Stories:

• Wrap up (8/27/2007)
• From the Heart (8/26/2007)
• 'Blitz' help is easy to find (8/22/2007)
• Student joins volunteer team (8/22/2007)
• Community effort (8/19/2007)

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Monday, August 27, 2007

In Alstead, Blitz Build wraps up with housewarming celebration

Sentinel Staff

ALSTEAD — After eight straight days of construction, Sunday’s celebration of the Monadnock Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build project went from a housewarming to heartwarming.

Approximately 500 volunteers, including representatives from more than 50 local and national businesses and contractors, had helped raise the 2,100-square-foot building, replacing the small, one-story manufactured home and dormitory addition that had housed the 10-member Oberst family since 1985.

More than 100 people attended Sunday to watch and cheer as the family received its keys, which were hanging from a plaque that read, “Home is where the heart is.”

“We knew we had a large family, we just had no idea how large until this past week,” said Caroline Oberst, the matriarch in a family that includes her husband, Rick, and their eight children, ages 5 to 21.

“Remember, everyone, our home is your home, literally,” she said. “So stop by anytime.”

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Sunday, August 26, 2007

From the Heart

'Blitz Build' a success; Oberst family of 10 getting keys to brand new home

David P. Greisman
Sentinel Staff

ALSTEAD — The house is newly built. Two levels. Five bedrooms and two bathrooms within the 2,100-square-foot building. A week ago, it was a foundation, quickly rising walls and floors, the skeleton of a finished product.

Today, the house becomes a home.

For eight days, approximately 500 volunteers, including representatives from more than 50 local and national businesses and contractors, descended upon Alstead for the Monadnock Habitat for Humanity “Blitz Build” project.

The work is over. The Oberst family will receive its keys.

“It’s beyond our wildest dreams,” said Rick Oberst, a contract administrator for the state transportation department and the patriarch of a family that includes his wife, Caroline, and their eight children, ages 5 to 21.

“I think it’s going to take a while to sink in,” he said. “It’s so warm inside there. I can just see the kids in there right now.”

The Obersts moved into what was once a small, one-story manufactured home with one bathroom in 1985. Behind it was a dormitory-style addition where the five youngest children slept. Rick and Caroline and their three older children slept in the main cabin.

This new house is different.

On the upper level are Rick and Caroline’s bedroom and bathroom, a kitchen, dining room and living room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and lamps on the walls.

Visible from the living room is a deck looking out at an ample backyard that includes a swing set, a slide and nearly one dozen bicycles.

“A deck overlooking the view is pretty nice, and it’s going to look beautiful in the fall,” said Clayton Oberst, 19, who is entering his sophomore year at the University of Vermont.

Downstairs is a laundry room and the children’s four bedrooms — plus their own bathroom. Each room has a closet and enough space for them to stretch out and relax.

“I’m excited about it, but I’m not going to be there much of the year,” Clayton Oberst said. “It’s going to be kind of surreal. Right now it seems like everyone’s house because everyone is giving all their efforts. It’s going to be weird coming in here when no one’s around.

“It’s pretty amazing seeing it go up so fast, especially seeing the coordination and communication between everyone,” he said.

Work on the Obersts’ home actually began seven weeks ago, with pre-building and site preparation. But once the “Blitz Build” began, so many volunteers showed up that some had to be turned away, organizers said.

A “blitz build,” unlike a traditional building schedule, increases the number of volunteers by limiting the extent of their involvement, organizers said.

Companies and individuals work together on given tasks, they said. If roofing responsibilities are divided up between four different companies, each would only need to dedicate a few hours, organizers said.

“Once the thing got going, it just got rolling quickly,” said Michael Haines, president of Monadnock Habitat for Humanity. “This was a well-oiled machine. People have just been fun: a lot of laughing, a lot of joking.

“It’s exciting for all of us. I think we’ve all become closer to the family. The kids are just a delight,” he said.

Much of the materials were donated, too, including what organizers estimate is $15,000 to $20,000 worth of siding and $30,000 to $45,000 worth of cabinetry.

“The generosity of the companies, big and small, has been beyond my comprehension,” said Eileen Swain of North Walpole, who helped bring in some of the material contributions. “It just speaks volumes. It’s a community effort.”

The Obersts, according to Habitat for Humanity regulations, will make mortgage payments on the house. That money, though, will go toward building more houses in the future, organizers said.

“What I see is potential: creativity, room to grow,” said Jodi E. Forcier of Keene, who helped coordinate the volunteers. “This family is very strong, and their strength will be sent out in many directions for years to come. It’s an investment.”

“I hope this is just the beginning for everyone, that it all perpetuates,” Rick Oberst said.

The process had been somewhat stressful for Rick and Caroline, said their son Clayton.

“They have to be here working all day, and then when they come home their job isn’t finished,” he said. “They still have to take on their parental role, make dinner, do laundry or spend time with the kids.

