Coni Nelson and her talented Southgate Elementary School third-graders had a captive audience Monday night.

Tuesday, February 08, 2000

Coni Nelson and her talented Southgate Elementary School third-graders had a captive audience Monday night.

When they sang "Everybody Deserves a Home" and "Lend a Helping Hand," there was no argument from the people sitting in the St. Olaf Lutheran Church sanctuary.

It was the annual meeting of the Freeborn-Mower affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, the original homebuilders for the needy.

Tim Davis, co-chairman for the affiliate’s public relations committee, introduced Nelson and the third-graders, who recreated their popular holiday musical program number "This Old Gingerbread House." Davis renamed the song "This Old Habitat House" for the occasion.

Then, it was down to business, beginning with a video from the Southeast Minnesota District affiliate, which focused on three homebuilding projects in Rochester, Albert Lea and Winona.

The recipient of the Rochester Habitat house was a Sudanese woman, who was a refugee with her children and other family members from a bitter and deadly civil war in the African nation.

Two Habitat homeowners, Cindy Carlson of Albert Lea and Ruth Seavey of Austin, were introduced. Each praised the organization for making their home ownership dreams come true.

Wayne Hanson, president of the affiliate’s board of directors, chaired the annual meeting. With 13 housebuilding or rehabilitating projects completed, Hanson declared the affiliate in "good shape financially."

He also said the cost of building a new home keeps rising and now hovers between the $45,000 and $50,000 level when the land is donated.

Outgoing board members were praised for their service to the organization. New board members were elected included Louis Anthonisen, Tom Cline, Jake Loper, Keith Barnes and the Rev. George Toschak. They will serve three-year terms and give the affiliate equal representation from both Freeborn County and Mower County.

According to Hanson, two new homebuilding projects will get under way this year in Austin and Albert Lea. Presently, the site selection committee is narrowing the choices for home ownership.

In Austin, the home will be built along Oakland Avenue East, where a house damaged by fire has been razed and a foundation will be dug this spring.

Davis urged the organization to "partner" with Apex Austin, the organization that is deciding how to spend a $5 million challenge grant from the Hormel Foundation.

Paul R. Spyhalski, the affiliate’s secretary and legal counsel, told how Habitat International inaugurated a new downpayment assistance program that calls for $6,250 to be

"written-off" after five years of occupancy.

He also said the organization was shifting from contract-for-deed home purchases to regular home mortgages. Spyhalski said the organization does everything possible to help the family chosen for home ownership to fit into a comfortable financial arrangement to ensure the integrity of the home purchase.

Hanson cautioned that a housing crunch is having its impact on the organization, because there are few tax-forfeited or other lots to acquire.

He also said the organization routinely gets five or six applications for home ownership before narrowing it down to two or three "serious candidates."

Hanson would like to see more applications and urged members to assist in recruiting them.

As far as Habitat’s future, Hanson prefers it "stay small."

"We had so much success doing things the way we are," he said. "This year, just look at the success of the Adams project, for instance, where volunteers built a home. Personally, I prefer that we stay small and remain a volunteer organization. I think it works best for us."

For more information, visit the affiliate’s Austin office at 314 1/2 Main St. North Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Interested homeowners may call 433-1349.

This is the ninth anniversary of the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate.