Williams: City makes progress to end pact

The amended lawsuit’s
deadline was pushed back a week.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

CITY HALL REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor Jay Williams said the city is making progress in negotiations to dissolve the contract with a Phoenix company that is managing the Chevrolet Centre.

“I’d categorize the talks as productive,” he said.

Williams declined to discuss the details of the negotiations. International Coliseums Co.’s media adviser has declined to talk about the matter.

The city should know in about two weeks if the contract with ICC, which manages the city-owned facility, can be dissolved without going through the courts, Williams said Friday.

ICC filed a Sept. 19 civil lawsuit in federal court claiming the city breached its contract with the company. A federal judge ordered the company to amend the suit by Friday claiming the original complaint needed to be more specific.

But ICC and the city filed a joint motion Friday with the federal court asking for a one-week extension for the company to submit the amended complaint.

ICC is claiming the city violated its management contract and is refusing to pay $600,000 it previously had guaranteed to the city as part of a contract restructuring deal. Without that $600,000 guarantee, Williams said the city would have fired ICC in the summer 2006.

The city had told the company it was going to file a lawsuit to end the management deal, claiming a breach of contract, Williams said. ICC’s lawsuit was a pre-emptive strike, he said.

City officials are not pleased with ICC’s failure to turn a profit at the center, and its inability to meet its financial projections.

The city is talking to other entities to see if they’re interested in managing the center on an interim and/or long-term basis.

skolnick@vindy.com