Arnold Council has awarded a contract for the demolition of 10 buildings in the city.

AP Wise Excavating’s bid of $75,840 was the lowest of seven the city received.

The highest bid, of nearly $141,000 , was submitted by Davis Demolition and Excavation.

Six other companies picked up information on the project but did not submit bids, according to the city.

The city is using a $300,000 state blight remediation grant to pay for the work.

The city plans to seek bids for another 11 buildings to be torn down in a second phase during the fall.

The spring demolitions are pending asbestos abatement. The city will hire a company to inspect the buildings, said Rick Rayburg, community development director.

The contract requires that demolitions be completed within 60 days, Rayburg said.

All of the buildings are vacant and residential except for 1905 Leishman Ave., which had housed The Grottese Club, a social club that closed in the early 2000s. It was being used for storage when there was a fire in February 2016.

Of the other nine buildings, four are on Third Avenue — at 1374, 1419, 1419½ and 1430.

Four more are on Fourth Avenue — at 1339, 1362, 1522 and 1524. The final address is 1908 Victoria Ave.

Full-time code officer hired

As part of the city’s blight- fighting efforts, council unanimously approved hiring a full-time code officer.

Albert Colelli will be paid $17 per hour with benefits after a 90-day probationary period.

Colelli, of Arnold, will join part-time code enforcement officer Joel Santoro, who started in February and is being paid the same hourly rate but does not receive benefits.

Arnold’s code office has suffered from frequent turnover in recent months and had been vacant for about two months.

Councilman George Hawdon said the city’s budget has enough money to pay both salaries this year, but half of Colelli’s pay and benefits will be covered through the city’s community development budget.

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