The post-2020 Labor Day wildfire rebuilding, going on throughout the Santiam Canyon, is taking on many faces.
Starting with storage
The Santiam Rebuild Coalition began its work aimed at constructing 250 sheds in February 2021 and is well on its way to completing the goal. The coalition already has received more than 225 requests for the sheds.
Juli Foscoli, local vice-president of the National Association of Women in Construction, said “Feb. 6 (2021) was the first day we gathered to build sheds. White Oak Construction and South Town Glass donated the materials and we built two sheds.”
Since then, the group has built and set 51.
“Our progress was great last year, but we had to take a break to find funding, more volunteers, and to reassess the need.” Foscoli added that shed recipients run “from Detroit to Lyons and all the places in between.”
Most families use them to store tools, canned foods, and many times a full size refrigerator or freezer, she said, noting that for a family involved in a home rebuilding project “using an RV fridge is not ideal since the space is so tiny you have to make frequent trips to the grocery store which really adds up.”
A basic shed measures 8 feet by 10 feet and is all wood, with one locking door. Materials cost $1,495 and it takes to 15 to 20 volunteers a total of 80 to 200 hours to build one.
To date 231 volunteers have contributed more than 4,000 volunteer hours.
Key partners and contributors to the project include South Town Glass, Blazer Industries, White Oak Construction, Parker Smith & Feek, Associated General Contractors (AGC), Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 584, Chemeketa Community College, the Career Technical and Education Center (CTEC) and the National Association of Women in Construction.
Foscoli singled out the Mehama Community Church family “for all their hard work and for making this happen” as well as Blazer Industries owner Marv Shetler “for allowing the use of his warehouse to work in and for his tireless donation of time, labor, and his expertise to make the shed builds a streamlined process.”
Tiny houses in the offing
Then there is the 16-unit tiny home village set to become a reality later this spring in Gates.
The development involved the contributions of Marion County and Gates officials, the Santiam Service Integration Team at Santiam Memorial Hospital, a Salem manufacturer and the state of Oregon.
“It is super cool,” Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell said. “Government doesn’t always work this fast. I’m elated that we are getting people started down the road into permanent housing.”
Ron Evans, who owned the Oak Park Motel in Gates, also played a role, donating the temporary use of his heavily damaged property for the tiny homes, which are expected to be in operation for three to five years.
Bethell said that the community should start seeing activity at the site by mid-March, with residents occupying the new units by summer.
The project will cost approximately $2.5 million, Bethell said, with the state Legislature providing the funds. The Marion County Housing Authority will manage the facility and work with the SIT team on screening the applicants.
The tiny homes will be 380-square-foot structures built by International Housing Concepts of Salem. The units will have porches, a loft/storage area, electricity and heating.
Fire survivors who live in these units will have the ability to work with a variety of service organizations that will assist them in finding permanent housing in a rental or ownership capacity.
Bethell said the county and its partners also are working to put together a 16-home project at a North Santiam State Recreation site near Lyons. Organizers are hoping for a mid-winter opening.
Homes going up
Additionally, Christian Aid Ministries (CAM), the Santiam Canyon Long Term Recovery Group (SCLTRG), the Gates Community Church and the SIT workers have teamed up for construction of new homes for wildfire survivors.
The team effort has been in place since May of 2021, said Kevin Dial, recovery manager for the SCLTRG.
Dial reported that the ministry volunteers started packets for 10 homes last year and seven of those are currently past the permit and design phases and are moving into the build phase. The others are still in various stages of progress, but the next 10 will soon be started for 2022. Each house is on an expected two-year application to completion window, but projects can be completed before that timeline in many cases.
Christian Aid Ministries is 100% self-supporting and its volunteers are required to bring their support to this effort, including flights and driving to the project, food during the work time, housing and all other resources.
The volunteers are being hosted by the Gates Community Church, reports Mary Lou Hazelwood, an adviser to the SCLTRG board. There are 24 CAM volunteers serving month-long terms and 15 who participate for a week at a time. The volunteers were on hand from last August through October and returned in January for a stretch scheduled to run through May.
“The volunteers come from all over the United States and pay all of their own expenses,” Hazelwood said. “The resident volunteers live in trailers, and the group is self-sufficient. They provide their own food and serve breakfast and dinner at the Gates Church and provide box lunches for the crews,” she said.
The volunteers, Hazelwood said, do not need any assistance in food items or help with preparation or serving, but the group is seeking contributions of paper products, including toilet paper, paper plates, napkins, cups (hot and cold) and plastic spoons.
Those wishing to help, Hazelwood said, should call Joe Nichols (330-473-5808) or Marlene Miller (330-231-9892) of Christian Aid Ministries.
