This is the July 2024 radio show Focus on Stafford County. This month’s show covers a variety of topics including an introduction of the new Stafford County Economic Development office administrator, Sarah Hampton. Other subjects covered are childcare updates and Rural Champion funding; new housing, prices and availability; a grant for a historic district survey in Stafford; nominations for historic register designation; Hudson’s Easter egg hunt and Christmas celebrations; a grant for getting quality internet broadband services in Hudson; an update on St. John’s Pickleboard Court. and status of Gray Studio renovation.
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
INVITATION TO BID
Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library
Stafford, KANSAS
BASEMENT WINDOWS BOTH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR – The scope of work within bid request includes basement window/storms/screens that should match original profiles. Bids will be received by Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library Board of Directors, 108 N. Union St., Stafford, Kansas 67578 until 5:00 PM on September 3rd, 2024 for the work noted above according to plans approved by the Kansas State Historic Preservation Office. This structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All work must comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Sealed bids will be publicly opened at 5:00 PM on September 3rd, 2024 at 108 N. Union St., Stafford, KS. All inquiries about this Invitation to Bid and requests for copies of the full scope of work/plansmay be directed to Shelly Brensing, Board Member, Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library at 620-546-4826 or [email protected]. Bids will be received on a total bid price basis and will include a sum to cover the cost of all items of the contract, including insurance, materials, and performance bonds. A pre-bid meeting will be held at Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library, 108 N. Union St., Stafford, Kansas on Tuesday, August 27th at 10:00 AM. Contractors interested in attending by Zoom should email [email protected] for a link. Attending this meeting is recommended but not mandatory. Proposals received after the date and time indicated above for opening will be considered late, and therefore will not be considered for award. The Bid will be awarded on the basis of cost and performance; to the Bidder who, in the Owner’s judgment, is the lowest, most qualified, responsible and responsive Bidder. Owner reserves the right to reject any and all Bids and to reject the Bid of any Bidder if the Owner believes it would not be in the best interest of Owner to make an award to that Bidder. The successful Bidder must deliver to the Owner certificates of insurance, performance and materials payment bonds as security for faithful performance and the payment of all bills and obligations arising from the contract. The successful firm will be required to comply with all applicable laws and statutory regulations. No Bidder will in any way, directly or indirectly, discriminate against any person because of age, race, color, handicap, sex, national origin or religious creed. This project is partially supported by the Heritage Trust Fund grant program from the Kansas State Historical Society.
Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library
Scope of Work – THREE (3) BASEMENT WINDOWS
Project Description: Basement windows/storms/screens should match the original profiles.
Building Description: Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library was built in 1905 and is a one-story brick building with a partially finished, full basement. The building has gone through considerable renovations which included fixing the foundation as well as restoring the stain glass windows. The windows need to be repaired so water doesn’t get into the basement and is secured. Repairs to the windows are necessary to secure the future of this community asset.
All work must be done according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
Completion date: June 1, 2025.
FOR ALL THREE (3) BASEMENT WINDOWS/STORMS/ONE (1) SCREEN:
- Windows/storms/screens should match the original profiles.
- New glazing, hardware as necessary, and weatherstripping.
- Caulking as needed at masonry openings.
- Glass should be clear. A low-E coating is acceptable as long as the least amount of tint is used.
- Finish: white paint – oil-based primer and 2 finished coats.
Replace the three bucks with very dense, weather-resistant wood like mahogany, cypress,or a manufactured product like Accoya that can be cut and worked like wood. Painted whitefinish.
Repair the three inner windows and install them at the inner end of the bucks, in the samelocation. If repair is not possible, build new windows that match the originals, using materialsas stated above. These would need to be operable in some way, incorporating an awning orhopper style. Painted white finish. If unable to repair the inner windows, remove them, butkeep them on site. Label them with the location and date.
Replace screens with storm windows. Build new outer windows/storms from a very dense,weather-resistant wood like mahogany, cypress, or a manufactured product like Accoya thatcan be cut and worked like wood to build a window/storm sash. These removable stormwindows should generally replicate the look of the existing screens (i.e., width of the sashframes, where they are installed against the bucks) and should be installed against theexterior stops of the bucks. Painted white finish.
Repair or replace one screen, to be used alternately with a storm window, for ventilation, ifneeded. If repair is not possible, this screen should generally replicate the look of the existingscreen (i.e., width of the sash frames, where they are installed against the bucks) and shouldbe installed against the exterior stop of the buck. Painted white finish
View Video For More Detail: https://vimeo.com/984371136
Communication is everything! We saw your comments. Made us realize we probably should explain the housing project a bit. That’s on us. You also are free to ask questions at any time directly to me, Ryan by phone 620-314-5561 or by e-mail [email protected] . I’m happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have about any project that we have. I believe in freedom of expression and speech and want to hear ideas as well. I think it’s a positive thing when the public engages in discourse and conveys their concerns, ideas, and not least their confirmation we might be doing something right.
Back to the houses. The project you are seeing being built is a combination of a Stafford County, City of Stafford, City of St. John, State of Kansas and Stafford County Economic Development funded project. It is a moderate-income project where we can sell the houses. If they don’t sell, we will rent them out. They will not have the low-income restrictions as this is not a low-income housing project. I repeat, it is not low-income housing. We are building 9 houses with 5 in St. John and 4 in Stafford. These have a mixture of options because of the budget. The first two houses that you’ve seen posted are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and the same design. The next 7 houses that are about to be started are a completely different design than the first 2. We will have an open house once the first 2 houses are finished. The overall project is $2.6 million for 9 houses, and we are going to come under that budget for all 9. The range of the cost of the houses will be between $190,000 to $270,000. Housing Opportunities Inc. is our General Contractor with all our sub-contractors doing to work being from Stafford County. Mansel Construction, Loya Construction, Meyer Electric, and Stafford Lumber are all part of building these houses. We did an open bidding process and I personally reached out to almost all the local contractors to make sure they had a chance to bid on the project. It was also posted publicly with clear deadlines for bid submissions.
If you understand the housing market for building new, you will understand that the cost to build is very high right now. We are building these as we have a housing shortage and need to build more houses as quickly as possible. We will continue to build more houses after this 9 depending on available funding.
Here are the properties we are planning to build on and what will be built on those properties.
214 S. Pearl, St. John – 3 bedroom/2 bath/Basement/ with a Garage
218 S. Pearl, St. John – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab/ with 2 Garages
413 W. 2nd, St. John – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab (almost complete)
424 W. 2nd, St. John – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab/ with a Garage (about to pour concrete)
430 W. 2nd, St. John – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab/ with a Garage (about to pour concrete)
227 S. Buffalo, Stafford – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab/ with a Garage
303 W. Morrell, Stafford – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab (almost completed)
743 W. Broadway, Stafford – 3 bedroom/2 bath/ on a Slab/ with 2 Garages
745 W. Broadway, Stafford, KS 67578 – 3 bedroom/2 bath/Basement/ with a Garage
Thanks again for your engagement and we would love to hear from you anytime. Contact me, Ryan anytime, 620-314-5561 or [email protected] if you have any questions.
Stafford County Economic Development, Inc.
We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Our Office
311 N Broadway St, Saint John, KS 67576
620-549-3527
Mailing Address
PO Box 233, Saint John, KS 67576
Our Mission
To promote economic and population growth throughout the County by assisting our local businesses, engaging in community activities, and promoting Stafford County as a great place to live, work, and play.
We are an equal opportunity provider and employer.