Perrysburg Commodore sections to cost less

Parts of the Commodore structure to be demolished are in green, with Louisiana Avenue to the left and Indiana Avenue at the top. Torn down will be the original part built in 1894, a section that was added in 1916, and a science wing built in 1991.

Perrysburg schools officials were delighted to learn yesterday that their plan to tear down part of the Commodore Building will cost significantly less than they thought.

Ed Burdue and Co. of Sandusky submitted the lowest of the four bids received for demolishing the three western sections of the building.

The demolition firm's base price for tearing down the original 1894 part of the building, a 1916 addition, and a 1991 science wing was $152,000 - considerably below the $234,000 estimate the administration received when it was researching the project.

"This is excellent, excellent news," Richard Jones, the school district's business manager, said after the bids were opened.

Superintendent Tom Hosler expressed relief that the demolition project, which has been much debated in the community, could progress according to schedule.

"If the bids had come in significantly higher than we expected, we would have paused and had to evaluate before we moved forward," he said.

The board of education is expected to award the contract to the Burdue firm at a special meeting Wednesday.

The company also will be paid $3,000 for selective demolition, which includes saving such architectural flourishes as the wrought-iron ornamentation above the arched entrance on Louisiana Avenue; $2,500 for seeding and mulching the cleared area; $12,835 for asbestos removal, and $2,000 for removal of underground utilities, such as a gas main.

The next lowest bid for the basic demolition was $173,300; the highest bid was $268,400.

Work will begin June 30, said Julie Apt, who works for Duket Porter Associates, the district's architect. "We're looking at having the building substantially down by mid-August," she said.

Ms. Apt said the only asbestos in the building was wrapped around boiler pipes and that removing it would take a couple of days. The goal was to have grass growing on the cleared ground by Harrison Rally Day, the annual downtown festival that attracts thousands, which will be Sept. 20.

The green space that will be created by the demolition will become part of a 2.5-acre park called Commodore Square.

The Commodore served for many years as school building, but now houses only administrative offices, which will remain in the parts of the building left standing.

Contact Carl Ryan at:

carlryan@theblade.com

or 419-206-0356.