Mountain Partners in Community
Development, Inc.
Final
Report – December 2008
Implementation:
In mid-July a time test was conducted on
the warehouse site of the Youth Technological Preservation Trades Development
Initiative. It was determined that three days would be appropriate to identify,
educate and implement the project. Phase Two began with an orientation meeting
educating participants in the phases of preparation, stabilization and
ventilation of mothballing (drying out) of an old building. This was
facilitated by our three preservation experts, which also gave a safety class,
pointing out the locations of the first aid kits, extinguishers and safety
helmets. Next, began our documentation process of identifying structural
problems such as rot and deterioration of main supports, floor joists, second
floor beams, location of old windows and old bay doors. This process offered
technical solutions to the many problems we were facing.
After the group identified the trouble
spots, and a course of action, materials where purchased and we broke into 3
separate groups. Our first job as teams was to clear away the rubbish from
around the building, under the main floor and remove 500 pallets from the
second floor.
Team
one built an on-site wood shop from an old
cabinet brought down from the second floor. This was
to create a bench to implement the repairs to the trouble spots on the site.
Once that was in place, they began to build a scaffold and built a frame that
would support the second floor beam so repairs could be made. When that was
completed they proceeded to cut out the rot and replace with new wood, hoisting
a new beam to replace the rotted one. A decision was made to keep the framework
on that area for future use. *Borating all areas as they went.
Team
two began digging two shallow trenches under
the back of the building in order to place a temporary foundation to put the
jacks were they would be needed to repair the back main beam (which was rotted).
Once that was completed they placed 3 large 18’ long, 2” thick boards on each
side of the rotted main and hoisted them into position and tied them into place
under the structure. With that done, they placed 10 2,000 Lb. jacks under the
areas they were going to jack up and placed 4x4 blocks on top of the jacks. At
that point, they jacked the building up 4”, and replaced the main sill. Team
two also removed the rotted main sill in back of building and built a masonry
support. The team treated entire area.
Team
three took off the front bay garage door and
rebuilt the door frame, creating wire mesh doors that swing inside. They pulled
out all nails that held the back bay (original) door
in place, located all original windows on the first and second floor and began
to cut them open again. Once the windows were opened, team three began to
measure and build a total of 10 window frames and one front bay door frame.
Once the frames were built they took heavy duty wire mesh and doubled it over
each frame (this is to allow for airflow and discourage pests) and placed in to
the original window penetrations. The team treated all windows and doors.
The Mothball process took three days to
complete and was facilitated by Preservation Specialists Duffy Hoffman, David
Gibney and Michael Logan.
*
Borate is a non-lethal syrupy-type substance that is used to deter rot, mold
and pests.
Outcomes:
The initiation of the Mothball project was
well received by the participants. Teaching individuals how to identify and
develop a plan as a group, and develop phases necessary to rehabilitate and
revitalize a historic structure. One of the objectives was to establish a
desire with “At Risk Youth” to implement rehabilitation work on local historic
structures, and through doing so, obtain community pride and skilled knowledge
that can be replicated in the job market. The ultimate goal is to educate and
build preservation teams utilizing old and new technology, allocating
apprentice preservation teams under the expert direction of preservation
specialists to possibly work in other communities revitalizing landmarks for
adaptive reuse.
This project has been able to impact the
local youth involved in the mothball process and Riverside pediment project by
allowing a hands-on approach with problem solving components to saving our
history, with the participants becoming excited about learning techniques that
can be used for a career in the specialized preservation trades. Specialists
involved in the mothball project and artisans from around the country have also
become excited with the ideal of developing a preservation school with
workshops from The Preservation Trades Network, training young adults and
passing down the knowledge of their professions and carrying-on a generational
tradition.
Our specialists have committed to the
completion of this and future preservation projects here in Randolph County,
working with current AmeriCorps volunteers, Youth Empowered Solutions members,
Youth Build participants and local “at risk” young adults to initiate the next
phase of this project while developing a preservation trades program where
individuals will continue to learn and work through revitalization of local
landmarks.
The group was able to network with many
other organizations, community contractors, and building supply companies to
begin the mothball process of what we had identified and developed as problem
areas to the main structure. The participants were able to replicate the
knowledge that was obtained during this process, during “Make a Difference Day”
on the Riverside school pediment project, another historic local building on
the endangered list.
