Habitat house work at its 'most fun part'

CANTON — A house began to take shape Saturday on Calnon Road, as 20 volunteers took advantage of clear weather to erect walls for the county's newest Habitat for Humanity home.

Students from St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton cut studs, nailed together frames and erected walls with the help of Raquette Valley Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

"It's the framing day. That's the most fun part because that's when you get to swing the hammers the most," said Lindsey M. Oakes, president of the SUNY Canton Habitat for Humanity club. "I just like the physical labor. It gets the frustration out. I've always liked construction since I was 3 years old."

Cindy Y. Atkins, president of the Raquette Valley chapter, watched as seven students in concert lifted one of the walls. One girl gave a thumbs-up and everyone high-fived as it was nailed into place.

"People like framing because you get to see the house go up. It's like you step back and say, 'Oh, this is what I did today,'" she said.

Stacey N. Sommerfield, director of St. Lawrence University's Center for Volunteerism, said that she likes to watch as the outline of a house rises from a slab, but it was especially important for this project because volunteers want to get the building enclosed in time for winter.

"The goal is to get the roof on before the snow flies so everybody can keep working during the winter," Ms. Sommerfield said.

There's a lot of hard work to be done before crews reach that goal, according to Joseph F. Reilly, who was leading work on the site Saturday.

An instructor of civil engineering technology and construction management at SUNY Canton, Mr. Reilly was part of a group of professors from the college who designed the plans for the house, as well as its plumbing and radiant heating systems.

SLU students raised $20,000 to build the Canton house, and the rest will be financed through the university, Ms. Sommerfield said. The house will go to Arlene H. Tyler, who works for Coakley Ace Hardware. Her son, Callahan N., a senior at Canton High School, was on hand to help with construction at the site Saturday.

"I'm excited because I know my mom will have somewhere nice to be," he said. "I probably should note that the team (of volunteers) is awesome. We have the most enthusiastic team out there."

Habitat builds homes for needy families, who pay the nonprofit group back with no-interest mortgages. Under the principle of "sweat equity," each partner family is required to assist in the construction of their own home and other Habitat houses.

Neal S. Burdick, publications editor at St. Lawrence University and a longtime Habitat volunteer, said he was competing with other team members to see who could hammer their nails in with the fewest strokes Saturday.

"So far, the record is six," he said. "This is a great community service opportunity. It gives me a little more incentive that I know the person the house is for — it's a good thing."

Anyone interesting in volunteering at the Canton site can

e-mail Ms. Sommerfield at ssommerfield@stlawu.edu.