Newsletter - Fall 1999
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Home Going Up Quickly in Falls Village

When we chose the Bartomiolis as our partner family for the Sand Road, Falls Village site, we made a commitment that they and their six children could move into a finished house as quickly as possible. Our other objective was to make sure we could provide a good experience for our volunteers working on the new house.

Luck was with us in May, when we were offered a partially-built modular home for a very attractive price. Using a modular speeded our construction.

In August, we poured the foundation and in September we lifted the two modular units onto that foundation. We built an addition, primarily for use as a dining/family room, so that we could fit in enough bedrooms elsewhere in the house to accommodate this large family.  Modular houses are, in effect, built from the inside out, that is, they come with walls sheet-rocked inside. But the insulation needs to be added and after that, the sheathing. We completed this work in October and also roofed the house.

The work so far has been accomplished with the help of many individuals, and of groups from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Marvelwood, and Hotchkiss. We thank all who helped, but particularly want to express our appreciation to Waiter "Happy" Hapanowich, the stepfather of Claudia Doodick for whom we built the Salisbury house. A hard-driving and skilled worker, Happy freely donated his time. But he contributed more than that, because when Happy is at the site, the feeling in the air lives up to his nickname!

If you drive by Sand Road, you can get a good idea of how nicely the house will fit into the neighborhood. We also invite you to visit our web site, with its pictures of the construction's progress, including the lifting of the modular units onto the foundation. Our site is: www.habitatnwct.org. When winter sets in, volunteer work will move inside, where it will be protected from the elements (although there may not be heat at first). We will soon be sheet rocking, insulating and painting, and we are looking for volunteers to help. If you are interesting in helping in any of these areas, please contact our Scheduler of Volunteers, Kathy Mera at kmera@snet.net or at 435-0389.

We look forward to a good winter of work so that the Bartomiolis can move into their new house as soon as possible.

-- Liz Gall 

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Letter From a Partner Family

It has become a paradox. While working on our Habitat home, we are constantly envisioning how it will look once our family is moved in; where each piece of furniture will go, what colors we should paint the walls and the best spot in the yard for a swing set.  As I helped install a window recently, I imagined the house was finished and I was enjoying the view through the window of our newly planted garden.

At the same time, because the construction project has become such an integral part of our lives, it is sad to think of it ending. Enjoying the work is only part of it. Much like attending church on Sundays, a weekly source of spiritual renewal, we now anticipate Saturdays for the visit of the dedicated volunteers. The camaraderie is uplifting, and I am always impressed by how well even those who have just met manage to work together. Then I remind myself that we have become part of an effort aimed at ensuring that this kind of humanitarian sharing will never end.

Hopefully, before our family is done unpacking, we will be helping to build the next home and to select the family to live in it. We will be meeting these same wonderful folks again on Saturdays, and working just as hard as we did on our own home.  The project can at times be as frustrating as it is joyous, and I often struggle with the emotion of knowing that we will never be able to show our helpers just how grateful we are. I want to tell them to stop, it is just too much. What helps me is knowing we will have opportunities to pass along to others the tremendous generosity and humanity that has been extended to us.

I am reminded of the contemporary hymn, "Pass It On" which begins with the line, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going...."

-- Karen Bartomioli

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Letter from the President

These last few months have been a time of change for our Habitat affiliate, change exemplified by my being the third person to serve as president within a short period of time. Last year's president Rev. Dale H. Azevedo resigned when he left the local community to serve a new church in Middlefield; the entire affiliate regrets losing his strong support. Vice-President Patrick Mulberry served briefly as president until the pressure of his architectural business made it necessary for him to resign; and then I moved into the position of president.  

Despite the changes in administration, our affiliate has been steadily moving forward with its work. The house on Sand Road in Falls Village is now under construction by many volunteers as well as by the partnership family, the Bartomiolis, who are contributing their "sweat equity."

We are always looking for new volunteers. A Habitat for Humanity volunteer is not limited to helping to build houses. We need volunteers to help with clerical work and other administrative duties. All are welcome, and are greatly appreciated.

Please remember to look at our web site, where current pictures of the Sand Road building site are posted.

