KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An antique Persian rug, custom walnut floors, and new furniture are among expected expenses totaling more than $70,000 in remodeling costs inside Mayor Mark Funkhouser’s office.
A May water leak destroyed portions of the Mayor’s office and damaged the floor and furniture.
The arrival, last week, of the Persian rug completed the remodeling job and allowed the Mayor to return full-time to his office on the 29th floor.
The Mayor’s office declined repeated requests from NBC Action News to provide details of the costs associated with the remodeling.
Preliminary data obtained under a Missouri Sunshine Law request estimates the cost at $70,177 which doesn’t include labor provided by city employees.
Costs included $40,000 in repairs to the physical structure of the damaged ceiling.
The remaining $30,177 in costs involved mostly furnishings.
The Mayor’s office had been covered in carpet, but Funkhouser replaced the damaged carpet with hard wood flooring topped by a 13 foot by 16 foot Kashan Persian rug.
The rug, purchased from an out-of-state vendor, cost $8,000 while the custom walnut flooring cost $9,750 according to estimates obtained under the Sunshine Request.
Mayor Funkhouser’s office issued a statement saying the mayor did his “best to look after both the historic integrity of the office and taxpayer money.”
“In replacing the worn and damaged furniture, we took pains to stay within the office budget,” the Mayor said in the statement.
The statement pointed out that part of the costs was incurred by repairing and refinishing several pieces of original furniture damaged by the leak.
Breakdown of Mayor’s Remodeling Costs
$8,000 Antique Kashan Persian Rug 13’ x 16’
$9,750.00 Custom stained walnut flooring
$1,287.99 Sofa 3 Seat
$3,082.59 7 Guest Chairs
$811.24 Lounge Chair
$498.68 Ottoman
$146.25 Yards Cappuccino Fabric
$60.00 Desk Lamp
$245.00 Floor Lamp
$648.00 2 French Gate Lamps
$652.08 2 End Tables
$40,000 Ceiling Repair
$2,495.00 Furniture Refinishing
$2,500 Removal of old carpet/clean up
$70,177 Estimated Costs Total
