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"City Awards Mechanical, Electrical Bids on Convocation Center"
"By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The city Board of Control this morning awarded bids totaling $4.8 million for work on the Youngstown Convocation Center. The board awarded a bid of $2,797,711 for the mechanical package to D&G Mechanical Inc., West Middlesex, Pa., the lowest of four that contractors submitted. Three of the four were less than the engineer's projected cost of $3.3 million. The board, made up of Mayor George McKelvey, Finance Director David Bozanich and Law Director John A. McNally IV, also awarded a bid of $2,015,446 to Bruce & Merilees Electric Co., New Castle, Pa., for electrical work on the $41 million project. It was the lowest of six and one of three that came in under the engineer's projection of $2.8 million.After the bids were awarded and reporters sought comment from city officials present, Carmen Conglose, deputy director of public works, referred comment to members of the Board of Control. McKelvey left to appear on WKBN-AM's Dan Rivers Show. Rivers was on vacation today and so McKelvey took calls with the help of Dan Gonder. Bozanich said the city would not comment on the bids to The Business Journal as he prepared to speak to a news crew from WKBN-TV. On the air, McKelvey described talk radio as "the town hall of the 21st century," and said it gave him the opportunity to give listeners an "unedited message" versus "giving a reporter an opportunity to pick and choose my comments" and fit them into a framework that fits the reporter's agenda. In print and online, The Business Journal recently published articles containing comments by local businessman Bruce Zoldan, president of B.J. Alan Co., in which he questioned how the McKelvey Administration is financing the convocation center. Recent articles have also reported city officials' responses to critics of the the project. Contact George Nelson at [email protected]"