-- Rosemary H Farnsworth,
President, Habitat for Humanity
of Northwest Connecticut

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Kitty Benedict Reports:

It's a go! The beautiful two-plus acre lot on the lower slope of Selleck Hill -- the gift of Sally Ellsworth -- has been determined to be a "buildable site" for a single-family Habitat home. It will be the second one built in Salisbury, and the fourth in the six-town area served by Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut, Inc.

About a year ago, Sally approached Habitat with a proposal: the donation of prime land cut from her property on Selleck Hill Road. Prime land in a prime neighborhood, a lovely open meadow on slightly sloping ground, surrounded by pines, white birch, poplar, hemlock, maple and butternut. Although precise siting of the house is still to be decided, it will be shielded from the road by a stand of trees, ensuring privacy for the house as well as preserving the rural character of the hillside road.

"What's really helpful to Habitat about this gift" says George Massey, "is that it comes with the sole intention of doing something generous and good." Any land acquired is valuable to Habitat, but this particular piece is in an excellent location, unencumbered by existing buildings, which often must be removed before a site can be used.

"It's typical of Sally to be giving this land to Habitat for Humanity; she possesses a real sense of responsibility to the community," friend Charlotte Reid commented. In the more than forty years that Sally Ellsworth has lived in Salisbury, she has contributed greatly to the town. Particularly concerned with mental health services, she has been on the board of the Northwest Center for Family Service and Mental Health for many years, part of the time as president. She has been a supporter of many good causes in Salisbury," and she has a longstanding interest in the problem of affordable housing, having been an early backer of Village Housing. The preservation of Stiles Meadow, an open meadow in the center of town, is another visible example of her generosity to Salisbury.

"It's so important to find good, affordable housing for people up here. I feel strongly about that. I have a lot of land; I don't need it all" Sally says in a tone that assumes agreement. Typical, too, is that Sally undertook to contact all her neighbors on Selleck Hill in advance regarding her proposed donation of land. There were no negative responses, she reports, encouraging her to hope that her action may spur other owners of large tracts to similarly address the need for decent, affordable housing in the Northwest Corner. "Do you know," she asks, eyebrows raised, a note of exasperation in her voice, "There is one major Northwest Corner town that has no affordable housing at all? Can you believe that?"

After Habitat presented the proposed donation to the Salisbury Zoning Board in late October, percolation tests of the land were run by Engineer Ralph H. Stanton, Jr. and Town Sanitarian Tom Stansfield. Six-feet-deep trenches were dug on the site; the various layers of soil were assessed (Salisbury schist, Stockbridge dolomite, Aeolian loam, etc.); the "perc" rate was measured; on the basis of these measurements, recommendations for placement of a well and septic tank will be set forth. The Habitat planning committees must still determine the exact position and size of the house. But as George Massey contends, the donation presents a grand opportunity to build a model of affordable housing for the future: "If we can do something here to show how well it can work, that will be great. We want to demonstrate that this kind of housing can fit well into the neighborhood and the landscape." A design committee headed by architect and board member Patrick Mulberry of Cornwall Bridge will begin work shortly.

Habitat's collective energies in the year 2000 will be devoted to the realization of Sally's intentions -- a fitting beginning for the new millennium in Salisbury.

-- Kitty Benedict was coordinating editor of the book Homework: The Quiet Success Story of Affordable Housing in Connecticut.

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Fundraising '99

Our affiliate is certainly fortunate to be based in an area containing such a large cadre of concerned and generous supporters, both individual and corporate. This support has enabled us to secure the funds to complete our homes in a timely fashion.

This past year has been a very productive and pleasing one in terms of fundraising, with many new volunteers and new ideas coming to the forefront.

Every two or three years, we join ranks with our sister affiliate, Litchfield Hills Habitat, to produce our Artists Known and New show at the Paris-New York-Kent Gallery in Kent. This year's show brought together over one hundred artists, designers, photographers, sculptors, and entertainers to embellish small wooden frames that were auctioned at the show. This highly visible event raised over $20,000 for the two Habitat affiliates.

