Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves $131,000 bid to demolish Veterans Stadium grandstand and transfers funds for stadium rehabilitation
Summary
The Lackawanna City Council approved a $131,000 bid for demolition of the Veterans Stadium concrete grandstand and adopted budget changes to house $800,000 in county aid, $131,000 for grandstand demolition, and $84,907 for basketball-court refurbishments.
The Lackawanna City Council on May 5 awarded a contract for demolition of the concrete grandstand at Veterans Stadium and approved budget ordinances to track county aid and project expenses.
Grasshoppers Inc. submitted the lowest of three bids at $131,000 and the council voted 5-0 to approve the demolition contract for phase two of the stadium project. The council also approved budget ordinances to record $800,000 in Erie County aid that the controller said would fund stadium rehabilitation, including lighting and court refurbishing.
Why it matters: The city said the concrete grandstand was structurally degraded and posed safety risks; the work is part of a multi-phase effort to rehabilitate Veterans Stadium. Council action both awards the immediate demolition and establishes accounting lines so the city can track county aid and related expenditures.
Senior foreman of public works described the demolition scope as “the complete demolition of the concrete grandstands, hauling away of all materials and then doing a rough grade of the ground after everything’s removed.” The council next approved an interfund transfer and budget amendments that, according to the city controller, added $800,000 from Erie County to revenue code “county aid,” and allocated $131,000 for stadium demo and $84,907 for basketball court refurbishment.
The council adopted an ordinance authorizing a transfer of $467,567.40 between the general and capital funds to support Veterans Stadium rehabilitation lighting. That ordinance and related budget amendments carried on unanimous votes.
The public asked for basic safety context at the meeting. A resident noted visible structural degradation and code-enforcement concerns; staff confirmed inspection findings that the grandstand was unsafe and that demolition was necessary.
Next steps: The demolition contractor was authorized to proceed, and city staff will use the newly created revenue and expenditure codes to track county aid and project spending. The council approved refurbishing two municipal basketball courts using the remaining urban-initiative grant funds ($84,907) and approved initiation of bidding for other capital work — including a paving project at Kirby Avenue.
