Board OKs $321,533 in change orders

The city board approved 40 change orders for the convocation center.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city's board of control approved more than $320,000 worth of change orders to its convocation center.
The board also agreed Thursday to pay $17,352 to Safety Plus, a McFarland, Wis., company, for safety equipment for the facility's ceiling rigging system. Of the $321,533 in change orders, only one of the 40 requests was for a cost decrease.
The Safety Plus contract and one of the change orders were late additions to the board's agenda at the request of the facility's management.
The one late change order was to pay $23,154 to CTR Systems of Warrendale, Pa., to make upgrades to the center's time and attendance system for employees.
In a little more than a month, the board has approved 107 change orders for the arena totaling $841,417.
The money for those change orders and previous ones comes from a $1 million contingency fund the city built into the arena's cost. The facility is projected to cost $45.38 million.
Fund remainder unclear
City Finance Director David Bozanich, a board of control member, said two weeks ago there was about $250,000 to $300,000 left in the contingency fund.
It isn't known if the $321,533 worth of change orders approved by the board depletes the center's contingency fund. City officials referred that question to Bozanich, who is on vacation.
More change orders for the center are expected to be considered by the board of control in the future, city officials say. A final construction cost of the facility won't be available until December.
Also Thursday, the board -- the mayor, law director and finance director -- approved a $41,490 contract with Waynco Electrical Contractor. The Mineral Ridge company will make electrical system improvements to the city-owned 20 Federal Place, the former Phar-Mor Centre on West Federal Street.