Freeport Project

The Green Bean

On Tuesday, August 24, 2010, Mikki Cote and her young son Eli,

welcomed Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland staff, board

members and community representatives and volunteers to their

new home on West Street in Freeport.  The occasion was the

dedication ceremony for the Green Bean house, Habitat’s latest

home to be completed in Freeport.

Mikki has lived in Freeport for a few years, renting an apartment on

Unity Lane.She had fallen in love with the community and hoped to

raise her son there, but never thought she would have an opportunity

to own a home.  After being selected in July 2009, Mikki immediately

started working on Habitat builds, including her own home.  Since then

she has earned more than 300 hours, well beyond the minimum, and

completed course requirements in first time home buying, home

maintenance, and budgeting.

As the dedication came to a close, Mikki tearfully thanked everyone who

had made her dream a reality, including her mother and father.  She said

“we love our home . . . words cannot express how grateful I am.” 

During those many months when the house was under construction

there were times when Eli, age 6, would join her on the work site, sweeping

or helping in the yard. He once told his mother that “he couldn’t wait to spend

their first night in their new house.”  They now sleep in their home every night,

and enjoy taking their dog Moxie for family walks around the neighborhood. 

Coming home doesn’t mean just turning the key to their front door,

it means living in a community that has embraced them and helped them

to build their home.

Our thanks to all of the hundreds of individual volunteers who worked to

complete the house and the many partners who made Green Bean house possible!

Project History

In the spring of 2008, L.L. Bean donated a 26x32 cape-style house,

which we then deconstructed.  During the late summer we moved the

home to a lot on West Street donated by the Town of Freeport.

The Town of Freeport enlisted the help of Habitat for Humanity of Greater

Portland for our experience in providing homeownership for qualified,

low-income, working families. We also have the infrastructure in place to

build or renovate safe, affordable homes at a reduced cost due to the level of

in-kind donations we receive along with the support of nearly 800 volunteers.

Habitat will also use this opportunity to greatly increase the energy efficiency

of the home, thereby reducing future utility bills.

This will be the third Habitat home in the Freeport community.  The first two

projects in Freeport were new construction homes, completed in partnership

with the Freeport Housing Trust.

Recycling a home is an innovative and cost effective way to not only improve

the life of one chosen family and families that live in the home in the future,

but it uplifts the entire community as neighbors help neighbors through

volunteerism and community support. We’ve often seen property values go up

once a Habitat house is in place, but most importantly hundreds of people in

town become part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis and they receive

the precious reward of giving to a family in need.    

Maine Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC)

present check for more than $5,000 to support Freeport Build

On Wednesday, March 4th, the Maine Chapter of the National Association

of Women in Construction (NAWIC), presented a check for over $5,000 to the

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland. The money will help build the Habitat

our home currently under construction on West Street in Freeport, where the

presentation took place.  This donation was one of the events planned by the

Chapter in conjunction with NAWIC celebration of Women in Construction

Week in Maine March 1-7. Members of the Maine Chapter also plan to donate

time this summer on the construction of this project.

On hand for the presentation by Chapter President Joyce Newman (Maine Better

Transportation Association, was Kathie Stevenson of the Maine Chapter and

members of the former Southern Maine, Angela LeVasseur (CPM Constructors),

Patricia Adriance (East Coast Construction Management Co.), Catherine

MacDonald, CIT, LEED AP, Patricia Mahoney (AD&W), Heidi Rodzen (Skillings

Shaw & Associates), and Sharon Martel (Ohio Casualty Bond).and current

NAWIC Maine chapter members who raised the money.  George M. Ellis,

Development Director accepted the gift on behalf of Habitat for Humanity

of Greater Portland

The Maine Chapter will be celebrating their 30th anniversary in August. 

For more than 50 years, NAWIC has helped women take advantage of the

opportunities in construction, enabling members to embark on a new career,

establish a networking base or engage in public service, be a mentor/mentee,

or pursue higher education.

Founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1955, NAWIC is an international Association

serving upwards of  5,500 members in approximately 160 chapters across

the United States. NAWIC also has international affiliates in Australia, Canada,

New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom.  For more information and

membership information, go to www.NAWICMaine.org.