“For my whole family, it’s really exciting,” Clayton said. “It’s been a hectic week, but it’s well worth it.”

David P. Greisman can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or dgreisman@keenesentinel.com

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

'Blitz' help is easy to find

Volunteers are the driving force behind home-building event

Jake Berry
Sentinel Staff

ALSTEAD - Sandy Frades has never met Rick or Caroline Oberst or any of their eight children - and perhaps she never will.

But as one of the hundreds of volunteers helping to build the Obersts a new home in Alstead this week, Frades knows she'll be a part of their lives forever.

"Personally, I don't need to know them," said Frades, who traveled nearly 90 minutes from Milford to take part in the Monadnock Habitat for Humanity project.

"I just know they need this," she said as she dropped a load of debris into a storage box on the construction site. "That's good enough for me."

More than 500 volunteers - amateurs and professionals - have offered their time, services and supplies this week for the Monadnock Habitat's Blitz Build project, building the Obersts a new home in place of their old trailer home on Pratt Road.

Like Frades, many of the volunteers have never met the family, according to project leader Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Woodworking in Walpole.

But that doesn't stop them from finding a connection to the community, he said.

"Obviously, it's a wonderful thing to help the Obersts," said Benson, who developed the idea for the project with Caroline Oberst's sister. "But honestly, I think it's only partly about that.

"This is a Habitat for Humanity project," he said as he watched dozens of volunteers work around the construction site. "So of course it's for a person who needs it. But the other part is ... we're getting together for a common good."

Since Habitat officials began the project last Saturday, more than 100 volunteers have helped to erect the frame, install the internal walls and prepare the electrical and plumbing services, among other tasks, according to Cheryl M. Pickering, a member of the project volunteer committee.

About 450 volunteers are scheduled to take part by the time the house is completed this Sunday, as well as more than 50 area and national businesses and contractors, she said.

The volunteer corps has been so strong, in fact, that project organizers have had to turn people away, Pickering said.

"We've had to call people and tell them we don't need them," she said with a smile. "We'll try to get them to volunteer for another project."

On Tuesday, about 30 volunteers milled around the construction area, clearing the site and furthering the construction effort. The building's frame was set in place over the weekend, and the internal walls and stairwells were completed Monday.

Professional contractors spent Tuesday working side-by-side with individual volunteers to paint drywall along the house's interior and install vinyl siding along the top levels of the house.

"It's amazing how much energy there is here," said Chesterfield resident Connie Bissell, another member of the volunteer committee. "Everybody is just astounded that you can build a house in a week."

With so many elements to it, the Blitz Build project appeals to people on many levels, volunteers said Tuesday.

Swanzey resident David A. Page, who serves as a project leader for the volunteers doing sheet-rock work, came to support the 10-member Oberst family.

"I took special interest with (the Obersts) being such a large family," said Page, maintenance director at Pilgrim Pines Conference Center in Swanzey. "Eight kids. You don't see that much anymore."

Or it can serve to make a political statement, said Lloyd R. Danforth of Keene, a member of the Free State Project, which aims to bring 20,000 people to New Hampshire to limit the powers of government.

"Part of the Free State organization's philosophy is to replace a lot of what the government does with volunteer help," said Danforth, who works as a general contractor. "So this is what I chose to do."

For some, the Blitz Build project even provides a good business investment, according to several of the volunteer contractors.

The project is a good opportunity for businesses to inspire goodwill among their workers and patrons by showcasing a sense of community responsibility, said Rick J. Bushway, the Blitz Build's second-in-charge and a construction superintendent with MacMillin Co. Inc. in Keene.

"It lets the community see that the businesses in (this) area really care about our community," Bushway said.

With its rushed building schedule, the project can be especially appealing to business owners who may not have the time or the resources to take part in a longer build, Benson said.

"The way this works, nobody has to fall on the sword, so to speak," he said. "The whole idea is cutting the project down to size so that everybody can contribute."

And it works well, said Robert D. Baird, owner of Baird and Son Drywall of Keene, one of several drywall contractors contributing to the project.

"There are so many volunteers, you're able to learn a lot from them," said Baird, who is working throughout the week with one of his employees. "It's nice that we can devote the time that we have to it."

The amateur volunteers felt the same way.

"It's a great cause," said Erik D. Dellea, a Keene State College senior who spent 61/2 hours Tuesday hauling rocks and clearing ground. "It's such a great way to get the community involved."

Involved as far as they are willing to go, anyway.

Jake Berry can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1435, or jberry@keenesentinel.com.

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Sunday, August 19, 2007

Community effort

Dozens turn out on first day of Blitz Build

Anna Haigh
Sentinel Staff

ALSTEAD — The sounds of hammering and sawing drifted up through the woods of Alstead early Saturday morning.

In the place where Rick and Caroline Oberst’s old home once stood, a new house was taking shape — three newly-erected basement walls, the first floor, window frames and doorways.

