Habitat project gets Governor staff to build homes

Delaware Governor Jack Markell knows a thing or two about governing the state.  But do those qualities carry over to home building?

Markell and his staff came out to the Habitat for Humanity project now going on in Wilmington.  The home building project is part of the New Castle County Neighborhood Stabilization Program(NSP).  The current home under construction is one of 21 two stories home slated to be completed next spring.

The Governor decked out in a blue hard hat and warned those around him to get ready for his work appearance. “Anytime I get a hammer in my hand, it could be a little bit dangerous,” the Governor said.  But, he added, “this is a great opportunity for all of us…to try and help some local families.”

Member of Markell’s office and some members of Lt. Governor Matt Denn’s office worked for about 2.5 hours on the home at 97 Vandever Avenue.  It’s the same construction where Phillies pitcher Vance Worley worked a week ago.

The team was putting clamps on some of the framing being done to partition off rooms in the home.  Despite his warning on his hammering abilities, the Governor and their team worked diligently through out the morning.  They even got to the point where they could put up on of the exterior walls on the home.

The NSP works to purchase and rehab abandoned or foreclosed properties in the hopes that they new homes will revitalize an area.  When this project is complete Habitat hopes to start another neighborhood near the 11th Street bridge in Wilmington.