web1_Blue-Chip.jpg

Roger is at Blue Chip Farms, awaiting fur-ever home

web1_SPACE-F.jpg

YOUR SPACE: Share your favorite photos with Dallas Post readers

WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; By unanimous vote, the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority Monday rejected all bids for the proposed expansion of the Mohegan Sun Arena.Three bids came in last week for the general construction contract and all were significantly higher than the budgeted $3.8 million for the project.The authority had budgeted $3.8 million to add space to house two bar/lounges to the concourse and suite levels of the arena. The authority board has asked its consulting engineer, Sam Scarantino of Quad Three Group, to work with Robert Becker of NEPA Engineering Co., to review the bids and come up with &#8220;a game plan&#8221; to present to the board.Scarantino said he feels some of the components of the project can still be done, such as the concourse bar and eliminate the planned outdoor patio and a new suite level. He said he hopes to have the new plan ready for the August board meeting so it can be advertised for bids.Above budgetThe three bids that were received &#8212; $6.4 million by L.R. Costanzo of Scranton; $6.5 million from Scandale Associated Builders of Dickson City; and $6.9 million from Panzitta Enterprises, Inc., of Wilkes-Barre &#8212; far exceeded the budgeted amount. Scarantino said the main reason for the discrepancy was in construction cost per square foot. He said he expected that cost to be around $250 per square foot and the bids came it at around $450 per square foot.That caused much discussion among board members who questioned how that could have happened.&#8220;We were all surprised at the numbers we received,&#8221; Scarantino said. &#8220;As a whole, the bids just went beyond what I would typically see in a construction project.&#8221;Scarantino said he has experience in estimating projects in amount far more than the arena expansion project.Board member Dave Palermo said he couldn&#8217;t believe the difference in numbers.&#8220;It&#8217;s almost two times what we budgeted,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t understand how this happened. We&#8217;re over by $4 million on this job when you consider all the contracts.&#8221;Palermo said everybody knew what the authority had to spend, including the public, where he said &#8220;expectations were raised.&#8221; Palermo went so far as to say that marketing had begun for ticket sales based on the new additions to the arena.Some didn&#8217;t bidBoard member Tom Woods noted that several contractors who picked up bid sheets chose to not bid the project. Board member Alex Milanes said even if they did bid, it would not have dropped the price by $3 million to meet the budget.Board member Hal Bloss said the board trusted the process.&#8220;The discrepancy is great and consistent,&#8221; he said, referring to the closeness of the three bids received. &#8220;The design wasn&#8217;t aligned with the market.&#8221;Woods raised concern about the time line for the project and he asked if the sound system at the arena would be upgraded.The discussion turned to how the project would be re-worked. Some board members felt the project would be &#8220;cheapened,&#8221; while others felt it would be &#8220;downsized.&#8221;&#8216;Not dead&#8217;Board Chairwoman Donna Cupinski said the project is not dead, rather it will be re-worked within the $3.8 million budget.&#8220;We are all disappointed,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But we can keep some of the components.&#8221;Board member Angelo Answini said the board approved the project and must decide now how to scale it down. He said the authority learned &#8220;a valuable lesson&#8221; with the bidding process.&#8220;Now we have to proceed and make it work,&#8221; he said.But Palermo disagreed, saying, &#8220;Why should we pay premium prices just to get something done?&#8221;At an authority meeting last June, Milanes wanted assurance the project would be of high standards to ensure additional money would not have to be spent on repairs down the road. Cupinski said at that meeting that the project would keep the arena competitive with other local and out-of-town venues, and according to a feasibility study, the market can support it.Scarantino said at the June, 2014, meeting, &#8220;We&#8217;re not going to cheapen up the project to make it fit a budget. What we may have to do is come back and make it smaller.&#8221;Other mattersIn other business, Bloss mentioned that he received an email suggesting that Luzerne County Council will appoint a new member to the authority to replace George Horwatt, who resigned.&#8220;The email I received said we aren&#8217;t going to like the new member,&#8221; Bloss said, declining to say where the email came from.Bloss issued concern about the email and the process, saying he hoped County Council chooses someone who will work with the authority and who has a strong financial background.

Luzerne County Convention Center Authority rejects all expansion bids