The Venango County Economic Development Authority unanimously ratified two contracts for construction on 100 Seneca in downtown Oil City at the panel’s meeting this week.
The first contract with Hudson Construction is for the critical infrastructure package, which includes HVAC, water, sewage, fire protection, elevators, electricity, and work on the stairwells, at a cost of $4,429,000.
The start date for construction is April 1.
County Commissioner Sam Breene noted that the critical infrastructure is “one of the most important phases of the building” since it will prevent the building from further deteriorating due to temperature change.
“It will be the most sophisticated climate control the building has ever seen…it is so exciting,” Lewis said.
The second contract with ESCAJEDA for exterior masonry work came in at a cost of $432,000.
The masonry work to the cornice of the building includes fixing issues with the plumbing in the cornice that was covered up when the building had a new roof put on, Lewis said.
The plumbing will be uncovered and properly connected to the roof drains, she said.
The start date for that project is also April 1 and it is expected to be complete by August, Lewis said.
Board member Rod Griffin noted that all the money is in hand for both projects.
Lewis said she is working on pursuing several grant funding opportunities to fill a gap in funding for the fifth-floor buildout.
The fifth-floor project, a business incubator, will be put out to bid once the funding is in place, she said.
Lewis also updated the board on several grants the authority was recently awarded for the 100 Seneca project.
Lewis said U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s office let her know Venango County received the $400,000 congressional earmark it applied for to be used for 100 Seneca. She said Tuesday she was waiting for more details.
The authority also received two other grants for the masonry stabilization project — one from PNC Charitable Trust for $50,000 and one from the Oil City Main Street facade grant program for $5,000.