In July, we tried something new, a wine and food tasting at the Lakeville home of Mrs. Frederick Gevalt, with the technical help and inspiration of Fred Tregaskis of New England Wine Cellars, food from Sue Millers' West Main Cafe, and wine from the Salisbury Package Store. More than one hundred guests enjoyed a memorable evening.

Our Annual Tag Sale, held in August, proved to be our most successful one yet, raising more than $10,000 for our Falls Village home. The event was skillfully directed by Kathy Mera and Judi Moore.

We realize that our success as a Habitat for Humanity affiliate comes from the dedicated group of energetic volunteers who contribute in so many ways, and who deserve our utmost thanks.

-- John Pogue, Fundraising Chairman

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Interview With President Rosemary Farnsworth

Q: Tell us about your background.

A: I was born and brought up in Litchfield. 1 graduated from Bates College and then did my graduate work at Syracuse. I was in education for 33 years before retiring from Northwestern Connecticut Community College as Dean of Students. I'm still on the Regional Advisory Council for the college, and serve also on the steering committee of OWL of Lakeville, the Board of CVSBH (Connecticut Volunteer Services for the Blind), an organization that records books for the blind. I'm also the secretary of the Board of CRIS (Connecticut Radio Information System), a 24-hour broadcasting system for the blind, and Vice-President of the Greenwoods Scholarship Foundation of Winsted. My husband and I are currently teaching English to a Bosnian family for Literacy Volunteers of America, and my outside interests include hiking, biking, travel, reading, knitting and quilting.

Q: And now you're the president of our Habitat affiliate!

A: I find Habitat for Humanity very appealing because it is an opportunity to work on a tangible project in close contact with people in need. It gives one the chance to see immediate and very satisfying results, as opposed to simply sending a check to a rather anonymous organization.

Q: What are your future hopes for the affiliate?

A: It is my expectation that we will continue to prosper and perhaps become more efficient in finishing houses. Our small Habitat affiliate will never solve the housing problem in Northwest Connecticut, but I think we will be able to be of significant help.

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Lime Rock Station Design

Preliminary design studies have been started to help Habitat determine what direction it should pursue in its efforts to utilize the recently-donated 87-acre site. It borders the Housatonic River and lies on both sides of Lime Rock Station Road in Falls Village, and contains an abandoned gravel pit as well as adjacent acreage.

Preliminary studies examined zoning requirements, and included slope analysis, access to the site, and consideration of views and existing conditions. The results were documented and mapped.

The studies reveal that the most likely and straightforward portion of the site to develop is the eastern portion, which lies on the side of Lime Rock Station Road from the river, and contains approximately 76 acres. Studies indicate that the eastern par eels can support seven to eight residential sites on approximately 16 acres of level or nearly-level terrain. The remaining 60 acres on that side of the road contain slopes that are too steep to develop. Those acres can be left as possible open space, or could be sold or traded to State or Federal entities that hold adjoining land.

The western portion of the site, the approximately 11 acres along the river and west of Lime Rock Station Road, contain the former gravel pit. This parcel is more problematic because of the many unknown costs that would be associated with restoring the gravel pit. A more detailed engineering consultation will be required before the suitability of this parcel can be determined.

-- Patrick Mulberry, Vice-President

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LOCOS and Us

Our Habitat affiliate has just received word that we have been selected as beneficiary of the proceeds from the next production of the Light Opera Company of Salisbury (LOCOS). This organization specializes in the works of Gilbert & Sullivan.  It has recently produced H. M. S. Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville.

The company's next production, Iolanthe, is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, 2000. We will be working closely with the LOCOS artistic director Georgia McEver, and its administrative director. Sharon Keene, to assure the production's success.

We feel honored to have been chosen for this program as LOCOS enters the new millennium. The decision was based, in part, on our large and active volunteer base, as well as on our wide community reputation. We recognize that the LOCOS production represents a new and exciting challenge that will require considerable effort by Habitat to sell tickets, obtain advertisers, and do other tasks to support the event. We hope that some of our new volunteers will join us in this adventure. For more information, please call John Pogue at 435-9626, or e-mail at jpogue@snet.net .

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 Page last updated 10-26-2004