By David Skolnick

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The city is scrapping proposals to demolish dilapidated concrete bleachers at six parks because a company seeking the job didn’t get updated project information when the city made a typo in an email address to the business.

The city’s board of control was to award the contract today, but instead will seek new proposals with a bid opening in mid-November, Charles Shasho, deputy director of the city’s public-works department said Tuesday.

City officials were finalizing their review of the 10 proposals for the work, including the three apparent low bids separated by only $300, when the email issue was discovered.

“We had a good low bid, but the law department said we couldn’t consider it a fair bid because” of the email problem, Shasho said.

The apparent low bid of $174,358 came from Rudzik Excavating Inc. of Struthers.

The two other apparent lowest proposals were $174,498 from Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Inc. of Youngstown and $174,655 from Pro Quality Development Inc. of Campbell.

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

An email was sent to the companies seeking the work with updates, including a revised bid form and changing the quantity of backfill from a lump sum to a unit price before the proposals were opened Oct. 14, Shasho said.

Pro Quality submitted its proposal on the original bid form.

It later was learned, Shasho said, that the email sent to Pro Quality went to an incorrect email address, off by a single letter, and it didn’t bounce back to the city informing officials it wasn’t delivered.

“We couldn’t compare the two, so we’re going to seek new bids,” he said. “If [Pro Quality] would have gotten [the email], there’s a reasonable assumption they could have been the low” proposal.

The city will start to advertise for the work Tuesday, Shasho said. “I don’t see why the prices would change,” Shasho said of the second round of bids.

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.