Jacob Cohn Photo
Jackie Solimini with workers at 26 Dickerman Street.
The crew fixing a porch on Dickerman Street Wednesday morning had more than one house in mind. They’re looking to make all of Dixwell look better
The crew was from Dixwell Corridor Community Partners (DCCP), which is sponsoring a series of repairs to local homes this summer..
A group of DCCP carpenters-in-training could be seen Wednesday morning restoring and remodeling the front porch of 26 Dickerman St. as part of an ongoing effort to “reenergize and revitalize the Dixwell Avenue community, not just the street itself,” according to project manager Kiara Clemons, a member of the DCCP steering committee.
The DCCP, formed in 2010, grew out of Yale Law School’s Community and Economic Development Clinic
Clemons laid out four major ongoing initiatives adopted by DCCP: a program of home repairs, a set of upcoming classes on financial literacy for high school seniors, a planned urban garden on Henry Street and an effort to attract more business to Dixwell Plaza.
The mission of DCCP, which has several community organizations represented on its board, is “letting the community know that we care,” Clemons said.
Clemons said that the idea for home repairs came from a brainstorming session; it seemed like a way to “help in beautifying the area.” She helped spread the word about the project by distributing flyers to local homes inviting homeowners to a meeting about the project; of the five homes represented at the meeting, 2 were chosen to participate.
Larry Henderson, who has lived at 26 Dickerman Street for 42 years, said that his wife Ruth was introduced to the program by Clemons. According to Henderson, a previous city program resulted in his porch being covered with a material that deteriorated in the rain, causing damage to the porch. (Click here for an earlier story reported from Ruth Henderson’s porch.)
Homeowner Larry Henderson.
Of the work being done, Henderson said that “it’ll make [the porch] look decent, better and safer,” notably by removing the strong danger of splinters.
The project is expected to take three days in all, with a goal of completing it on Thursday. The carpenters working on the project are affiliated with Job Corps and are completing the project as part of their training.
The carpenters will gain “hands-on experience” from their work, according to Jackie Solimini of the New Haven Job Corps Center.
Windel Walker, who works for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, was supervising the work team on Dickerman Street. He said that the workers would eventually be given the opportunity to become union carpenters, and cited this project as a good way for them to train while providing a community service.
“I thought it was a good way to give back,” Walker said.
The workers are retrofitting and remodeling the porch, stripping away unwanted wood, strengthening the remaining wood and repainting and polishing the finished product. Walker said it will be “nicer, sturdier, stronger and look much more appealing.”
“It’ll enhance the whole front,” Walker said.
Walker is currently preparing a materials list for a planned project nearby on Orchard Street, at a home owned by Victoria Martin. Martin, who was drawn to the DCCP meeting by a flyer, said she wanted to be involved because “I’m a type of person who gets involved in the community.” The DCCP plans to build a fence around her property and beautify her house, particularly her basement.
“I wanted to be part of the history-making on Orchard Street,” Martin said.