YOUNGSTOWN — The apparent low bid for a sanitary sewer improvement project that initially drew concerns from some city council members is significantly lower than the estimate.

Four bids were opened Thursday for a sewer pump station project on Exal Court in the Salt Springs Road Business Park.

The apparent low bid from Marucci & Gaffney Excavating Co. of Youngstown of $1.19 million is much less than the $1.7 million engineer’s estimate as well as the $1.95 million city council agreed to spend up to during a June 3 meeting.

The other bids came from J.S. Bova Excavating Co. of Struthers at $1.45 million, Rudzik Excavating of Struthers at $1.52 million and S.E.T. Inc. of Lowellville at $1.7 million.

Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, said his office will review the bids and expects Marucci & Gaffney’s proposal, as long as everything is in order, to be in front of the board of control for approval at its July 16 meeting.

“We got very good numbers,” Shasho said. “We have no reason to believe the low bid is an issue.”

Marucci & Gaffney, which does extensive work for the city, is building a sanitary sewer pump station — like the one to be built at a 12-acre site on Exal Court.

Asked about the apparent low bid less than the engineer’s estimate, Shasho said: “We’re seeing a trend where the prices are stabilizing and coming down post-COVID, or we’ve overestimated the cost and got gun shy. It’s one or the other.”

Shasho and Finance Director Kyle Miasek had told city council, when the administration was trying to convince its members to back the project, that the cost would be less than $1.95 million.

The project will take 120 days and should start in August, Shasho said. The contract has to hit a benchmark by mid-September, he said. Shasho said the city doesn’t want the project to be held up and possibly jeopardize having certain portions done in time so the contract will be awarded quickly.

Council approved spending up to $1.95 million for the project June 3, seven weeks after first being asked to consider it.

Top Property Holdings LLC of North Lima, which developed the 45-acre North Jackson Commerce Park that landed its first tenant earlier this year, is interested in the Exal Court property.

The pump station is needed to improve the site for potential development.

After the pump station is installed, Top Priority could construct a 40,000-square-foot building, Miasek told council on June 3, and then up to another three 40,000-square-foot buildings at the site.

Each building could house one, two or four businesses, he said.

Each building would employ about 35 full-time employees with an annual payroll of about $2.1 million each, Miasek said.

There is no contract in place with Top Property, but if this doesn’t work out, the site will be ready for a different project, Miasek said.

Council first heard the request for the pump station funding at its April 15 meeting and referred it to committee for further discussion with some members vocally skeptical about spending the money without a project at the location.

After the May 13 committee meeting, council members postponed a vote at its May 20 meeting with members saying they needed the Mayor Derrick McDowell administration to package the revenue information, which Miasek provided June 3.

Council voted 7-0 in favor of letting the board of control spend up to $1.95 million at that June 3 meeting.