Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The board will also consider a contract to take down the Masters complex.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The city's board of control will consider change orders and purchases, totaling $172,398, for the convocation center at its Thursday meeting.
The board will consider 15 change orders -- 12 for additional money and three cost reductions -- for a net cost increase of $34,842. The change order requests come from the city's public works department.
All but three of those change orders are for Bruce & amp; Merilees Electric, the New Castle, Pa., company handling the center's electrical work.
Most of the changes are the result of design alterations by the city architect to the arena.
Third time this month
This is the third set of change orders for the arena in front of the board of control this month.
On Sept. 1, the board approved 26 change orders totaling $188,770 and 12 change orders totaling $83,118 on Sept. 15.
City officials say the change orders won't change the cost of the convocation center because the facility's budget includes a $1 million contingency.
The area is estimated to cost $45.38 million, and is to open Oct. 29.
The board of control -- consisting of Mayor George M. McKelvey, Finance Director David Bozanich and Law Director Iris Guglucello -- must approve all change orders for the convocation center.
Requests
The facility's management is seeking $137,556 from the board of control for items including a curtain system, tracks for other curtains, a time and attendance system, items for the arena's ice rink and an additional set of hockey goals.
The most expensive request is $49,120 to buy four additional spotlights from Vincent Lighting Systems, with four offices including one in Cleveland and another in Pittsburgh.
Also on the board's agenda is awarding a $337,277 contract to All Excavating Co. to remove asbestos and demolish the former Masters building complex on West Federal Street, and replace it with a parking lot.
Low bid
All Excavating submitted the apparent low bid out of six companies seeking the job, and the public works department is recommending the company be hired. All but one of the six companies were below the engineer's estimate for the work at $500,000.
The buildings, vacant for about 20 years, used to house Masters, a business that rented tuxedos and costumes. The buildings, about seven in all, are about 80 years old.
skolnick@vindy.com