Engineer Needed to Assess Buildings at Gurski Homestead

The Conservation Commission has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a structural assessment and stabilization plan for the buildings on the Gurski Homestead property on Obtuse Hill Road.

The project will be funded through state grants, meaning interested engineers must be familiar with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and meet the minimum qualification standards for historic engineers (36 CFR 61).

The homestead property includes the farmhouse, barn and six outbuildings. Prospective candidates must be able to provide evidence of experience. Demonstrations or interviews might also be necessary on a case-by-case basis.

Project costs are not to exceed $10,000.

Proposals must be submitted to Conservation Commission Chairman and project liaison Alice Dew by Aug. 14. (Alice Dew, Brookfield Conservation Commission, Town of Brookfield, 100 Pocono Road, Brookfield, CT 06804).
____________________________________________________
Download a copy of the bid document.
____________________________________________________

If a suitable candidate is chosen from the initial bidders and the approvals are granted along the projected timetable, a full survey of the property’s buildings and plans to reinforce and renovate them will be submitted by the end of December.

The Conservation Commission took over responsibility for the Gurski property from the now dissolved Gurski Homestead Commission, which was disbanded after a review from the state Historic Preservation Office (HPO) expressed concerns about the pace of renovation work.

The state has oversight as part of two matching grants through the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

At the time, First Selectman Bill Davidson said the change in responsibility was a move to save the property from further deterioration before it was too late.