A Cleveland firm is expected to be hired for the demolition of the Toledo Sports Arena on the city’s east side and the seven downtown buildings recently purchased by Lucas County to make way for the new multipurpose arena.

The county commissioners will award the $448,700 demolition and abatement contracts to B&B Wrecking & Excavating Inc. at their meeting this morning.

The full-service demolition firm will fulfill the commissioners’ stated goal of awarding 15 percent of the contracted and hourly work to minorities by working with a local company, Wes Boykin Trucking Excavating.

State law prohibits county governments from setting aside portions of construction projects for minorities or females, but the commissioners passed a resolution in May in hopes their intentions will translate into greater minority participation in the multimillion-dollar project set for construction in October.

“We made a commitment that every portion of the community should benefit and participate,” Commissioner Pete Gerken said. “One way to start out is giving local minority contractors the ability to participate in a significant project in downtown Toledo.”

Joe Zunk, superintendent of Lathrop Co. — the Maumee firm designated to be the arena’s project manager — expects demolition of the sports arena to occur in early July, but couldn’t give a specific date.

He said initial work, such as acquiring demolition permits from the city, could begin as early as Monday.

Because of lease agreements for the buildings on the arena’s construction site bounded by Huron, Jefferson, and Madison Avenue, and part of what is now Superior Street, demolition is slated to start between the end of July and middle of August.

Negotiations regarding the acquisition of a parking lot on Superior and another on Jefferson totaling about $1.7 million are expected to be finalized within the next couple of days, Mr. Gerken said.

The county also needs the city of Toledo to vacate Superior and Frogtown Alley between Madison and Jefferson, which council likely will OK June 26.

The city may vacate the street and alley at no charge in exchange for the county’s demolition of the Sports Arena, Mr. Gerken said.

Construction barriers around the downtown site are set to be put up July 9 in preparation of demolition and construction of the new arena. Sidewalks lining the project on Huron and Jefferson will be closed starting that day, Mr. Zunk said.

The county will pay the nearly $500,000 for the demolition from $15 million provided by the county treasurer, Mr. Gerken said.

By the end of the year, commissioners will issue an obligation bond supported by the 2 percent increase in hotel-motel tax, which will cover more than half of the $85 million project. The rest will come from $14 million in private funding raised through naming rights and corporate suites, a $12.25 million state development grant, $9.9 million in debt financed through revenue bonds paid for by the arena’s potential annual net income of $702,000, and a $2 million federal grant.

B&B Wrecking & Excavating has completed demolition projects in Toledo, including razing the old Federal Building on Summit Street in 2001.

The firm is working in Toledo on a small, private project involving a slaughterhouse demolition, said president Brian Baumann.

Mr. Baumann said the company does 30 percent of its work outside of Cleveland, with projects in Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati.

County Commissioner Ben Konop said awarding the demolition contracts signals the project is moving ahead aggressively — something the commissioners have continued to strive for throughout the entire project.

Mr. Konop said the tentatively slated demolitions ensure the arena will be open to the public in the fall of 2009. “This project is for real,” he said. “We’ll be aggressive in making sure it happens on time.”

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