Gulf Coast Works weblog

New team members

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

We have a big team – David K, David V, Dan W., Brittany, Tony R and Tony Senior , Jodi, Zara, Glen, Jan, Joannie and myself plus Luke and Suzanne and
Elaina (sp?) from CCHS – a long timer. We completed most of the insulation, about 20% of the sheetrock and the beginning of the exterior window trim work.
We are all tired and feeling good about our accomplishments. Cynthia’s excitement helps drive us on.

Two new team members just drove in from Wisconsin. The house is big enough and there are enough tasks to keep us and some Hands On guys busy without getting in each other’s hair.

I was too involved to step back and take pictures but others did and I hope we’ll be able to send you some this evening.

Wish you were all here.

Motley crew…

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

A short note for now. We are all tired after our first day of real work – sheetrocking and insulation. It feels great to be engaged in rebuilding Cynhia’s house and we could not have chosen a more appropriate and appreciative person. David came down about 1 PM and our confidence and pace picked up immediately.

Jane at Boys & Girls Club

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

We had a wonderful day off today. The weather was perfect. We went to a southern Baptist service this morning – mixed Black and White – great music and very moving. Then we went to Bay ST Louis – a beautiful coastal town that is being nicely rebuilt and then on to Passe Christian which needs lots of help Then we went on to Ocean Spring – a city that was much less impacted by Katrina – beautiful beach, nice harbor, art galleries and museum and a great catfish restaurant called Aunt Jeannie’s – we recommend it.

Yesterday, we refinished Cynthia’s upper kitchen cabinets – they are important to her as her father built them in the 40s and she was very pleased to see them refinished.

Tomorrow the real work begins – sheetrocking, siding etc. We have a big team and it should be exciting.

Bridge To Biloxi sign

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

Just a quick thanks to Dan Olsen and the guys at Olsen Images, a display and corporate graphics shop in Watertown, for donating the production of the sturdy and handsome signage for Bridge to Biloxi’s work site. I’ve known Dan and his brother Matt for over 20 years (yikes!) and they’re always willing to pitch in on the important things…

Jennifer, Meg, Martha and Beth arrived last night to join our team. We are about to go to introduce them to Cynthia and family, and to find out if we got inspected late yesterday afternoon. I certainly hope we passed so we can begin insulating and sheetrocking.

Glen and Janie Rifkin, Jodi and Zara, Joannie and I worked on the house yesterday. We helped put in windows and finished the wrapping of the exterior. We met Cynthia, Dan and their two younger children. What a great family!

Our new find is a Korean restaurant, where we celebrated Zara’s birthday on our first night at HOGC. Last night I went to the Shabbat service of Synagogue Beth Israel which is held at the same church that houses us as Beth Israel’s temple was destroyed in the storm. (They have plans to build a new at a safer location.). Later last night, the front portion of our tent blew down in the wind – we were in the back portion and were not impacted accept when we tried to find the exit. All is well now.

Framing 4 Amateurs

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

We had crews at the house for the last two days including appearances by Eddie, Jodie, Emily, Woody, Doug and Sean.  The rough electrical is done and Felix the local electrician has called for an inspection.  We finished tar papering the back of the house and it’s ready for siding.  The crew spent a lot of time taking apart the entrance porch and reframing it so the it will become a screen porch.  The door opening has been moved to the front of the house and the rest of the porch has been opened up so that screens can be put in.  The windows are being delivered tomorrow and should be completely installed by the end of the week.  After the windows are installed we will get the framing inspection.  At that point all hell will break loose and there will be plenty of work; insulation, wallboarding, siding, etc.

Cynthia, the homeowner, is as gracious and thankful as ever.  Good luck to the next crew coming down later this week.
 
John Solon

BlackoutOriginally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

We had a good sized crew at the house, Barry, Bob, John, Harley from Wisconsin, his son Sam (Americorp) and Sam’s girlfriend Marla. We finished wrapping the house in tar paper except for a small section in the back where our ladders would not reach. Once the windows and doors are in we can start on the siding. John finished up the rough electrical and we will hopefully get inspected on Monday. Barry and Bob finished up getting the inside framing as square and as level as possible given the state of the house. Again, once the windows are in the walls can be insulated and then closed up. Cynthia was as gracious as ever serving coffee in the morning and helping to clean up. David, you were missed!

