Mix-up saves Youngstown money in razing old bleachers at parks

By David Skolnick | December 2, 2016 at 12:02a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A mix-up by the city ended up saving it money on a project to demolish dilapidated concrete bleachers at six park locations.

The board of control approved a $158,717 contract Thursday with Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Inc. of Youngstown for the work.

The board had thrown out the original proposals – with an apparent low bid of $174,358 – on Oct. 25 because the city failed to email revised bid forms and other changes to the project to a few companies seeking the work.

The original estimate for the work was $300,000.

The work will start in the next three to four weeks and take 120 days to complete, said Abigail Beniston, the city’s code-enforcement and blight-remediation superintendent.

The six city-owned park locations where the bleachers are located are Stambaugh Field, Ipes Field and Gibson Field on the South Side; Oakland Field and Nick Johnson Park on the East Side; and Tod Park on the North Side near Brier Hill.

Also, the board approved a $62,158 increase to a contract with Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown for the improvement project on Lincoln Avenue that runs through the Youngstown State University campus.

The original cost was $1,287,536 and is now $1,449,695 because of additional storm-sewer work that wasn’t discovered until the project was underway, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.

The project’s completion date has been moved from Dec. 13 to Dec. 23, but Shasho said the work should be done before the new completion date.

The $1.3 million Lincoln project started in mid-August. The improvement area is between Wick Avenue and Hazel Street and includes paving, sewer improvements, marked crosswalks, new sidewalk curbs, small pedestrian islands at intersections, installing 18 parking meters that allow motorists to pay with debit and credit cards, and removing parking spaces on the north side of the street.

Parella-Pannunzio will return to Lincoln Avenue in the spring to finish brick work on the sidewalk areas and do landscaping, Shasho said.