Shawnee has opted against relocating a century-old house in Leawood to its outdoor museum, Shawnee Town 1929.

Instead, city staff plans to build a replica house to represent the home of Dr. Sullivan, a doctor who lived and worked in Shawnee in the 1920s. Dr. Sullivan’s house is the next building scheduled for construction at the museum.

The Shawnee city council Monday unanimously agreed to reject a bid from Patton Structural Solutions, the sole bidder for relocating the house at the southwest corner of 135th Street and Mission Road. City staff said Patton Structural Solutions’s bid was $73,300 over the city’s estimated budget for pre-construction, relocating the house, and building a new foundation for the house at the museum.

City staff estimated the cost for Contract 1 was about $167,400, while the bid from Patton Structural Solutions would have cost about $240,700.

The city’s estimated budget — as presented in the council packet — for Contract 1, the first part of the project, was originally listed as $307,000. Without the additional cost of lifting overhead utilities out of the way and removing obstructions during the move, it would have cost $182,000. A breakdown of that original construction estimate for Contract 1 is shown below:

Preconstruction services: $15,500

$15,500 Raise overhead utilities / remove obstructions: $125,000 (not included in the scope of work advertised for bids)

$125,000 (not included in the scope of work advertised for bids) Building relocation (roof in-place): $115,000

$115,000 Foundation: $51,500

$51,500 Total: $307,000 ($182,000 without overhead utilities / obstructions)

Bert Schnettgoecke, senior project engineer for the city, said staff then reduced the scope of the work for building relocation and provided the current construction estimate for Contract 1, as shown below:

Preconstruction services: $15,500

$15,500 Building relocation (roof in place): $100,875

$100,875 Foundation: $51,092

$51,092 Total: $167,467

The bid from Patton Structural Solutions for Contract 1 is shown below:

Preconstruction services: $15,000

$15,000 Building relocation (roof in-place): $150,000

$150,000 Foundation: $75,766.65

$75,766.65 Total bid: $240,766.65

City staff also reported that, in submitting its bid, Patton Structural Solutions failed to include necessary details such as the move route for relocating the Leawood house to Shawnee.

Rejecting Patton Structural Solutions’s bid was on the consent agenda, but Councilmember Tammy Thomas asked to discuss it first because city leaders had previously in-depth discussions on the issue.

The owners of the Leawood home, the Sharp family, planned to donate it to Shawnee Town 1929. The house would have represented Dr. Sullivan’s city residence with electricity and running water, and would be located next to the rural farmhouse on site that lacks city utilities.

Neil Holman, parks and recreation director said staff may consider salvaging authentic items from surplus property at 20523 W. 71st St. to use at Dr. Sullivan’s home.

“It would have been nice to have the house,” Holman said. “We are trying to be responsible.”

Friends of Shawnee Town is still planning to donate $100,000 to furnishings and other items for the project, Holman added.