City of Rochester
NEWS RELEASE
Empire State Development News Release
(Tuesday, June 15, 2010) - Empire State Development (ESD) today announced the ESD Board of Directors awarded the contract to perform the demolition and site preparation at Midtown Plaza to Ontario Specialty Contracting, Inc. (OSC). This contract—contingent upon final passage of the State Budget—is being funded by ESD through a $55 million Upstate City-by-City grant that was awarded to the Midtown Rising development effort.
“Today is a very important day for Rochester with the award of Midtown Plaza’s demolition contract being one of the most significant milestones we’ve had to date since the announcement of this redevelopment effort. The demolition signifies the next major step in this process, which is for these blighted structures to come down, making way for a new landscape in downtown Rochester,” said ESD Chairman & CEO Dennis M. Mullen. “While the abatement and air monitoring work was important because it readied us for today’s step, now you will finally see exactly what progress is being made. Because of Governor Paterson’s unwavering support, we continue to move this important effort forward. As always, ESD looks forward to continuing our strong relationship with our partners in this effort and with OSC to ensure continued success.”
“We are one step closer to revitalizing our Center City in a substantial way.” said Mayor Robert J. Duffy. “This project has been called a ‘heart transplant’ for the city, and that’s exactly what it is. Soon, Downtown Rochester will be an even better destination for residential, as well as for commercial, retail and entertainment options. I would like to thank Governor Paterson and the ESD for their continued support of this project and I look forward to the day when Downtown Rochester is a shining jewel in the crown of Western New York.”
The contract was awarded based on cost from bidders meeting a minimum set of qualifications. After a thorough evaluation of the experience, reputation and financial condition of the eleven bids for this contract, OSC was determined to be the lowest responsible bidder. The company will perform demolition and site preparation services for the Midtown Plaza buildings, as well as abatement and hazardous material disposal. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, OSC specializes in full-service demolition, dismantlement, recovery, salvage, environmental remediation, recycling and site preparation services. The company will be compensated for these services not to exceed the specified contract amount of $9,561,200.
“OSC is pleased to be awarded the demolition contract for the Midtown Plaza project,” said Jon M. Williams, President of Ontario Specialty Contracting, Inc. “We look forward to working closely with Empire State Development and the City of Rochester to complete the project scope in a safe, professional and environmentally conscious manner.”
The scope of the demolition and remediation work to be performed at Midtown Plaza consists of the following structures:
• Three pedestrian skyway bridges
• B. Forman Building
• Partial demolition of Midtown Mall
• Partial demolition of Midtown Tower
• Partial demolition of the Seneca Building • Complete demolition of Citizens Bank • Complete demolition of Scheer Building • Complete demolition of Wendy’s Building • Complete demolition of McCurdy’s Buildings • Complete demolition of Euclid Building • Partial demolition of Service Tunnel
Additional work at the site includes:
• Mobilization/demobilization
• Insurance/bonding and all permit costs • Furnishing and maintaining field office • Site preparation • Utility terminations • Pedestrian and Traffic control • Temporary shoring and Dewatering • Vibration monitoring • Air monitoring program • Crushing (off-site) and/or furnishing and installing all backfill material • Backfill and compaction • Environmental and safety controls • Final grading • Site perimeter fencing and security • Tunnel operations, safety and security
Under the contract, the Midtown Tower structure and the Seneca Building floors 1-4 will remain. In addition to the scope of work listed above, work performed by OSC will also include two alternates: Alternate #1 provides for the complete demolition of Midtown Mall (the former Wegmans store at the corner of Broad Street and Clinton Street) and Alternate #2 provides for the complete demolition of Midtown Mall (the former Atrium, Food Court and Post Office), rather than partial demolition called for in the contract. Alternate #3 provided for the removal of the masonry curtain wall from Midtown Tower; however, the City of Rochester has elected to forgo this option after thorough consultation with the Tower developer and, therefore, is being omitted from the contract. The bid alternates and associated partial demolition allowed the City additional time to determine if existing building structures and systems can be incorporated into the new, planned developments on the site.
The demolition work will include the removal of all debris and wastes from the site (subject to certain exceptions), termination of utilities and placement of temporary controls necessary to manage drainage and access to and from the site. The work also includes the design, furnishing, installation, maintenance and removal of any and all shoring or other protective measures required to support construction loads over all structures identified to remain.
Demolition work is expected to commence by mid- to late July 2010. Community and media briefings will be scheduled in the coming weeks to educate the public on the demolition and site preparation process and address any questions or concerns. An updated construction schedule will be posted on the Midtown Rising website at www.midtownrochesterrising.com.
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News Media: For more information, call Michael Keane, City of Rochester, at (585) 428-6064 or Katie Krawczyk, Empire State Development, at (716) 846-8247.
Midtown Rising is a redevelopment partnership that will position Rochester for its future by significantly shaping the rebirth of the downtown core through major public and private investment, job creation and infrastructure development. For more information on this development effort, visit www.midtownrochesterrising.com