$38.3M in contracts approved for Toledo arena
7/9/2008The Lucas County commissioners approved nearly $40 million in contracts for the downtown arena project, comprising the bulk of the work for the planned hockey arena.
Most of the contracts are going to firms in northwest Ohio, including five in Toledo. The only contract to go out of state didn't go far - only about 100 miles away, to Fort Wayne, Ind.
The 11 contracts totaled $38.3 million, which was about $2 million under budget, County Administrator Michael Beazley said.
He said he expects the entire project to be nearly $4 million less than the $105 million budget.
Though the commissioners recently passed a resolution allowing them to show a local preference for bids from Ohio or its surrounding states, they did not have to use it - all of the bids were from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia.
"We feel good about the involvement of local firms," Mr. Beazley said.
All of the contracts were approved by a vote of two to zero. Commissioner Pete Gerken, one of the big-gest advocates for the project, was on vacation.
The project aims to bring a "multipurpose arena" to Toledo's downtown, between Madison Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, which will host a minor-league hockey team, concerts, and other events.
The project's construction costs will be covered by a 2 percent increase in the hotel-motel tax.
Romanoff Electric from Toledo won a $9.4 million contract to provide electrical services to the arena, the largest contract in yesterday's batch.
Mosser Construction received a $4 million contract to do the masonry for the project, and Art Iron Inc. from Toledo will be paid $2.9 million to do miscellaneous metal work.
SPS Corporation from Fort Wayne, Ind., will provide metal siding for $1.9 million.
Wolfe's Roofing Inc., from Walbridge will do the roofing for $1.3 million, while Toledo Mirror & Glass Co. from Toledo will provide curtainwall and glazing for $2.3 million.
OCP Contractors Inc. from Holland received the metal studs, drywall, ceiling and acoustical contract for $2.7 million.
S.A. Comunale will provide fire protection for $725,000. While the bid lists the company's Fremont branch office address, S.A. Comunale is headquartered in Akron, its Web site says.
Dimech Services of Toledo will provide plumbing and ventilation for a total of $17.8 million and A.A. Boos & Sons will provide general trades and requirements for $1.6 million.
Contact Alex M. Parker at:
aparker@theblade.com
or 419-724-6107.