Where We're At
We are still awaiting permits on our projects in Sumas, Custer, Bellingham and Everson. Nevertheless, we have been busy this past month with a bit of housekeeping and a number of projects thanks to a recently developed partnership. Read on for more.
Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative
Our partnership with Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group continues to keep us busy while we wait for permits to drop. This past month, we spent time finishing up our largest project yet, which required large sections of subfloor to be replaced, the removal of existing tile flooring and its replacement with vinyl plank, removal and reinstallation of two toilets to make room for new flooring, installation of new baseboards, the replacement of a rear exterior door, and the construction of a entry porch for said door which was previously unusable. After all this work the home practically looks a decade younger!
Since then, we’ve continued on to other projects in the neighborhood. We returned to a home where we previously replaced skirting to begin putting down new flooring. Fortunately, this home is mostly structurally sound which allows us to get into a good rhythm when laying the vinyl plank; we only need to replace a small portion of subflooring in the kitchen and dining room. Because of the location of this structural flaw, we had to tear out half of the kitchen cabinets. This means that the homeowners, advised by one of our project managers on what to buy, will get a new set of cabinets and a gorgeous countertop installed by our volunteers.
We are so proud of the work our volunteers have done throughout this partnership and so excited about the impact we’ve been able to have on the lives of these families. Only by coming together as a community and lending a hand to those of us in need can we hope to build a climate resilient Whatcom County. Stay tuned to hear about what projects we’ll be on next and help us build resilient and sustainable communities by lending a hand on site.
Lynden SERVE
We had the pleasure of hosting four groups of students earlier this month who were on a week-long mission trip through ThereforeGo Ministries. The students came from British Columbia, Illinois, and Oregon to stay in Lynden and work on various service projects throughout the county.
While working with us, they helped pull nails so we can reuse lumber that was salvaged from our Sumas project, build miniature planter boxes and cornhole boards to be sold at our store, do yard work at the Telegraph Townhomes, and continue our neighborhood revitalization work in Everson. There, they learned how to lay vinyl plank flooring, hang doors, install baseboard, and glue down vinyl sheet flooring.
Thank you SERVE for donating your time to us! Visit their Facebook to see the other projects they worked on throughout the week.
Senator Shewmake at Telegraph
Senator Sharon Shewmake paid our Telegraph Townhome community a visit earlier this month and worked with a few of our regular volunteers to construct a retaining wall around the water meters for 1B.
Senator Shewmake has been a vocal advocate for affordable homeownership in the county and our state and we love to see her words put into practice on the project site.
We hope to see her on site again in October to participate in our Build Community Day and Candidate Forum.
Where We're Headed
We are unsure which permit will drop first, but plan to continue our neighborhood revitalization projects until that time comes. Stay tuned to learn what project we will be starting on next, and visit our website to learn where you can volunteer with us each week.
