By By Donna Thompson

Telegram Trends Editor

Posted May. 4, 2015 at 6:57 PM

Herkimer, N.Y.

ILION — Herkimer County Habitat for Humanity's project to rehabilitate the house at 131 S. Third Ave. received a boost from the Herkimer College women's softball team Saturday morning.

Team members and coaches removed bricks from the house in Ilion and cut brush and stacked it between the sidewalk and curb for pickup.

The bricks were from the chimney for the old furnace, according to Habitat President Patricia Miller. A new energy-efficient furnace was installed and the old chimney was no longer needed. While the chimney had been taken down, the bricks remained in rooms from basement to attic. The group set up an assembly line to remove the bricks and put them into a bin to be hauled away.

“That would have taken us all day,” a Habitat volunteer commented.

The crew also cut, bundled and stacked brush.

Coach P.J. Anadio received plenty of advice from his players when he used a saw to cut up some of the longer branches.

Team members completed their work by 10 a.m. Saturday before they had to head out to get ready for a game. (The Herkimer women scored an 8-1 victory over Mohawk Valley Community College in the first half of a doubleheader.)

Miller thanked team members for their help and introduced them to Stacey Crim, who is partnering with Habitat to rehabilitate the house where she and her 9-year-old twin sons, Anthony and Jonathon Spellman, will live when the work is complete.

Miller also noted team member Audrey Bunce has been named the first recipient of the Christine Mergenthaler Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to the Community, awarded through the Herkimer County College Foundation. Mergenthaler, who died last year, served as Herkimer County Habitat for Humanity president for 12 years.

The three-bedroom house will have a new roof and siding, windows, insulation, wiring and plumbing as part of the rehabilitation project, according to Frank Kucerak, construction coordinator.

He said the house is structurally sound and in good shape for a building that has been vacant for about six years.

Anyone interested in helping with the project can stop in on a Saturday morning — work starts about 8 a.m. — or contact Kucerak at 894-9216 or [email protected] for more information.

Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide ecumenical Christian housing ministry which seeks to provide simple, decent housing to low-income families who are willing to work with Habitat volunteers to build or renovate their own homes. Habitat homes are then sold to these partner families at no profit and the organization provides a zero interest mortgage. All income from mortgage payments is used to provide more low-cost houses.

To see the photo that accompanied this article, please go to:

http://www.herkimertelegram.com/article/20150504/NEWS/150509735