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October 12, 2008

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Sun Oct 12, 2008, 10:45 PM CDT

By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

QUAPAW, Okla. — What’s happening on a 180-acre tract of land south of Quapaw has probably not happened before anywhere else.

It’s a recycling project on a massive scale that — when completed early next year — should ease the shortage of affordable housing in Ottawa County.

About 150 houses of all types and sizes are being relocated from the Picher-Cardin area, where residents are being bought out because of mining dangers, to rural Quapaw to create a subdivision called Bluestem Park. So far, 27 houses have been moved.

“We were going to move 175 houses, but that was before the tornado hit Picher (on May 10),” said Johnny Seeling, president of Twin Bridges Co., based in Alexandria, La.

“We lost about 20 movable houses. And, it was one of the nicer areas of town the tornado went through. But the tornado did not adversely affect this project.”

Seeling said there is a possibility that properties will be added to the contract to keep the volume at the anticipated level, which should help keep the overall cost manageable.

Four of the nicest houses to be moved from Picher have been placed along South 620 Road. They have between 1,900 and 2,700 square feet of floor space. They are on one-acre lots. The other houses, which range in size from 900 to 1,600 square feet, are being placed on the east side of the subdivision. They sit on smaller lots.

The smaller houses will range in price from $60,000 to $85,000. The larger houses will cost more.

Seeling said all the houses have been inspected and cleared for asbestos and lead. The subdivision will not have rental properties unless someone buys a house and then decides to rent it.

Not only are whole houses being salvaged and relocated, but parts of houses, such as decks and porches, are being recycled from houses that will be demolished. Windows, doors and outbuildings are being recycled, too.

“We want to salvage as much as we can. It reduces costs, and it reduces the waste stream to the landfill,” said Michael Seeling, who is managing the project for his father.

The plan is for all the houses to have forced-air heating and cooling systems. All the houses will be constructed outside of the flood plain for a nearby creek. The project also will include undeveloped green space and alleys for placement of electrical service. The streets will be paved.

The first house should go on the market early next year. Financing has been arranged through a Kansas City bank. No appraisals will be required.

Michael Seeling said each house will be fixed if structural problems, such as a damaged sill, are found during the moving. About 30 people are working on the houses on any given day. Subcontractors have been hired to do the foundations and roofing. Structural repairs are being handled by workers for Twin Bridges.

OK House Movers, of Claremore, has the subcontract for the moving.

“The flood at Miami, which damaged hundreds of houses, and the relocation of the people from Picher-Cardin have created a need for affordable — and I stress affordable — housing in Ottawa County,” Johnny Seeling said. “This will help.”

The subdivision has 232 lots. Lots will be sold for new construction in the future. No trailers will be allowed.

Twin Bridges Co. has experience in creating new housing. The company helped create a 450-unit mobile-home park in Greensburg, Kan., in six weeks. That community was virtually wiped off the map by a tornado in May 2007. The company also has had experience with hurricane relief along the Gulf Coast.

Johnny Seeling said efforts are under way to secure permanent infrastructure for sewer, water, gas and electricity service.

“It takes a long time to get people on board with it who need to be on board,” he said. “Sewer will be the challenge, but we have backup plans for that. We don’t think we will have any trouble with the water, natural gas or electrical.”

Heritage

“We had some grandkids of a woman in Picher inquire about one of these houses,” said Johnny Seeling, president of Twin Bridges Co. “They were interested in buying and living in their grandmother’s house.”