John’s first day wiring

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

I’m sitting in the dining hall listening to the not so talented open mike. It is usually done outside but it is too muddy from all the rain, so this is a good time to get this out.

We had a quiet day at 334 Crawford. We had so many people show up we sent half of them away to make room for the electrician to work. He didn’t come till 1pm and saw all the work that our new arrival John did he left. Back tomorrow I hope.

When the house floated off the foundation the floors in the LR and Boy room buckled in the middle. We have been trying to figure out what to do all last week. Well Sam’s dad Harley attacked it with the help of David. Now the 6 inch hump is flat, Thanks Harley. Most of phase one is complete. We maybe ready for dry wall next week.

Bill holding back the tears

Originally uploaded by bridge to biloxi.

Bill had his last day on the job, a sad goodbye. Thanks, Maria, for letting him join us, now he has the skill to do your house.

Barry Copp writing here-I’ve been coerced into contributing to the blog!! I am sitting in the meeting/dining “auditorium” belonging to the Beauvoir Methodist church here in Biloxi, taken over by Hands On Gulf Coast after a delicious dinner or mixed veggies and chicken over rice and white noodles. It was really well prepared, as are the majority of meals here. One certainly doesn’t go hungry. The level of energy and enthusiasm of the age 20 something folks who mainly run the place is the same as I experienced last March. There are about a half dozen of the folks I remember from before-they are called “long timers”.

More building is starting to happen and gutting is much less a primary activity although at the usual evening meeting one group reported that they just helped a family move out who had been living all this time with no electricity and moldy walls. This particular house is one of the first of about 70 that HandsOn is planning to rehab/rebuild, not unlike our Bridge To Biloxi experience with Cynthia and Dan’s house in East Biloxi.

Bob Downing and I arrived late Monday evening and have now put in two full days working at the house along with several assorted others each day. There is a young man from HandsOn who has building credentials who has been out daily helping to coordinate plumbers and electricians and work with our fearless leader David Kramer to decide what’s next to do. David has all the skills and we have been blessed by some very skilled volunteers as Ralphy, Jim, Del, Bill, and various others for a day or so. Brittany has joined our long term crew and is a willing learner.

The house itself is one story, 75 feet long and I’d say about 25 feet wide and had floated off its foundation. It was built with rough cut lumber, some of it very warped already and in putting it back on piers some twisting had occurred. A lot of work has been put into shimming walls and installing hurricane ties that are now required as well as building new interior walls. It’s good problem solving work to do and bit by bit we are getting ready for the sheet rock which hopefully will go smoothly because of the patient work being done now.

Jim, were your ears burning about 4:00 today? David almost knocked out a big window frame in the front room that hadn’t been secured!! Oh well, we have all made our boo boos! Cynthia has been very gracious, greeting everyone with a hug in the morning and supplying us with coffee and cold drinks as well as snacks. It will be a real nice house when it’s finished and David says we are ahead of schedule. Sorry I can’t stay longer than a week but I know there are thousands(?) of volunteers lined up behind me that will take the project to the next plateau. It is a terrific experience to be here helping and locals here 14 months after Katrina are still thanking us for being here. A man overhearing us at lunch today at a newly opened Vietnamese restaurant engaged Bob in conversation as we were leaving and thanked him/us. There is so much to be done but it is looking better and you would all be proud of the amazing people who are here giving of their time and labor.

Before we know it, Bridge to Biloxi (B2B) will be completing our most ambitious project to date…rebuilding the East Biloxi home of Cynthia and Dan…which was only a dream four months ago. We have developed a loyal and dedicated following and we have learned a lot along the way…now we’re asking for input from those who have helped us get to this point.

How can we best channel our energy going forward? We are beginning to think about this, considering two time frames – winter/spring 2007 and long term. Can we find the strength to rebuild another home this spring? Are there improvements to our model and how we partner with Hands On Gulf Coast that will ease the task and improve the result? Longer term, do we move to “rebuilding homes in Biloxi, one at a time” or some other goals? Should we consider other types of help we might give to our friends in East Biloxi?

Among other possibilities is to move toward a role of helping give the children of East Biloxi a better chance, overcoming the cycle of poverty.

What are your thoughts? Please add comments to this Blog, and thanks for your continued interest in helping restore the community of Biloxi.

- Peter Hilton for B2B