Rebuilding Together renovates house for Shelters of Saratoga

Published: Friday, April 27, 2012

By PAUL POST
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SARATOGA SPRINGS — As former school administrators, Jeff and Jean McLellan have all kinds of organizational and management skills.

Today they’re leading by example, too, with the manual labor and sweat equity they’re investing under the Rebuilding Together program’s national work day effort.

The Shelters of Saratoga project began Friday and is one of the biggest ones on the list. Work involves tearing out walls, reframing, replacing stairs, putting up sheetrock and painting. The facility provides temporary housing for area homeless residents. The project is being funded by a community development block fund grant. “It’s a cool thing, it’s a big deal,” said Michelle Larkin, the executive director of Rebuilding Together Saratoga County.

Throughout the U.S. hundreds of Rebuilding Together agencies doing projects as part of today’s nationwide workday. Most projects are much smaller, such as installing a ramp for a resident who relies on a wheelchair for mobility. “We have two blitzes — one in the spring and one in the fall,” Larkin said.

Last weekend, Saratoga Springs Rotary Club renovated a resident’s bathroom, repaired doors and did yard work. This weekend, different teams are also busy in Malta, Ballston Spa, Mechanicville, Clifton Park and Moreau. For example, in Malta volunteers are doing a Heroes at Home project, sponsored by Sears, to help a U.S. military veteran. The work crew is from Gilbane Building Co. and Brookside Nursery is donating plants and laborers for landscaping.

In Mechanicville, the Malta Sunrise Rotary Club is doing a project with grant money obtained from GlobalFoundries. Also in Mechanicville, more than 40 volunteers are doing a “community build” at Paul Luther Memorial Park, which needs a variety of upgrades from bathroom repairs to painting picnic tables.

People interested in volunteering must register first. To volunteer for next weekend’s work or future projects, go to www.RTSaratoga.org or call 587-3315.