Agenda Packets - 2012/03/05 - Laserfiche WebLink

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There wi ll be a mid-construction open house S unday, March 25 with post-constructi on open houses starti ng i n early May when the house is put up for sale following completion of the remodeling project. Olson responded to the HRA ’s RFP for the remodeli ng project because he grew up i n Coon Rapi ds – he attended Morris B ye Elementary School and C oon Rapids Mi ddle School as well as graduating from C oon Rapi ds Hi gh School – and has a personal i nterest i n the ci ty mai ntai ning and revitalizing its housi ng stock, he said. “I wanted to work with the ci ty on i ts Home for Generations program,” Olson sai d. In the case of the Xavis Street home, he sai d the remodeling project’s goals are to create more curb appeal with a more open floor plan, i ncrease the amount of storage space, make the main floor more open and multi -functional, update the kitchen and add a walk-in pantry, move the laundry room to the mai n floor and i ncrease the si ze of the master bedroom, create a proper bedroom downstairs and make both bathrooms more functi onal. The budget for the project agreed to by Olson and HRA in the contract is $40,000. But in contrast to the remodeli ng of the four other Home for Generati ons houses, rather than one big project, Olson has broken down hi s remodeling into smaller segments “to make them as affordable as possi ble” to people interested i n remodeli ng thei r own homes, according to Kri stin D eGrande, city nei ghborhood reinvestment coordi nator. And to make the remodeli ng plans more clear to open house attendees, the floors, wi ndows, walls and doors were clearly marked with specifi c details on what was planned. For example, the front door wi ll be moved from one si de of the front wi ndows to the other and the windows themselves will be more centered. Laverne Gartner, who li ves in a 1960 rambler on the other si de of Northdale Boulevard from the Xavis property, was at the open house S unday and describes her home as “fi ve times worse.” She wants to remodel her home and wanted to see the plans for the X avi s Street house, Gartner said. One of the problems for Gartner at her home is that all the fi xtures are the ori gi nal and when she needs to replace them, she fi nds they are not in stock because they are not made anymore, she said. For example, she wants to replace her counter top, but can’t because the counter tops that are in stock at stores now won’t fi t in the space she has, Gartner sai d. Debra Hansen, lives wi th her husband i n a 1950s rambler on Kumquat Street on the east side of Coon Rapids, was looking for remodeli ng i deas, she said. “We have lived in our home for 11 years, and that’s long enough to thi nk about updati ng i t,” Hansen said. Another couple who stopped by the open house were D an and Olivia Louden, who li ve i n a split entry home i n the area of the Bunker Hills Golf C ourse. While looking to update their own house, they are also consideri ng moving into a rambler, according to Oli via Louden. “We are looki ng for ideas of what we could do i n a rambler,” she sai d. Besides the remodeli ng, Legacy Homes will also be testing for lead based pai nt.