Restoration of historic Oak Brook house hits snag
Plans to restore the Ben Fuller House in Oak Brook could be delayed after both construction companies competing for the contract submitted bid proposals that are either too expensive or incomplete.
DuPage County Forest Preserve District officials have advised forest preserve commissioners to reject both bids for the project to transform the historic house at York and Spring roads into an interpretive center.
Commissioners are expected to talk about that recommendation during their Tuesday planning session. If they agree, the project will have to be rebid.
It's unclear how long it would take to seek new bids. The district had hoped to complete the project this year.
The companies that submitted proposals for the project earlier this month are Chicago Commercial Construction and Kee Construction.
Chicago Commercial's price quote of nearly $1.3 million is almost double the budget for the project. The bid proposal included several line items that were priced "excessively high due to errors" in the company's bidding, according to a memorandum to commissioners.
The memo also states that Kee's bid was "nonresponsive because their paperwork was incomplete." The company improperly filled out the bid forms and didn't sign and notarize its bid bond.
Built around 1840, the Ben Fuller House is a Greek Revival-style farmhouse that was the home of Benjamin Fuller, one of the area's first settlers.
To save it from demolition, the structure in 1981 was moved from its original location in Hinsdale to Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve in Oak Brook. But shortly before the move, the summer kitchen was destroyed during a fire.
The district and the Fullersburg Historic Foundation want to restore the house so it can open as a museum featuring history about the structure along with interactive displays.
As part of the project, the 1,082-square-foot farmhouse will be renovated. A 503-square-foot addition also will be built for "the amenities needed for public use," officials said.
In addition to a new parking lot, path lights will be added in and around the existing adjacent York Road park.
To pay for the work, forest preserve commissioners have agreed to spend about $390,000 in bond proceeds from a 2006 referendum. Voters gave the district permission in November 2006 to obtain a $68 million loan to expand and improve its preserves.
The district received another $295,000 in state grant money for the Ben Fuller House project. The Fullersburg Historic Foundation has pledged to donate $21,000.