Women Build 2012 St. Paul home week 8

The Payne-Phalen neighborhood where 585 Cook Avenue is located is full of old, well-maintained homes-some with views of downtown St. Paul. It is very hilly, so hilly that the garage at 585 Cook Avenue is significantly uphill from the house. On the day that I visited that garage had a newly poured concrete floor. During the morning a truck full of insulation arrived and the volunteers quickly unloaded it and carried the insulation inside.

The site supervisor, Rhonda, explained that the task for the day was to take down the exterior scaffolding and finish calking outdoor windows and doors. The job of putting the insulation on interior walls was slated for Saturday when rain was expected. Rhonda began volunteering for Habitat for Humanity when she was a college student. Although she is not a St. Paul native she is very knowledgeable about the city.

Three of the volunteers for the day, Sarah, Amy, and Suzanne are friends who have been volunteering together for years. This day their job was to move insulation, caulk windows and remove scaffolding.

The Payne-Phalen neighborhood has been home to a series of immigrants including Irish, German, Swedish and Italians who worked in large industries that were headquartered here until the 1970s. Today it continues to be a diverse, vibrant neighborhood. It will be a great place for the new homeowners, Letebrhan and Kedane Gebrezgi, to raise their two daughters.

A big thank you to all of the volunteers and crew leaders! Women Build would not be possible without your dedication and enthusiasm.

Lenore Harmon
Women Build Committee Member