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Invitation to Bid - J.L. Miner House

Invitation to Bid

General Contractor for Porch Restoration
J.L. Miner House | 241 North Seward St.
Red Cloud, Nebraska 68970

Introduction
The National Willa Cather Center is requesting bids from general contractors for a restoration project at the J.L. Miner House, located at 241 N. Seward, Red Cloud, Nebraska. This historic house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was built in 1878 in the Italianate style. The Miner House serves as a setting for Willa Cather’s novel My Ántonia and as a result is visited by more than 8,000 tourists annually. Restoration of the ornate front porch will be funded in part by a Rural Nebraska Historic Preservation (RNHP) grant to owners of historic properties in rural Nebraska communities. The program is funded through a competitive sub-grant program from the National Park Service. As such:

  • All work shall be in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. A copy of the Standard is available from the State Historic Preservation Office or online at https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm.
  • The project must also meet all applicable state and local codes and regulations. All funded grants are subject to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended.

Project Description
This project is a restoration of the 2-story front porch of the J.L. Miner House at 241 N. Seward St., Red Cloud, Nebraska. The ornate wooden structure is to be deconstructed and rebuilt with historically appropriate materials, replacing like with like as dictated by the scope of work approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. Work to be completed includes:
● Remove all railings and balusters on the front porch (1st and 2nd floor)
● Fabricate new railings and balusters from rot-resistant historic materials
● Fabricate new replacement pieces for front porch columns from rot-resistant historic materials
● Remove front porch decking (1st floor)
● Rebuild porch supports as needed, ensuring proper slope of wooden gutters
● Rebuild base of porch columns using alum/fiberglass flashing to improve life expectancy
● Replace front porch decking (1st floor)
● Replace all 2nd floor rotted porch rails and trim
● Repair all remaining 2nd floor posts, rails, trim
● Reinstall all railings and balusters on 1st floor
● Prime and paint all replacement items
● Repaint all repaired porch structure

Project is scheduled to be complete by June 30, 2024, with intermediate benchmarks for demo/fabrication and framing phases for the work noted above according to detailed scope of work and plans approved by the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office.


Bids will be received by November 18, 2023, addressed to:
National Willa Cather Center
Attn: Alek Sauceda
413 N. Webster St.
Red Cloud, NE 68970


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 3:30 p.m. on November 18, 2023 at the National Willa Cather Center, 413 N. Webster St., Red Cloud, Nebraska. All inquiries about this Invitation to Bid and requests for copies of the full scope of work/plans may be directed to Alek Sauceda, asauceda@willacather.org or (402) 746-2653.
Bids will be received on a total bid price basis and will include a sum to cover the costs of all items of the contract, including insurance, materials, labor, and performance bonds.


A pre-bid meeting will be held at the J.L. Miner House, 241 N. Seward St., Red Cloud, Nebraska, on Friday, November 3, 2023. Attendance is encouraged for acceptance of bids. 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 the 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 has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, a division of the United States Department of the Interior and administered by History Nebraska (P22AP01544). The contents and opinions, however, do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the United States Department of the Interior or History Nebraska. Regulations of the U. S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental Federally Assisted Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or a facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20240.