SPS and Channel Building Climb Up for ACT Affordable Homes

When the Lupine Road affordable homes being built by Andover Community Trust (ACT) needed help, Andover and the Merrimack Valley proved again that it is a strong, interconnected community helping to create alternatives to fulfill the needs at hand.

In March Governor Baker ordered Massachusetts schools closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and construction on two of the units at Lupine Road was paused. When that closure was extended for the entire school year, construction stopped. ACT lost its student builders from the Greater Lawrence Technical School.

A few weeks ago when construction initially paused, the building was almost ready for the roofing installation. Jerry Diorio, Chief Operating Officer of Channel Building Company in Wilmington said, “When Andover Community Trust came to me with an urgent need for skilled carpenters to complete the installation of trim in order for the roof project to proceed, I was happy to offer help.” Channel provided experienced carpenters to do the work. Tom Callahan–Senior Project Superintendent, George Karaian and Chris Park–Carpenter Foremen put aside their work at the 27 Main Street Andover project and donated their day to Lupine Road. They did a great job.

This past Saturday with the roof structure completed, Schernecker Property Services (SPS) of Needham, MA, stepped in to put a roof over a family’s head—literally. ABC Supply, Harvey Industries, and CertainTeed Corp. donated materials and SPS Solutions donated the labor to complete the full roof installation on the duplex being constructed by the Greater Lawrence Technical School for ACT.

ACT Executive Director Denise Johnson said: “We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of community effort. Channel Building stepped in with very short notice and SPS and their suppliers have given us not only a very generous donation of supplies and labor but the ability to move forward. We have reached out to our community for help and our supporters are making it possible to finish these homes as quickly as possible.”

Now more than ever, families need the security of a decent home that they can afford. Yes, it does take an entire community to build an affordable home.