Redev Press

Harrison Square amenities OK'd
Link (JG)

"The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission approved spending $561,000 to complete a conference center as part of the parking garage and add brick work to enhance the garage’s aesthetics.

Approval for the work was previously delayed as the commission waited to get the final bids, but after approving almost all remaining contracts Monday, the commission felt comfortable giving the go-ahead to the extra work."

[...]

"The commission approved nine contracts Monday for work on the public baseball portion of the project. Two contracts were delayed for further study.

Thomarios, of Akron, Ohio, was the lone bidder for the painting contract. While the firm’s $536,070 bid was less than the city’s estimate, Greg Leatherman, commission executive director, said the city needed to investigate some concerns about the firm. He said the group was cited for safety issues while working on Ford Field in Detroit, but that could have been for general contract work and not painting.

The city also did not award a contract for the playing field work, estimated to cost $1.46 million. Leatherman said the city needs to further investigate whether the low bidder, Tom’s Landscaping, of Troy, Mich., had a complete bid. While he said the firm is a legitimate company, the $726,774 bid seems too low to be complete. The next lowest bidder – The Motz Group, of Cincinnati – was also under the city’s estimate with a bid of $1 million.

If all the lowest bids are approved, it would mean the commission has awarded almost $20 million worth of work for the ballpark, almost exactly what the city estimated.

Leatherman said even with the additions of the garage work Monday, the city still has $2 million in contingency money available."