Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - The construction industry - both locally, statewide and out-of-state - remain very interested in bidding for anything related to the development of Highmark Stadium.
The latest example: John Polka, vice president of stadium development with the Buffalo Bills, says 25 firms responded to a series of bids connected to demolition of the current Highmark Stadium.
That was more than anticipated, sources said.
Bids came from a mix of local, New York state and out-of-state firms.
All of the bids, including nine that focused solely on demolishing the current home of the Bills, are under review by the team and ARC Building Partners, the demolition phase construction manager.
"For a project of this size, scope and nature, 25 seems like an appropriate number of bidders," said A.J. Baynes, Amherst Chamber of Commerce president and CEO and a leading regional economic development voice. "There are only so many contractors who can do this sort of work."
Polka says bids will likely be awarded in January, with varying phases of the work expected to begin by late February or early March.
"We are going through the evaluation process," Polka said.
More than 1,500 workers remain on the Abbott Road site where the new Highmark Stadium is under construction, and on pace to be completed by mid-summer.
The exact number of workers needed for the demolition and remediation work - both before and after the razing of Highmark Stadium - has yet to be determined. At its peak, it could be more than 700 workers on site.
What happens to the current stadium site remains under review by the Bills organization and team owner Terry Pegula.
Some of the land may be used for ancillary parking, while other portions may be developed into, perhaps, a hotel or retail/entertainment-anchored complex.
The current Highmark Stadium opened in 1973 and went through a number of renovations and upgrades, including those in 1999 and 2014.
"Anytime you can bring people in from outside the area and have a chance to put money back into the local economy, it is a good thing for Western New York," Baynes said.