Recommendation/Action Requested and Justification William A. Tinsley built the now known as Tinsley-Lyles House in the late 1800’s at Austin and First Street, the house was later purchased by R.H. Lyles in 1902. In the 1970’s, Jay Jones purchased the house from the Lyles Family and donated it to the City of Garland. In 1979, the house was relocated to Heritage Park to reside with the Santa Fe Depot and Pullman Coach Car 582 behind City Hall. In March of 2015, the Tinsley-Lyles House was moved to its current location next to Heritage Crossing. Due to issues with the Tinsley-Lyles House, staff is recommending the structure be demolished. City records show since 2016, the house has been breached five times requiring staff to secure the facility. This is a concern as the house has begun to show signs of safety concerns and the public is not able to enter the facility due to its condition. Staff seeks the City Council’s direction for the next steps regarding the Tinsley-Lyles House. Below is a City Staff report from a 2022 inspection: On-site inspection – 02/07/2022 Regarding the repair of the Lyles House, extensive wood rot and deterioration were noted on all property elevations. Doors appear to be secured but deteriorated, and windows are covered with plywood and painted to appear to be windows, original windows may be removed. It was noted that since originally inspected the cable tie that has been used to secure the front porch to the structure since it was moved to this site has been reinforced with straps, whether this is load bearing or not is unknown. All rim joists are completely rotted, some majority of the board and batten siding is deteriorated to a point that it would require replacement. The presence of lead-based paint is assumed given the structures build date of approximately 1890. The roof was intact however condition was observed from ground level and metal ridge detail appears to be loose and rusted. There appear to be numerous rodent holes through the exterior siding of the house, and it is unknown if the sub-structure is intact. Concrete beams used to relocate the property to its current location appear intact, but floor joists, rafters, studs and bracing are not visible, nor is it visible how the front and side porches are physically attached to the structure, although decking is visibly deteriorated and may be a hazard. Cost to repair this house would be entirely dependent on how extensive the repairs may be, for example, do windows need to be replaced, would administration find LP Smart-side acceptable for repair materials versus full length pine. Dimensions have been estimated using satellite imaging and approximations to establish cost estimating. City Staff in preparation for City Council’s discussion on the future of the structure, solicited a bid for demolition costs. If the Council chooses this option, the cost for demolition would be $14,553.32, staff recommends a 15% contingency bringing the total to $16,736.32. Funding for the demolition work would be recommended from one-time general fund money. Following the 2022 inspection, City staff also reviewed options for correcting issues within the house, improving mechanical systems and potentially rebuilding a new structure that matches the existing. The renovation and mechanical upgrades are estimated to cost over $108,000. The construction of a new facility is estimated at $265,100. Funding has not been identified for this work due to cost. |