A combination of history and recreation is headed to Roeland Park. Councilmembers set a project that will bring a replica of the historic Roe House on track for completion in November 2019 after making a series of decisions on placement, design and construction during a Tuesday governing workshop meeting.
The Roe House replica will be a kid-sized playhouse located at Nall Park, as decided by the Parks committee after SFS Architecture recommended placement options for the structure. Public Works Director Donnie Schraff presented placement options within Nall Park to councilmembers, who ultimately agreed with the Parks committee recommendation to place the structure near the existing playground equipment.
In addition to location, councilmembers advised Schraff to move forward with design option three — which most closely resembles Roe House. Councilmember Tim Janssen, who helped move the project forward, said he intended for the playhouse to exemplify traditional architecture.
SFS Architecture provided the city with an estimated materials cost of $4,800 and $3,800 for scope and fee for the project. With a $10,000 budget allotted to the Roe House replica, that left $1,400 for a contractor to build the structure.
Assistant City Adminstrator Jennifer Jones Lacy said the allowance for professional services in the general fund can be used to pay the architect, meaning the remaining $5,200 can be used to hire an outside contractor to build the playhouse. This was the option recommended by city staff to keep construction on schedule, and councilmembers advised Schraff to move forward with this option.
The Roe House replica will be 10 feet by 10 feet by 9 feet high. Schraff said there was discussion about including a security light to ensure “it’s not a gathering area.” The structure will be similar to that of “Dodge Town” at Antioch Park and serve as a historical tool for the city.
