Crook County Museum District To Go Ahead With Old Stoney Project Despite Funding Shortage

The Crook County Museum District has opted to move ahead with refurbishment plans for Old Stoney despite project bids coming in half a million dollars above the grant funding available.

That figure has since been lowered through the penny-pinching efforts of the architect and low bidder and, to bridge the gap, says Museum Director Rocky Courchaine, the district will be launching new fundraising efforts.

“We were so close – and we are, this will happen. We can’t turn back, we have to move forward and we have raised money before, we can do it again,” he says.

“It was a stumble, we’re up on our feet again and moving forward.”

When the museum district first applied for a State Loans and Investments Board grant, backed by the City of Sundance, the $500,000 that had been built in for contingencies was removed before the funding was approved.

“That’s exactly what we were short in our bids,” says Clerk Treasurer Kathy Lenz, who is managing the grant on behalf of the City of Sundance.

“When that happened, the architect went to all of the bidders and asked: if we were to re-bid this, would you come in lower? They said no.”

Lyle Murtha of Stateline No. 7 Architects contacted the apparent low bidder and, together, they went through the project, line item by line item, looking for possible savings. This was done by whittling down costs in every possible area, from the type of sinks in the bathroom to the finish on the elevator, replacing what had originally been suggested with cheaper, but still quality, products.

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