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City to seek bids to demolish garage

Demolition project could start by May, official says

Chunks of concrete are scattered on the floor of the parking garage underneath the ramp Friday, March 19, in Middletown. The city is set to accept bids for the demolition of the city parking garage, with bids expected to come back in early next month. Staff photos by Nick Graham

Nick Graham/MBR Chunks of concrete are scattered on the floor of the parking garage underneath the ramp Friday, March 19, in Middletown. The city is set to accept bids for the demolition of the city parking garage, with bids expected to come back in early next month. Staff photos by Nick Graham

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By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer Updated 8:30 AM Monday, March 22, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — A long-standing eyesore — the city parking garage — could be erased from the downtown landscape soon as city officials seek bids for its demolition.

Dave Duritsch, director of public works & utilities, said he anticipates opening bidding for the garage demolition on April 8, then having a contract ready for approval by City Council at their April 20 meeting.

“The idea is to use the money we’re putting into operations of the garage — about $90,000 a year — to pay for the demolition,” Duritsch said. “Toward the end of last year council directed staff to proceed with plans to demo it, so we’re following through.”

The project could potentially include the demolition of the Swallens Building, as Duritsch said companies will be asked to bid the demolition of both as a second option. He said the site of the parking garage is planned to become an un-metered surface lot, while the Swallens Building would likely be cleared and seeded with grass for the time being.

With demolition company Brandenburg currently in town to tear down the former Sorg Paper facility, Duritsch said he thinks bidding could be more competitive than usual.

“Hopefully that translates to more bids, better bids and more potential for lower bids,” he said. “We have a contractor in town who is not normally here, and in bidding projects my thought is always ‘the more the merrier.’”

Vice Mayor Anita Scott Jones said the project represents “something that previous councils have wanted to do for a while.”

“We’re trying to improve the look of the city,” Jones said. “A lot of these buildings are from an age when they had issues that the longer they stand the more issues remain.”

Duritsch predicts demolition will begin in May, with the parking garage down by the end of the summer. An exact timetable is impossible at this point, however, as he said it’s all a matter of when the contracted company completes the work.

“Hopefully, they want to jump in there right away and get to work,” Duritsch said. “We’re excited to get this one going.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.

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