MedMart Construction Update: 06022011

From clevelandmedicalmartonline.com:

PROJECT UPDATES :: JUNE 2, 2011

MALL C DEMOLITION IS ROUGHLY 95% COMPLETE WITH THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE EAST STAIR TOWER CURRENTLY BEING REMOVED. INTERIOR DEMOLITION HAS PASSED THE HALFWAY MARK ON THE EXISTING EXHIBIT HALLS ''C'' AND ''D'' ON THE LOWER LEVEL OF MALL C. ON THE FORMER MALL B, CREWS HAVE COMPLETED MORE THAN 50 PRE-CORES FOR CAISSONS WITH CAISSON DRILLING BEGINNING EARLIER THIS WEEK.

MORE THAN 60 MICRO-PILES ARE COMPLETE. DEMOLITION CONTINUED ON MALL B NEXT TO PUBLIC AUDITORIUM. METAL SHEETING CONTINUED ALONG ST. CLAIR AVENUE, MOVING WESTWARD, WITH THIS ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY NEXT WEEK. WITH THE SHEETING WORK COMPLETE, CREWS WILL NOW BEGIN EXCAVATION DOWN TO FINISH EXHIBIT HALL FLOOR. CONTINUED DEMOLITION OF THE TOPPING SLAB AND 4' INTERSTITIAL SAND VOLUME, THIS WORK IS APPROXIMATELY 95% COMPLETE. THE TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION RAMP BEING CONSTRUCTED WILL EXTEND FROM THE EXHIBIT HALL FLOOR TO LAKESIDE AVENUE.

ON THE MEDICAL MART SITE, MORE THAN 80% OF THE BACKFILLING HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND SOLIDER PILE INSTALLATION IS NEARLY COMPLETED. METAL SHEETING IN THIS AREA IS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION ON THE SITE AND WHAT SUPPORT IS ULTIMATELY REQUIRED IN THAT LOCATION, THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT FOUNDATION SYSTEMS BEING EMPLOYED. MICROPILES ARE SMALL DIAMETER HOLES (LESS THAN 12"} THAT ARE DRILLED, GROUTED, AND FILLED WITH STEEL PIPE CASING OR A CENTRAL STEEL CORE FOR REINFORCING. SOMETIMES PILES ARE DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND TO CREATE FOUNDATIONS. THOSE ARE CALLED DISPLACEMENT PILES BECAUSE THEY DISPLACE EXISTING SOILS. BY CONTRAST, MICROPILES ARE REPLACEMENT (OR NONDISPLACEMENT) PILES, BECAUSE THEY ARE INSTALLED BY DRILLING AND REMOVING THE SOIL IN THE CORE AND REPLACING IT WITH STEEL AND A CONCRETE GROUT.

Read the rest of the update here.

MedMart Construction Update: 05122011

From clevelandmedicalmartonline.com:

Construction Update - 5/12/11

PROJECT UPDATES :: MAY 12, 2011

The demolition and haul out of materials and debris from the five buildings on the future Medical Mart site has been completed. The 113 Building was demolished in April, the last structure to be demolished at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario. In three months, crews demolished the Justice Center parking deck, the Chicago Title and County Annex buildings, the Sportsmans Restaurant, and the 113 Building. Soldier pile installation has been completed around the former 113 Building while backfilling, lagging and tie-backs continue. 

Demolition is also proceeding on schedule on the Convention Center and Malls B and C. On the north side of Lakeside Avenue, Mall C roof demolition is 95% complete. Interior demolition in existing Exhibit Halls C and D on the lower level of Mall C is roughly 95% complete. Demolition of the loading dock connection at Lakeside Avenue and the East Stair Tower began earlier in the week.

The balance of remaining demolition work on Mall B is located on the southeast corner of the project. Continued demolition of the topping slab and 4’ interstitial sand volume is approximately 85% complete. The highly-visible metal sheeting project along St. Clair Avenue continues moving to the west.

