Stadium is under budget

[ZachTheZip]

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/12452411.htmlI wonder if that means they will use the extra money to add things or increase the capacity.

[ziptrumpet87]

I imagine they will wait until more bids come in. They probably can increase spending on seats or something later if things are really coming in under. Or they may need the extra to expedite construction if weather or something slows them up. I wonder if they could move any leftover capital to the dorm project, or use it to pay down some of the bonds?

[ZippyRulz]

The construction business is slow and it looks like we are benefitting. But didn't we just read the budget had jumped from $56M to $61M and they had reduced the number of suites from 25 to 16? Does this just put us back closer to the original estimate?

[GP1]

Ideas that come to mind first are:1. Public projects are notorious for change orders. Keeping some of the money for that would be a good idea.2. Hire a better breed of sub-contractor.It is good that they are bidding this project as early as they are. This is encouraging. As Akron, and quite frankly the rest of NE Ohio, continues to turn into Youngstown, contractors will become very hungry and need to build their back log. Getting bids this time of year in Ohio is a good way to keep the costs down. Get ready for the change order fights though.I'm not shocked the steel pricing came in lower than anticipated. The cost of steel in the US has been impacted by the construction boom in China in recent years driving up the costs of insulations and things like steel. Building in China and in the US has slowed recently so the cost of steel is down. UofA is getting a good deal. Maybe things are finally falling their way on this project.Nice job by the ABJ publishing this story. It will help keep future bidding for the stadium low as contractors will be more competitive in their bidding after what they see in the first round of bidding. I wonder if the people at the ABJ are actually smart enough though to connect the dots between the low bidding numbers and the lack of economic growth the leadership in NE Ohio is giving the public. Probably not.

[zen]

A lot of projects that you tend to hear about ending up significantly over budget are publically funded projects. Gateway project up in cleveland comes to mind. They had to under-estimate the cost in order get the voters to approve it. This stadium was more accurately estimated.

[zipsbandman]

I say take that money and start up a fund for a basketball arena

[RACER]

maybe give the money to the football team,it would be nice not to go on the road all the time to play the bcs teams.

[skip-zip]

GP...sometimes I agree with some things you say, and sometimes I do not. But, saying that Akron is becoming a "Youngstown" along with the rest of NE Ohio, is just ridiculous.Had you not read the current report which shows that Akron is one of only two of the major Ohio cities to show job GROWTH over the last 25 years? Yes....job GROWTH.Can you tell me how many THOUSANDS of jobs the other major cities in Ohio have LOST, maybe the worst of which is Youngstown, during the same period of time? Might want to look that up. Lumping Akron with the depressing decline of the industrial cities in Ohio is simply not a reflection of the facts.

[KeeprOFtheHous]

PLease everyone remember state institutions do low bidders! so low quality stuff.

[GP1]

GP...sometimes I agree with some things you say, and sometimes I do not. But, saying that Akron is becoming a "Youngstown" along with the rest of NE Ohio, is just ridiculous.Had you not read the current report which shows that Akron is one of only two of the major Ohio cities to show job GROWTH over the last 25 years? Yes....job GROWTH.Can you tell me how many THOUSANDS of jobs the other major cities in Ohio have LOST, maybe the worst of which is Youngstown, during the same period of time? Might want to look that up. Lumping Akron with the depressing decline of the industrial cities in Ohio is simply not a reflection of the facts.

It's only a matter of time my good friend.....only a matter of time.High taxes, poor weather, bad schools, rapidly decreasing property values in Akron (look at all the for sale signs on homes, people are getting out as fast as they can) and a mayor who has only one answer...raise taxes again.The only job growth I could see is hospital building. They will be needed to take care of they dinosaurs left after the young flee. People who work in hospitals do not typically live in the city. Just like people working in the hospitals live in places like Boardman and Poland.

[zen]

It's only a matter of time my good friend.....only a matter of time.High taxes, poor weather, bad schools, rapidly decreasing property values in Akron (look at all the for sale signs on homes, people are getting out as fast as they can) and a mayor who has only one answer...raise taxes again.The only job growth I could see is hospital building. They will be needed to take care of they dinosaurs left after the young flee. People who work in hospitals do not typically live in the city. Just like people working in the hospitals live in places like Boardman and Poland.

Woah there. Akron schools are looking up, and were never even in the same league of despair of cleveland to start with. The real estate market is in flux all over the the country, I think you'd have to be oblivious not to know that. Taxes I don't know about in Akron proper, but as a whole, I see the greater akron area and summit county growing significantly more than nearby urban centered counties.Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that Akron is booming, but I totally disagree with your negative assessment.

