|  Day
One – Monday, June 5, 2006
We drag ourselves
out of bed at 4:00 a.m., bodies craving
a little more shut eye. Mounting anticipation
and excitement motivates us to keep moving!
Today is our b-day!
Not our birthday…our building day.
Today Habitat for Humanity’s 2006
Builders’ Blitz begins! After nearly
ten months of attending meetings, hammering
out issues, painstakingly working out schedules
and soliciting lots of help, Carmel Builders,
along with eight other Metropolitan Builder’s
Association members, is ready to commence
the actual building of ten homes in 5 days
in Milwaukee’s Metcalfe Park neighborhood!
By 5:30 a.m. we are
on the road, grateful the sun is shining
and no rain is in the forecast. Our goal
for day one of the blitz; frame, side and
roof the Maplewood home we are building;
safely protecting it from the elements.
No rain gives us confidence we can accomplish
our goal.
The Metcalfe Park
Neighborhood is uncharacteristically buzzing
with activity at 6a.m. Already, huge trucks
and cranes clog the narrow streets; maneuvering
around other trucks and cranes. I attend
an uplifting, though lightly attended opening
ceremony hosted by Rob Edwards a popular
and well known Milwaukeean. Also attending
the ceremony are dignitaries, Scott Walker,
County Executive, and David Clarke, Milwaukee
Sherriff. The builders are pre-occupied
with the business of getting started so
most do not attend. However, many of the
new habitat homeowners are there, obviously
“pumped” by the energy around
them. It’s a beautiful morning!
After the ceremony
and a cup of coffee I head to our site at
2555 N. 33rd Street. Like well-oiled machines
our crews are already hard at it. Within
a couple of hours, walls and stairs are
up and the 2nd floor is started. Amazing!
Carmel was fortunate to enlist the help
of two other experienced framing companies,
Ollman Construction and Westwood Company,
to help with the critical first step of
framing the home. At the same time, we have
Milt Charno and Associates building the
front and rear porch. Truly, the place looks
like an ant colony…only the ants are
big! Every movement seems to have a purpose.
I feel a little like I’m getting underfoot
as I look for photo opportunities, so after
a few hours I decide to (reluctantly) head
back to the office.
Later today, I’ll
return to 2555 N. 33rd Street expecting
to see a very nearly fully framed, roofed
and sided house!
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