Read more here:

http://www.clevelandmedicalmartonline.com/clevelandmedicalmart/index.cfm/news/construction-update-512111/

MedMart Construction Update: 04222011

From clevelandmedicalmartonline.com

Construction Update - 4/22/11

PROJECT UPDATES :: APRIL 22, 2011

The demolition of the 113 Building was completed two weeks ago, the last structure of the five buildings scheduled for demolition on the West Block, located at the corner of St. Clair and Ontario. In three months, crews demolished the Justice Center parking deck, the Chicago Title and County Annex buildings, the Sportsmans Restaurant, and the 113 Building. Haul out activities continues and foundation demolition is scheduled to begin shortly. 

Demolition is also proceeding on schedule on the Convention Center and Malls B and C. On the north side of Lakeside Avenue, Mall C roof demolition is 95% complete. Interior demolition in existing Exhibit Halls C and D on the lower level of Mall C is roughly 85% complete. Demolition of the remaining stair tower and loading dock connector are scheduled to begin within the next week.

Demolition of the Mall B roof south of Lakeside Avenue is 95% complete with continued demolition of the topping slab. Micro-piles work continues under Lakeside Avenue and pre-cores for caissons continue on Mall B.

The Public Auditorium connector demolition is 75% complete. A new Public Auditorium switchgear room is more than 70% completed, including installing new conduit runs, studs, drywall, painting and equipment installation. Work also continues on Public Auditorium connector HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems.

Read more here: 

http://www.clevelandmedicalmartonline.com/clevelandmedicalmart/index.cfm/news/construction-update-42211/

Yet more Medical Mart News - This Time Cleveland vs. New York

As Cleveland settles medical mart questions, rival New York project raises new ones | Cuyahoga County Insider - cleveland.com


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As Cleveland settles medical mart questions, rival New York project raises new ones

By Henry J. Gomez, The Plain Dealer

January 07, 2010, 7:21PM

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Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, shown above with MMPI President Chris Kennedy at a City Club forum in June, believes Cleveland remains the frontrunner in the medical mart sweepstakes despite a revised plan in New York.

With Plain Dealer reporter Laura Johnston

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Though plans for a Cleveland medical martcrystallized Thursday, backers of a similar concept in New York City believe revisions to their proposal should allow them to open well ahead of the competing project here.

Instead of anchoring a new 60-story tower in Manhattan as first envisioned, the World Product Centre will start out small and expand in phases to make a speedier debut, a company official said.

The first phase will use up to 350,000 square feet of existing space somewhere in New York, said John Strong, president of World Product Centre Marketing. He believes the showplace for medical equipment can open in about 18 months -- more than two years before Cleveland's.

"Many of the people that we've talked to are highly interested but want something more quickly," Strong said in a phone interview. "We want to accommodate that."

Cleveland and New York are two of the three cities locked in a derby to boast the nation's first medical mart. A complex three times as large as Cleveland's is planned in Nashville, Tenn.

In the past, executives with MMPI, the private developer behind the Cleveland project, have said that being the first to introduce the untested medical mart concept is considered critical to their project's success. Officials with the Chicago company did not respond to a request for comment Thursday regarding the latest version of the World Product Centre plans.

Local backers believe that Northeast Ohio remains the frontrunner. They cite public financing in place since 2007 -- courtesy of an increase to the Cuyahoga County sales tax -- and other factors, such as a renowned, built-in medical industry that can drive business.

"The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth in one city -- we are the health care capital of the world," said Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose ward includes downtown. "New York might have great Broadway shows, but they don't have the public funding, and they don't have the ability to bring in the vendors that these guys do."

The Cleveland mart will be built at the northeast corner of St. Clair Avenue and Ontario Street, in tandem with a new convention center. On Thursday, MMPI and county commissioners agreed to a new pact that makes it likely ground will break on the complex by October.

Construction is expected to take 36 months, so Cleveland's mart would be on pace to open sometime in 2013. Officials in Tennessee have targeted that year, as well.