Coordinating with several local non-profits
that included Youth Build participants, Appalachian Forest Heritage Area,
AmeriCorps preservation workers, Mountain Partners in Community Development
Organization, Youth Empowered Solutions and the Riverside School Association to
develop a plan to repair and replace the pediment over the front door of the
Old Riverside Schoolhouse. The school was
the only African American four-year high school in the Allegheny region prior
to desegregation. We added this project in partnership with the training we
received from the grant that the Alliance of Champion Communities Youth
Technological Preservation Initiative funded. The participants worked for two
days achieving this project, during which arrived unforeseen problems that were
immediately addressed and modified to complete the goal.
Currently we are monitoring the warehouse
that was mothballed, for leakage and effectiveness of the dry out process
We were able to herald the Community
Connect Foundations participation through radio (WDNE “Talk of The Town”)
program, Channel 12 news, Channel 5 news, and the Inter- Mountain newspaper.
The Youth Technological Preservation Initiative
Funded
by:
The
Alliance of WV Champion Communities
The shortage
of Artisans is nationwide. In many rural communities not only is the job market
geared for low-paying service sector jobs such as; salespeople, restaurant
servers, retail and hotel clerks, but the infrastucture is crumbling. There is
a shortage of skilled craftsmen with a lack of training. The American Institute
for Architecture estimates that restoration and renovation work will account
for 44% of construction work. The number of builders trained to handle the
unique challenges of preserving and restoring historic structures has fallen
drastically.
For WV there
is help with this national problem, a champion for the rural communities in the
form of a minigrant program sponsored by The Alliance of WV Champion
Communities. One such mini-grant was awaded to Mountain Partners in Community
Development to fund a unique Youth Technological Preservation Trades
Initiative, the goal being to empower under privileged individuals using
advanced technologies to re-establish trade knowledge with empasis on
preservation trades development, accentuating programs that teach: 1. Preserve,
2. Restore, 3. Conserve.
This project is focused on improving
community development by implementing this strategy using technology as a tool
for leadership and management techniques essential to supporting efforts for
the future of rural communities.
The Youth Technological Preservation
Initiative began in phases, with this year’s minigrant program sponsoring a
phase for a preservation mothball project to dry-out a dilapidated historic
warehouse that Randolph County youth envision as a new youth resource center.
Preservation Specialists Duffy Hoffman,
David Gibney, and Michael Logan members of the Preservation Trades Network
taught area youth and AmeriCorps volunteers the process of mothballing (drying
out).
This entailed historic documentation,
safety issues, identification of problem areas, team responsibilities, framing
and chicken wiring windows and doors (to allow for air flow), re-building back
foundation with masonry block, rebuilt main supports on ground floor and crawl
space, placed a temporary weight baring beam while the main rotted sill was
being replaced, shoring and jacking up first and second floors. These are some
of the essentials that were learned during the process of how to begin
restoration of an historic structure.
The participants enjoyed the hands–on
training and decided to offer assistance to the Riverside School Association on
restoring the pediment on the old school house, during MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY.
Youth Build
enrollees along with Mountain Partners in Community Development, Youth
Empowered Solutions members, Appalachian Forest Heritage Area and AmeriCorps volunteers
came together to rebuild the front door pediment and the brick supports that
held the front steps of the old African American school that closed in 1954.
Josh Storey, an 18 year old Y.E.S member
exclaimed, “This is so cool, to learn how to save these old buildings. I want
to thank the Alliance for giving us a chance.”
Financial report
Project
Budget
10/8/08 Honorarium $ 980.00
10/8/08 Building materials 960.56
10/8/08 Food 48.39
10/9/08 Honorarium 980.00
10/9/08 Building materials 308.46
10/9/08 Food and ice 37.08
10/10/08 Honorarium 980.00
10/10/08 Building materials 62.89
10/10/08 Food 31.01
Gas 218.39
Office support 393.66
Honorarium $
2940.00 $ 3000.00
Building materials $
1331.91 $ 1300.00
Food and ice $ 116.48 $ .00
Gas and travel $ 218.39 $ 200.00
Office support $ 393.66 $ 300.00