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Niles city hall roof bid recommendation expected today
By Jordan Cohen
NILES
The architect overseeing the replacement of the irreparably damaged city hall roof said he expects to issue a recommendation on the lowest and best project bidder later today. Three of four bids came in under repair estimates Wednesday.
“This is not a complex matter,” said Bruce Sekanick of Phillips Sekanick Architects of Warren. “We’ll look at the paper work and [regulation] compliance and it won’t take long.”
Council hired Sekanick after ongoing leaks from the roof led to mold issues that forced a one-day shutdown of the 89-year old city hall in August. The architect’s study determined that there had been little or no maintenance on the roof for years under previous administrations. Sekanick had estimated roof replacement costs at $295,000.
The low bidder is SRI Roofing of New Castle, Pa., at $203,000, considerably less than the next lowest bid of more than $290,000 from Boak & Sons Construction of Youngstown and the third lowest – nearly $293,000 from Groover Roofing of Liberty.
The highest bid, nearly $447,000 and well above Sekanick’s estimate, came from Lewis Construction of Warren. According to bid documents, Lewis planned to use a subcontractor whose fee exceeded the project estimate. A Lewis representative promptly withdrew the bid after seeing the disparity with the other bidders.
The city is paying Lewis $29,400 for 60 days of mold remediation work, according to Safety Service Director James DePasquale.
The three remaining companies are not subcontracting the work.
Sekanick’s recommendation will be submitted for a vote at the next council meeting Wednesday. The architect said he expects the project to be completed in 30 days.
The roof is the first phase of building repairs that includes structural replacement of exterior brick veneer that has been crumbling and repair to a wall in the basement that was damaged – both from ongoing water leaks. The architect has estimated the total cost of all the phases at $550,000. That figure includes installation of an elevator to bring the building into compliance with federal handicap accessibility regulations. City hall, constructed in 1927, has no elevator.
“Once we get started with the roof, we can begin the process to complete the other phases,” Sekanick said.
The architect said city hall business will not be disrupted by the roof work. The income-tax office, mayor’s office and basement have been sealed off since the August shutdown and the tax-office has moved to the city’s Wellness Center.