A spokeswoman with Market Center Management Co., which is pursuing the downtown Nashville medical mart, did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Cuyahoga Commissioner Tim Hagan downplayed the idea of a three-city race.

"The bottom line is that we're not competing with anybody," Hagan said. "We've got a unique setting here. What we have is 70,000 or so people working in the health care industry in the community ... the dominance of the Cleveland Clinic nationally and internationally.

"It's comparing apples and oranges here."

© 2010 cleveland.com. All rights reserved.

An additional Med Mart article

Cleveland convention center, medical mart project could get in gear by fall - Crain's Cleveland Business

Big news on Cleveland's Medical Mart

It appears talks have resumed with property owners around the previous preferred location for the Medical Mart. This means the Mall C location that had come up last year as the new choice is likely off the table. Further more, the PeeDee is reported:

"Developer MMPI could break ground by October on a much-anticipated medical mart for downtown Cleveland, according to a construction agreement introduced to Cuyahoga County commissioners this morning."

As a person who was involved with the original Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Convention Facilities Authority (now defunct), all I can say is "FINALLY."

Cleveland: Medical Mart getting back on track

 Tom Beres     Updated: 1/7/2010 12:23:49 PM  Posted: 1/6/2010 5:42:10 PM

CLEVELAND -- The long-delayed Medical Mart project seems to be moving in a more postive direction.

Late last year, it seemed the project was relocating to a site on Mall C, overlooking the lakefront.

That was because property owners at the original site at the corner of Ontario Street and St. Clair Avenue were making what the county considered exorbitant demands for their property.

But those talks have restarted and seem to be close to resolution, according to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan.

"In all probability, it's going back to the original site. We were negotiating deals with people who were trying to get what they could," he said.

That will avoid an emotional debate about using the valuable and cherished Mall property for this project.

On Thursday, the county commissioners will also hear details of a construction agreement that addresses critics' issues and concerns about the county's preliminary agreement with project developer MMPI.

Lawyer Jeff Appelbaum helped broker terms and conditions surrounding the Gateway projects. He's been involved with dozens of significant projects nationwide.

He will tell commissioners he's arranged a deal that is easier for the public to understand, provides more chances for local companies to be part of the bidding process, and addresses diversity concerns.

"It's going to be more transparent, an iron-clad agreement that will give opportunites for local companies to be engaged," Hagan claimed.

Hagan understands public impatience and skepticism with a project that many perceive as slow-moving.

"Everybody is a critic. But they don't have our responsibility. This methodical approach is the only way to do big projects like this," he said.

Appelbaum is in talks with the City of Cleveland to address concerns about Public Hall.

MMPI revealed problems with electrical, plumbing and other systems in the building.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson must decide how much of the revenue the city gets in the final deal to spend on making improvements to keep the building usable  and how much to demand from the county and MMPI.

"I envision a deal. I believe anything beyond 2010 will create a big problem with us being competitive, " Jackson said, in apparent reference to similar projects being pursued in other cities.

Hagan's predicts, "Work will begin this year for sure. It's going to get done. MMPI, the county and the city are going to make this happen."

Hagan said he would not be opposed to extending the 20-year sales tax for the project to help with possible cost issue.

He says the switch to a new form of county government next year will not delay progress this year.

City Councilman Joe Cimperman is organizing a series of four public meetings in February to discuss different aspects of the Medical Mart/Convention Center project.

© 2009 WKYC-TV

MMPI could break ground on a Cleveland medical mart by October

By Laura Johnston, The Plain Dealer

January 07, 2010, 11:29AM

Plain Dealer

The proposed medical mart will likely be built on the northeast corner of St. Clair Avenue and Ontario Street, rather than on the north edge of the Mall.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Developer MMPI could break ground by October on a much-anticipated medical mart for downtown Cleveland, according to a construction agreement introduced to Cuyahoga County commissioners this morning.

The county's contract attorney also said MMPI will abandon controversial plans to build the mart -- part of a taxpayer-financed $425 million convention center complex -- on the north end of the downtown Mall, between City Hall and the Lakeside Avenue courthouse.

