INDIANA, Pa.—Pennsylvania Department of General Services Secretary James P. Creedon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Tony Atwater today announced that bid proposals have been awarded for the construction of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.
Bids for the project initially came in at $56.9 million. The new base bids are at $53.49 million.
“We are delighted to announce that this project will move forward, thanks to a concerted effort by all parties to work together to find ways to make this important project a reality,” Creedon said.
Creedon said that as a result of extensive negotiations with IUP, contractors, and the design professional, the project went through a value-engineering process that enabled the project cost to be decreased by almost $4 million.
“Through an informed and collaborative process, IUP and DGS have been successful in reaching an agreement that maintains the scope and quality of the project, and at a project cost compatible with the university's fundraising objectives,” Atwater said.
“We have had a stated fundraising goal of $20 million. We knew that we would have to increase this goal, and given today's announcement, we are officially increasing our goal to $38 million.
“To date, through the hard work of our volunteers, from gifts and anticipated federal funding, we are nearly halfway to this new goal, and we are well positioned to complete this campaign.”
The first phase of construction on the KCAC will commence in the spring of 2009.
Mascaro Construction Company, LP, Pittsburgh, is the general contractor; Farfield Company, Lititz, will provide the mechanical and electrical construction; and S.P. McCarl Inc., Altoona, will install the plumbing. L. Robert Kimball, of Ebensburg, is the professional architect.
The KCAC, to be completed in 2011, is projected to have a $22 million economic impact on the region during construction and an annual economic impact of $12.5 million in each year of operation.