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YOUNGSTOWN -- Work to replace the city hall fire escape, closed since March 9 because of safety problems, should begin in late October.
The work should be finished by late February 2024, Charles Shasho, the city's deputy director of public works, said.
The board of control voted Thursday to accept a $733,430 proposal from Murphy Contracting Co., the Youngstown business that did repair work to the fire escape, for the replacement. The other proposal of $861,682 came from AO Construction and Restoration of Youngstown.
MS Consultants Inc. of Youngstown is still working on designs for the galvanized steel fire escape with Murphy expected to start taking down the old fire escape first and then start installing the new one before Halloween, Shasho said.
"They know it's fast-tracked," he said.
Murphy cleaned and sandblasted the fire escape of bird droppings and rust when city officials planned to repair the structure.
City council agreed April 19 to spend up to $250,000 for the repair work.
The city already has given about $250,000 to Murphy for that repair work as well as to MS for design work, Shasho said
The cost increased with council agreeing July 31, based on Shasho's recommendation, to allow up to $1.1 million to be spent on the project and permit an "informal" bidding process to occur. That amount includes work already done.
The money already spent and Murphy's new contract already comes close to the $1.1 million limit.
If it is more expensive, Shasho said the administration again would ask council to amend the legislation.
Repairing it would cost about $300,000 more than the $250,000 already spent so Shasho said he, fire Chief Barry Finley and Kevin Flinn, commissioner of buildings and grounds, recommended to Mayor Jamael Tito Brown that a replacement would be better for the long term even though it would be more costly.
City officials announced March 9 that the fire escape would be shut down on Finley's orders until work to it could be finished.
Because it's the only other way to get in and out of the building besides the stairwell in case of a fire, city council moved all of its meetings from the sixth floor, where it regularly held them. The building's two elevators automatically shut down when there's a fire.
The concern is too many people attend council meetings, and it would be dangerous to hold them in council chambers.
For the past five-plus months, council meetings have been held at either the Covelli Centre community room or the Mahoning County commissioners' meeting room with the finance committee meeting the same day at the same location starting 90 minutes prior. The next council meeting on Sept. 20 has been scheduled back at the Covelli Centre after three straight meetings at the county commissioners' meeting room.
Other council committee meetings and city bodies have met elsewhere in city hall, mostly in conference rooms on the first, second or fifth floors, or off-site such as the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center and the Newport Library.
The board of control has continued to meet on the sixth floor in the council caucus room, including Thursday when it approved the Murphy contract.
dskolnick@vindy.com