Friday, May 6, 2005

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Renovation project in high gear

Will kick off PTC’s Community Action Day

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Work is progressing on the massive house rehabilitation project that is the centerpiece of Peachtree City’s upcoming Community Action Day.

Thanks to John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, in conjunction with a host of other participants, the Garner family will basically end up with almost a totally new house on Williams Circle.

Crews are adding on a separate bedroom for the two girls, who joined their mom in moving in to take care of their mom’s three brothers: two of whom are legally blind and the other whom is a paraplegic. Faye Ellison and daughters Melissa, 13, and Rebecca, 5, previously shared a tiny 8-by-11-foot bedroom, and so a screened-in porch at the back of the home is being converted into a bedroom just for the girls, with a new bathroom of their own.

Some of the renovations are designed to give better access for the wheelchair, including the installation of a sliding pocket door to the bathroom, eliminating the encumbrance of a swinging door.

When all is said and done, the family will have new built-in shelves and bookcases, a slate of new appliances, a new heating and cooling system and brand-new electrical wiring.

Even the old rickety wheelchair ramp is being replaced with a new ramp that will be easier to use.

In recent days, crews have finished the landscaping with a new fence, installed new sheetrock, cabinets and appliances, with corian countertops, all interior painting except for touch-ups and the installation of new carpet and hardwood flooring.

The home’s septic tank is failing, so it will be connected to the city’s sewer system by the time all is said and done.

The project began when John Wieland Homes approached the city about devising a project it could undertake to help the community. A special ceremony is planned for Saturday, May 14, so the Garners can be presented their “new” home.

The day’s list of activities include the sprucing up of several cemeteries, working with landscaping at several schools and helping some seniors who cannot make necessary home repairs on their own.