Contract set to furnish 2 Youngstown schools

Contract set to furnish 2 Youngstown schools

YOUNGSTOWN — Furniture, fixtures and equipment for the new Paul C. Bunn and Martin Luther King Jr. elementary schools will cost nearly $600,000.

The city school board awarded two contracts today to Krueger International Inc. of Tupelo, Miss., to supply those items. The cost is $318,320 for Bunn and $268,876 for King.

Krueger was the sole bidder for both jobs, prompting some concern among school board members.

The district wants to be sure it is getting the best possible bids, said board member Dominic Modarelli, who asked why there weren’t more bidders.

Tony DeNiro, assistant superintendent of school business affairs, said he was surprised there was just one bidder. The jobs were advertised regionally and across the state, he said, noting that previous furnishing bids for other schools have drawn multiple bidders, including some local companies.

The school projects are part of a $190 million rebuilding program that is seeing replacement or major improvements to 14 district buildings.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission is picking up 80 percent of the project costs, including the furniture, fixtures and equipment.