Saturday, June 6, 2009

The Saga Continues

Work continues to progress on the front part of the Laura Hawkins house, and we will let these photos speak for themselves…


As we continue from our last episode...


Remnants of an old planter are getting ready for a haul.


The front door, especially, gets the treatment.



Well Hello Laura. It's so good to see that turret back
where to it was - after being covered for over 70 years.

In the middle of our job, community service calls. Hannibal was fortunate and smart enough to create a new position of "Executive Director of Downtown Hannibal Development". Our new director Wesley Knapp hails from Galveston where he was immensely involved in that town's restoration efforts. Wesley made a call for volunteers to help on a nearby house being rehabbed.

This particular project is part of the HeRo program, a "Dream Initiative project in Hannibal. Backing up here, the "Dream Initiative" is a statewide program that provides selected communities technical & finanancial assistance needed to revitalize their downtowns.

The HeRo program (funded by the Missouri Housing Development Commission) provides funds for an assortment of renovation work for qualified homeowners. For 2008, $119,000 in state dollars were received locally through the HeRo program and allowed work to be undertaken at five homes within Hannibal’s DREAM area. This is one of the houses, which is located a block east of the Laura Hawkins house, on 4th Street.


The crew. That's Wesley in the light green shirt.

The house had already gone through nearly $20K of lead abatement and now volunteers were needed to remove the very dilapidated porch. The porch would be stored as reclaimed wood.


Ron, our guy, examines the porch
for the best way to bring it down.


We'll do this one board at a time.


And thar she goes.

There's no shortage of projects like this needed throughout Hannibal. The town needs so much of this and volunteers who can help make it happen. Back at the ranch...


The priming of the old girl commences.
Remember that burned out part of the turret?
This will receive the board and shingle treatment.


The primer job goes very quickly.


The finishing crew.


It's looking more and more like the original Laura all the time.


Before the shingle restoration & priming,
Laura's home looked like a haunted house.

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