"HOT” team at work at the start
of the Foxburg project.
(Jamie Hunt photo)
Back in July of this year the SMILES AmeriCorps House of Trades team “HOT”, led by crew chief, Libby Hansford, started on a new project in Foxburg. The project involved the old Foxburg Fire House, now the Foxburg Municipal building, located next to the Foxburg Post Office. It’s now December, and the project is nearly complete.
The building renovations began so it can be used as a community center for events as well as a voting site during elections.
The Foxburg Borough Community Room with
kitchenette nearly completed.
(Dave Staab photo)
Initial plans were to install three new windows, clean and paint the space and install updated LED lights to brighten the room, install all new electrical wiring, outlets, fixtures, and install a heater. As the project plans were being discussed more ideas were added such as removing the old fire equipment, build an awning at the new entrance door, a kitchenette was added from repurposed items and a new water heater was installed. The water heater was donated by Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps.
Once finally completed the borough plans on dedicating the new community room in honor/memory of James “Doc” Preston, a former resident, community leader and military veteran.
The HOT team works on several projects throughout the year in other communities as well. In Foxburg they also did some landscaping at the end of North Palmer Ave. at a recently demolished blighted dwelling, now a vacant lot. The HOT team built a rain garden with ponds to catch rain water, and to help stop the erosion of the hill side and improve drainage. In time it will turn into a lovely park-like setting!
One of the ponds in the rain garden on North Palmer Street in Foxburg.
Since 1990, the Keystone SMILES program has been under the direction of Executive Director, Joyce Fosdick. In 1994 it became Keystone SMILES Ameri-Corps and is headquartered on Main Street in Knox, PA. Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps Members serve in many school districts and community organizations. More information about the Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps can be found on their website at: www.smilesamericorps.org.