Youngstown Awards Annex Renovation Contracts

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The city Board of Control awarded three contracts for the City Hall Annex renovation this morning.

The board, at its meeting this morning, approved a $3,340,000 bid submitted by Murphy Contracting Co., Youngstown, to serve as general contractor on the project. Murphy’s proposal was the lowest of three bids submitted for the work.

The city is converting the annex, which has housed various services over the years, into a new home for Youngstown Municipal Court and related services. The city administration reached an agreement with the municipal court judges last year to move forward with the renovation.

Additionally, the board awarded the electrical contract for Tri Area Electric Co., Youngstown, which bid $999,919, and the fire protection contract to Fire Foe Corp. in Girard for $164,953.

The board rejected bids for plumbing, heating/ventilation/air conditioning and plumbing/HVAC combined because they exceeded estimates.

“We’re excited to get the project under way,” said Chuck Shasho, deputy director of public works. The project architect, Olsavsky-Jaminet Architects, Youngstown, is working with the mechanical engineer to reformulate and prepare the bids for the HVAC/plumbing work. Shasho expects to rebid the work in 12 days, if not sooner, he said.

The city will set a pre-construction meeting with contractors to establish the schedule for the project, he said. Once the work gets under way, contractors will have 495 days to complete the project. “We’re shooting for completion on or around Sept. 1, 2017” he remarked.

Budgeted at $8 million, the project will come in substantially lower than the original $14 million projected, Finance Director David Bozanich said. “Originally it was proposed to be new construction,” he said.

Of the agencies that had offices in the annex building over the years, only the city vice squad remains and the building department is working on finding space for the unit, he said.

Once the courts are relocated, Mayor John McNally wants to relocate the city’s community planning and economic development department to the second floor space in City Hall. The department now is on the sixth floor of the city-owned 20 Federal Space building.

“That’s very usable, rentable space over there,” McNally said. “That space goes pretty quickly over at 20 Federal.”

City officials “haven’t even contemplated the level of renovation” that will be required once the courts leave City Hall, he said.

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