City sifting through three lowest of 13 submitted bids ahead of green light.
Pontiac Emergency Manager Lou Schimmel says he has decided to demolish the Phoenix Center amphitheater and parking garage at a cost between $1.6 to $2 million, and turn it into a paid-only parking lot.
Schimmel estimates that demolishing the Phoenix Center will save the city $8.1 million in repairs and upkeep over 10 years, and will save $160,000 a year in insurance.
The city received 13 bids for the facility’s demolition and is reviewing the three lowest bids, Schimmel said.
The land the Phoenix Center sits on will become a lighted parking lot after its demolition, Schimmel said, and the roads that bisect the structure, Orchard Lake Road and Saginaw Street, will remain in their current form for the time being.
Schimmel plans to pay for the demolition using existing city funds. The Phoenix Center has about $17.5 million in bonded debt held by Oakland County, meaning the county has a lien on the property. Deputy Oakland County Executive Bob Daddow said the Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on the demolition plan next week.
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