Sep. 3, 2005 - The Erie County Convention Center Authority has awarded contracts of nearly $1.9 million for the design of the convention center hotel and parking garage.

DRS Architects of Pittsburgh received a contract for $1.51 million for the design of the eight-story, 200-room Sheraton hotel on West Dobbins Landing and for the exterior design of an adjacent parking garage.

The Roth Marz Partnership was hired to design the four-story, 328-space parking ramp. Its contract will be 6 percent of construction, or an estimated $360,000.

Cromwell Consulting Inc. of Stoughton, Mass., will prepare the design for the hotel's food service and laundry areas at a cost of $15,500.

They are all part of the hotel development team selected by Acquest Realty Advisors of Bloomfield, Mich., which is overseeing the project.

Separately, Desman Associates of Cleveland was hired to prepare the layout for a 450-space parking lot and an overflow surface lot with 100 spaces on the Sassafras Street Pier for the convention center. The firm will charge a lump sum of $22,500, plus an hourly rate during the contract award and construction phases of the project.

A groundbreaking for the $100 million convention center and hotel project was held last month. Site work has already begun on the Sassafras Street Pier, where the convention center will be situated. Construction of the hotel is expected to start in the spring of 2006.

Both facilities are to open in 2007.

The authority also rejected recent bids for a new Front Street entrance for the Warner Theatre and agreed to redesign the project.

Bids came in more than a half-million dollars above the estimate of $1.6 million.

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