6 bids opened for ramp demolition

Six bids were opened Thursday afternoon for the demolition of Oil City’s condemned parking ramp.

Venango County commissioner Timothy Brooks said the next step will be to review the bids that were submitted, and award the contract on Friday, Nov. 4.

Brooks said the goal is to have a notice to proceed with the demolition by Nov. 28.

The demolition is expected to be completed by late winter, and site restoration work will likely begin in the spring after the weather breaks.

The project’s steering committee is still weighing options behind the scenes on where the proposed multimodal transportation hub will be constructed next year after the demolition.

Initial plans called for the $11.3 million facility to be placed on the site of the parking garage that was closed in September 2011 by Oil City Council due to weather-related damage and usage problems.

However, a new idea has been introduced in recent months that would involve putting the hub where the current PennDOT parking lot is located across from the parking structure.

Pittsburgh-based Michael Baker International Inc. was awarded a $230,000 contract in March to develop a master plan for the site.