erect both items.
The apparent lowest bidder for the arena's structural steel is Ohio Steel Industries of Columbus, which bid $3.63 million. The engineer's estimate was $4.15 million. There were several other bidders:
USteel Service Corp. of Jackson, Miss., $3.8 million.
USippel Co. Steel Fabricators of Ambridge, Pa., $4.02 million.
UBoardman Steel Inc. of Boardman, $4.45 million.
UAmthor Steel Inc. of Liberty, $7.6 million.
Arena officials shook their heads at the Amthor bid because it was so far off from the others.
The steel contract is important because it's such a big part of the project, said Mike Perry, a construction manager for Hunt Construction Group of Dallas. Hunt is managing the project for the developer, Global Entertainment Corp. of Phoenix.
The bids appear to take into account the recent volatility in steel prices, he said.
The contract is large and should get preferred treatment despite steel demand rising with the rebuilding from hurricanes in Florida and the Gulf Coast, he said.
Concrete
A local company seems in line to be awarded the precast concrete contract.
Sidley Precast of Youngstown bid $1.15 million to supply and install the precast concrete risers on which the arena's fixed seats will sit.
The other bidder, Hollowcore Inc. of Detroit, bid $1.37 million, but the proposal seemed to be missing the required performance bond that guarantees the contract would be carried out. City officials will review the proposal more closely in case the bond is buried somewhere inside the bid.
The city's board of control likely will award the steel and precast concrete contracts at a scheduled meeting next week, said Carmen Conglose Jr., deputy director of public works.
rgsmith@vindy.com