And though the rest of the house will be put in place as the week-long Monadnock Habitat for Humanity “Blitz Build” continues, the couple was already feeling emotional as they looked up at the place their 10-member family will soon call home.

“It’s taking shape,” said Caroline, in a white hard-hat and paint-smudged work clothes. “When I came down to see this, there (were) tears welling in my eyes.”

She said volunteers had been expressing their own gratitude.

“They say they’re privileged to help, which is so moving, as if we’re doing them a favor ... and we’re so grateful to them,” Caroline said.

From the Obersts to the dozens of volunteers who gathered on Pratt Road in Alstead, the excitement was palpable Saturday, as the first day of the Blitz Build kicked off.

More than 500 volunteers have signed up to help with the build — which lasts 12 hours a day over eight days — and businesses and individuals have donated time, funds and materials for the project.

By next Sunday, Rick and Caroline, and their eight children from ages 5 to 21, will have a new, two-level ranch-style home, with five bedrooms and two bathrooms, spread over 2,100 square feet.

The family had lived on the property in a small, one-story manufactured home with an addition in the back since 1985.

The Habitat for Humanity project, part of the non-profit agency’s effort to build homes for families in Cheshire and Sullivan counties, is being led by Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Woodworking in Walpole.

The first breezy, sunny day was a flurry of activity — from the building site on Pratt Road to the Bensonwood facility just down the road, where non-professional volunteers were assigned.

All of the work at the building site for the first day needed to be done by professionals, but other volunteers will help out at the house in the coming days.

At the Bensonwood facility, Dee Robbins, a volunteer from Keene’s United Church of Christ, was helping set up lunch in front of a Red Cross trailer — egg salad and ham and cheese sandwiches, along with cookies and coleslaw, were spread across a table with a red-checkered tablecloth.

The church was one of 15 local groups that volunteered to provide a meal or two to volunteers over the next week, and all were coordinated by the N.H. West Chapter of the American Red Cross in Keene.

On Saturday, the church planned to feed 75 people for lunch, and 30 to 60 for dinner.

Laughing and joking, volunteers set up tables and chairs to prepare for lunch.

Nearby, a large piece of paper noted the build’s progress, with color-coordinated days and tasks marked out.

Volunteer coordinator Jodi E. Forcier, of Keene, said a committee spent months finding the hundreds of volunteers who signed up.

And all kinds of workers were needed, from professionals to volunteers like Keene resident Tracy Perkins, who said she didn't have any skills but wanted to help however she could.

“I’ve been waiting for something to get me off the couch,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to get inspired.”

After an interview with Benson, Perkins said she took a week off work as an information technology manager to volunteer on the build.

She said she can still remember the amazing moment her family got its first home when she was a teenager.

“If you can help being a part of giving that to someone else, what’s better than that?” Perkins said.

On Saturday, she was among a group of 15 people helping paint trim and wainscoting outside the garage below the Bensonwood facility.

“Its been really awesome,” she said. “It’s a blast.”

Approximately 450 pieces of wainscoting and trim had been painted with white primer by the time afternoon came.

Inside the facility, volunteers were milling long, thin pieces of interior trim, near stacks of the wooden pieces piled on carts.

Driving a van back to the building site, Forcier marveled at the progress on the house in less than a day.

“This was just a foundation this morning,” she said. “Then we got the first floor ... almost done.”

Around 40 professionals wearing hard hats and tool belts were hard at work on the house.

As she walked down toward the site, Forcier said, “The energy — its just unbelievable. ... It feels good.”

General contractor Rick Bushway, on a lunch break, said the work started early Saturday as volunteers added steel plates to the foundation, and carried timbers to support the floor system.

A crane towered overhead, carrying floor panels that were ready to be erected by volunteers, who nailed the panels in place “plumb and straight and square,” said Bushway.

The project was already ahead of schedule by afternoon, he said, which he attributed to the fact that many components of the house were pre-built.

“Its just flying,” said Bushway, who is regularly a site supervisor for Keene-based MacMillan Co. Inc.

Pre-building and site work, such as building a retaining wall and installing a new septic system, took place last weekend and in the six weeks leading up to the Blitz Build.

Later Saturday, the crew planned to put up scaffolding around the house, and add siding.

Sawhorses and tools were everywhere at the site, and while the work crew pulled out measuring tape and hammered nails, Caroline Oberst spread hay across a dirt bank with Rick, who was handling the rake.

And just before Tedd Benson jumped onto his bicycle to check progress back at the other site, he paused to offer, with a smile, a conclusion he’d arrived at: Though the community-wide building effort was about hope for the Obersts’ future, it was also about awakening the past.

“What’s happening here today ... this is how America was built,” he said, adding that all of New England was built by community effort. “To me, this is us remembering who we are as New Englanders and neighbors.

“To me, this is the definition of community.”

Anna Haigh can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1434, or ahaigh@keenesentinel.com.

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