Latest Habitat for Humanity home a step closer

Harrisburg -- A Harrisburg man says he's excited to be closer to owning his new home, despite a few delays.

The Saline County chapter of Habitat for Humanity held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at the corner of Oak and Longley streets for the soon-to-be constructed home of Rick Bradley and his son, Donavin.

"It's a ranch-style house, about 42x26 with three bedrooms," Bradley said. "And the lot is a pretty big lot - I'm looking forward to mowing my yard."

Habitat president Bruce Boone said all involved are glad to be moving forward on the project. There have been a few setbacks here and there, he said.

"Early this spring, we got the Job Corps to come out here, and also Fred and Gabe Cooley Construction," he said. "One of the trees wasn't in good shape, and they trimmed it up."

However, the tree eventually had to be removed. That and other minor setbacks moved the construction timetable back.

"We wanted to reaffirm to Rick and Donavin that this is going to happen," Boone said.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization dedicated to building affordable homes. According to the group's Web site, volunteers, along with the homeowner, provide the labor to build the house. This keeps costs down on the construction. The homeowner is still responsible for the cost of the home.

Boone said the group is grateful for the donated help already received.

"The amount of work would be at least $4,000 if we had to pay for it," he said.

Friday, the group staked out the house plan. With a little more help, Boone said, actual construction can begin.

"We can dig the footings if we can get someone and the weather holds," he said.

Boone plans to find someone with a building that may be used to assemble the walls of the home during the winter, he said.

"Then come spring, we could have a nice little house raising," he said.

The Bradley home isn't the only thing under construction, either.

Boone said currently, the group is building its own Web site to both let people know exactly how it works and provide additional information to people who need it.

"We often get requests for clothing or food, maybe gasoline," he said. "And that's not what we do. We build homes. But we'd like to add contacts to agencies who do those things on our Web site."

He also wants to include an online application.

"We're trying to keep up with technology," he said.

Meanwhile, Bradley said he and his son remain enthusiastic.

"I've been pretty excited from the get-go," Bradley said. "Yes, there have been delays, especially because it's volunteer labor, but now I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a pipe dream anymore."