Ground Breaking at Habitat for Humanity House in New Glarus
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Sue Moen
Front row: Zachery Grunewald, Bentley Grunewald, Allison Grunewald - all from partner family. Back row: Representative Sondy Pope, Bryan Gadow (Village Administrator), Roger Truttmann (Village President), Greg Grunewald (partner family), Erika Grunewald (partner family), Melissa Leverington (Habitat President), Mike Doyle (Green County Clerk), Carol Holmes (Habitat Board member), Beth Luchsinger (New Glarus Team member), and Kristen Lueschow (Habitat board member).
On Sunday, August 27, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Habitat for Humanity House site on the corner of 2nd Street and 1st Avenue. Attendees heard from Village and County officials as well as representatives from Green County Habitat for Humanity. The family of Greg Grunewald was introduced and a brief schedule of anticipated progress was presented.
The house has been demolished and soon, volunteers will be called into action. Expected completion is early 2018. The project will take thousands of volunteer hours, including at least 250 hours by the family selected to receive the house. Civic, youth and faith groups, as well as corporate teams, are invited to participate by volunteering time and labor as well as donating construction materials and food for volunteers. Additional funding is always welcome. Individuals and families are invited to volunteer for the Saturday work. While construction and renovation know-how is valuable, no experience is necessary and everyone is welcome. Volunteers are taught what they need to know on the build site. A variety of skills and experience will be utilized as volunteers can work on construction, organizing supplies, cleanup, landscaping, serving food, and more.
This is the first time a Habitat build is happening in New Glarus, although Habitat for Humanity in Green County has constructed or renovated 22 houses in its 30-year history-nine in Monroe, four in Brodhead, three in Monticello, three in Browntown, and one each in Albany, Belleville, and Blanchardville.
There are many winners with a Habitat build. The partner family wins as they get a new home with an interest-free mortgage and hours of volunteer labor. Businesses are winners as Habitat pays for professional excavation, concrete work, electrical work, plumbing, and HVAC. Green County gains in this case as the back taxes were paid and a new house comes onto the tax rolls. The Village of New Glarus wins when a property-previously considered a public hazard-is demolished at no cost to the village. Volunteers win by building a sense of community as they come together to improve the lives of a family committed to bettering their own lives. Habitat's mission is to build safe, affordable housing in Green County.
Volunteering provides a way to have fun while strengthening our community and empowering partner homeowners to build a better future for themselves.
Anyone who would like to volunteer for this project can call (608) 329-4029 or email build@greencountyhabitat.org.