Instead, as reported last month by the Plain Dealer, the Chicago firm will build the showplace for medical technology on the northeast corner of St. Clair Avenue and Ontario Street.

The 67-page agreement also spells out how what taxpayers will get for their money. A $333,333 monthly fee paid by the county to MMPI will cover all salaries and benefits for company officials and affiliates involved with the project.

MMPI also will receive no more than $3.2 million as reimbursement for rent, travel and office expenses and must pick up the tab for all cost overruns. And the company is forbidden from paying kickbacks to contractors vying for a piece of the project.

Other highlights of the contract include:

• Once MMPI and the county agree on a guaranteed maximum price for the project, MMPI cannot walk away. That agreement should come about nine months after a deal to buy the St. Clair property. Construction will start soon after.

• The county must approve MMPI's choice of an architect.

• MMPI must seek competitive proposals from companies hoping to design and build the project.

• The builder must seek at least three competitive bids for subcontracts of more than $100,000, including excavation, concrete and electrical work.

• MMPI must parcel out a quarter of the work to small businesses certified by the county and hire Cuyahoga County residents to make up 40 percent of the construction workforce.

• The county plans to sign an option to buy an office building on St. Clair from L& R Investment Co., said the attorney, Jeff Appelbaum. And eminent domain could be used to transform other property into a public park.

Appelbaum did not say which property, but the Sportsman's Restaurant is sandwiched between L&R's office building at 113 St. Clair and its parking garage.

The county also is renegotiating a deal to buy the city's existing convention center.

MMPI's original proposal called for renovating the underground convention center, creating high-tech meeting rooms in the adjoining Public Auditorium and building the mart on St. Clair.

But in November, the company abandoned those plans after estimates to repair the 88-year-old auditorium came in tens of millions of dollars over budget. MMPI cut out Public Auditorium and instead imagined the mart as a modern glass edifice, rising at the north end of Mall C and connecting to the convention center below.

MMPI's public dismissal of Public Auditorium infuriated Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and City Council, which last spring signed off on a $20 million deal to sell the existing convention center. And the change worried architects and preservationists, who urged against destroying the mall.

The furor drove county officials to reopen talks with St. Clair property owners.

© 2010 cleveland.com. All rights reserved.

Cool Cleveland: Community Forum on Sales Tax

From the Cool Cleveland newsletter.
There is a link at the bottom of the notice for those who drive downtown.
What is not listed are the numerous alternative ways one could travel without having to find parking - after all, it is downtown. Being downtown means there are plenty of buses coming and going. Plus, all of the rail lines come downtown.
Check out the RTA website for schedules, or you can use the trip planner.

Join the Cool Cleveland Forum
On the proposed Cuyahoga County sales tax for convention center/medical mart

You are invited Join your Cool Cleveland colleagues at this free and open Community Forum on July 12, 2007 from noon to 1:30PM at the Cleveland Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue N.E. in Downtown Cleveland, in the Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium. Map of parking here.

We want to hear your questions and opinions. While a number of subject matter experts will be invited to be in the audience as resources in the fields of government, economic development and convention centers, this Community Forum is designed to allow the public to ask questions and raise issues about the 1/4% sales tax recently proposed by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners to raise money for a yet-to-be-determined convention center and attached medical mart. There will be no panels, no presentations and no speakers. After a brief outline of the issue, the public will be invited to step up to the microphones and raise questions and issues, which will be transcribed and then posted to CoolCleveland.com, BrewedFreshDaily.com and the Meet.The.Bloggers* network of top regional blog sites.

Let your voice be heard To attend, please register by clicking here:
http://www.coolcleveland.com/forums/071407/index.php

To post your comment or question in advance, or if you are unable to attend, please click here:
http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2007/07/03/coolclevelandcombfdmtbyoucool-community-forums/

A copy of the press release is available for download as a PDF here:
http://www.coolcleveland.com /doc/SalesTaxForumAnnouncement.pdf