From
Amy Sprinkles
Title
Ordinance amending the FY 2016/2017 Hotel Motel Tax Fund and Hotel Motel Building Fund; Authorize the City Manager to enter into contract with Johnson Construction Services for repairs to the historic Bowles Home, gazebo, barn and windmill shed in the amount of $43,000.
Presenter
Amy Sprinkles, Marketing Director
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
The historic Bowles home, gazebo, barn and windmill shed are in need of repairs. Boards, siding and trim are rotten or missing, animals and humans are getting into the structures and damaging them. The structures are in the Bowles Park, near the Shotwell Life Center. The original home was built in 1845 by David Jordan, near its current location. It served as a home, country store and stagecoach stop. William Bowles bought the home and property in the 1900s, moving it to its current location and remodeling it. Half of the home burned in the 1990s, and was rebuilt by the Historic Organization in partnership with the city. The home has never been fully restored after the fire and is not open to the public. But its history is important to Grand Prairie so maintaining it is needed.
A request for bid was issued June 19, 2017 with a mandatory pre-bid walk through June 26, 2017 and bids due July 17, 2017. Only one bid was received. It was from Johnson Construction Services, with whom the city has done other work and who consistently receives positive ratings from the city.
During the walk through the contractor and our Facility Services staff determined that the extent of repair needed on the barn would require it to be torn down and rebuilt, thereby nullifying any historic value of the structure. The roof trusses were installed incorrectly and insufficient for the weight of the roof, the roof is the original wood shingle and very rotted, the siding is rotted and the doors and windows are missing. A field estimate of the cost to tear down and rebuild was up to $50,000. On t...
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