[akronad]

This is only the start to the stadium bids. I'm sure that there will be areas that will be above the expected costs. If we come out at the 61mil they projected, I will be a very happy camper.GP1, sometimes I agree with and other times I do not. This is 1 time where I tend to disagree with you. Akron will never be the same place as it once was. Most of the big factoires and headquarters have moved to other locations due to incentives given to them by state and local govenments. That was why ot was so important to keep Goodyear in Akron. Without Goodyear this town would have become the next Youngstown. Now there is still hope. The same hope we carry for all of our sports teams here at U of A.The housing crunch is not just an Akron or Ohio thing. If you ahve been doing any reading or paying attention to any news broadcasts, you would have known that this is a nationwide problem and that Akron is in the same boat as everyone else. All due to sub-prime lending.Akron schools are not the best in the state, but they are the best out of the top 8 urban districts in the state. That is not saying that they have work to do, but they are better than Cleveland, Columbus, Youngtown, Toledo, etc.Like the Akron schools or the City of Akron, we do not have the best athletic prgrams in the MAC, but we keep trying. If we don't keep trying, what is there to live of cheer for.GO ZIPS & GO AKRON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jcv1]

GP...sometimes I agree with some things you say, and sometimes I do not. But, saying that Akron is becoming a "Youngstown" along with the rest of NE Ohio, is just ridiculous.Had you not read the current report which shows that Akron is one of only two of the major Ohio cities to show job GROWTH over the last 25 years? Yes....job GROWTH.Can you tell me how many THOUSANDS of jobs the other major cities in Ohio have LOST, maybe the worst of which is Youngstown, during the same period of time? Might want to look that up. Lumping Akron with the depressing decline of the industrial cities in Ohio is simply not a reflection of the facts.

It's only a matter of time my good friend.....only a matter of time.High taxes, poor weather, bad schools, rapidly decreasing property values in Akron (look at all the for sale signs on homes, people are getting out as fast as they can) and a mayor who has only one answer...raise taxes again.The only job growth I could see is hospital building. They will be needed to take care of they dinosaurs left after the young flee. People who work in hospitals do not typically live in the city. Just like people working in the hospitals live in places like Boardman and Poland.

It's an attitude like this that continues to poison those who struggle to make where we live better for all of us and our children. Taking apart your arguments one by one:1. Taxes - though the burden has increased over the years in relation to other states, Ohio is still only 18th in total tax burden, with many of the higher 17 states in areas of the country that you may consider more "appealing" - http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/474.html2. Poor weather - somewhat kidding, with "climate change" almost inevitable, just wait a few years and we'll have weather very similar to Charlotte. This is an old and poor argument: cities in the north such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, etc. all are seeing revivals despite the "weather" - learn how to deal with it and get outside - you can't tell me our summers and falls are not fantastic3. Bad schools - the Public schools have recently received a rating of "continuous improvent" in statewide ratings - other acheivements include, in addition to the $800 million rebuilding project:Akron Public Schools has a state rating of Continuous Improvement and is widely considered one of the best urban districts in Ohio. Akron Public Schools is considered a leader in the use of educational technology. Each of Akron's 53 schools is wired for access to the Internet. Currently, there is one computer for every five students at the elementary level, one computer for every six students at the middle-school level, and computer labs and computer classes at each of our eight high schools. National Board Certification has been awarded to 20 Akron teachers. The graduating class of 2006 received more than $12 million in scholarships. Firestone High School is one of only 13 high schools in Ohio to offer the world-wide International Baccalaureate Program (Pre-IB courses are offered to current ninth- and 10th-graders). The first class of IB diploma candidates graduated in June 1998, with 80 percent earning the prestigious IB Diploma. 4. Declining property - as mentioned earlier, Akron and Ohio are not the only areas dealing with this problem but it's not the fault of City leaders. Most economists see a turn-around by the 3rd quarter of 2008. The Brookings Institue actually sees much inprovement for the region: http://www.ci.akron.oh.us/News_Releases/2007/0524a.htm5. Mayor P and high taxes: asking for an increase of income taxes for the first time in 26 years specifically to keep the momentum going for economic development and to put additional cops on the streets does not strike me as irresponsible.6. Other positive factors:Inc. Magazine rated us among the top 25 cities for doing business in America; Expansion Management magazine ranks Akron among the "best U.S. Cities to expand or relocate a business;" And the Beacon Journal, last October, noted that in comparison with all other Ohio cities, Akron was best positioned for economic growth, based on major indicators. Companies announcing expansions or building of headquarters in 2007 include: Sterling, Infocision, First Energy, and Goodyear - total investment of all will exceed 1.5 BILLIONSo, if that's not good enough, nothing will be.....