Fresh off the success of its first YouthBuild home renovation collaboration, the Ingham County Land Bank is now partnering with another nonprofit to train local workers in a new skill necessary for rebuilding older neighborhoods.
The Land Bank and the Michigan Historic Preservation Network are offering a two-week workshop to teach craftspeople the art of historic window preservation beginning July 26.
Participants will learn how to repair and rehabilitate wooden, double-hung windows in older homes while also helping renovate a Land Bank property.
Project coordinators say the project – which is based on a similar program in Kalamazoo – brings two benefits to the community.
First, craftspeople will gain new skills they can put to use in the job market.
Second, there will now be more people with the knowledge necessary to rebuild aging homes in neighborhoods that could be important to regional revitalization.
“Many of these targeted neighborhoods contain buildings that are older and historic,” Land Bank chair Eric Schertzing says in a statement. “Many of these buildings, both commercial and residential, will require rehabilitation to remain functional and efficient properties.”
For more information about the class, visit the MHPN’s website at www.mhpn.org
Source: Ingham County Land Bank
Writer: Louise Knott Ahern