GeoHistory - GeoExplorer Project update and upgrade search functionality

The West Virginia GeoExplorer is an innovative geographically-based web resource for exploring the history, culture, and architecture of West Virginia. Jefferson County serves as the starting point for project efforts, which will later be expanded to encompass the rest of the state. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, digital imaging, and the rich concentration of local primary historical materials, it is a freely-available resource for scholars, students, professionals, and laymen, with potential uses ranging from a digital archives of primary sources, to a research and educational tool, to an integral part of the community's planning and development process. The project currently uses Dot Net Nuke as a web CMS. We have been unable to update the CMS due to the search functionality breaking with more current versions and the loss of a second module that allowed database editing. The current search functionality was built by a programmer that was working for us. He has lost interest and will no longer do anything. It uses Apache SOLR and a custom module in DNN based on OWS. The search functionality accesses an MS-SQL database. With that in mind, We are looking for someone to recreate this functionality. Preferably not tied to the CMS but as a stand alone web application and also add further functionality to the search. The current search is very complex to a general user and a simplified search needs to be added. We do not want to limit the tools any potential programmers would use to accomplish this functionality. The server currently runs both Apache and IIS so pretty much anything is ok. However it must allow us to upgrade the CMS. Even if it runs in an Iframe or its own window outside of the CMS.