Bonamici, staff pitch in on local Habitat house

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and some of her aides wore work clothes and hard hats, rolled up their sleeves and traveled to McMinnville Aug. 8 to apply muscle and sweat to a new Habitat for Humanity house.

Bonamici's appearance in Yamhill County also included a visit to a family support program operated by Lutheran Community Services as well as Newberg's Anvil Academy.

She was also honored by area hazelnut growers for her work to lower tariffs for the Oregon crop.

She and her aides were there to help build a house for Javier and Margarita Martinez and their children, 18-year-old Javier Jr. and 5-year-old Mariana.

Javier Martinez works for Amcraft, an upscale cabinet manufacturing firm in McMinnville.

Mary Stern, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity's McMinnville office, said Amcraft is providing cabinetry to the house for cost, "which is not a lot for their super-duper cabinetry."

Boutwell said he's impressed with Amcraft's cabinet work. "He's going to have the best cabinets in the neighborhood," he predicted.

The Martinez's house is the 10th home in a 34-home Habitat subdivision in southeast McMinnville. Local Habitat volunteers have built 58 homes in the community since 1991.

Stern said volunteers have been moving forward valiantly on the Martinez house, despite the blistering temperatures of the past few weeks. "They're like the post office," she said. "They keep going."

On some of the hotter days, she added, they must quit slightly early. "We don't want to hurt our volunteers," she said.

All seasons have their advantages and disadvantages for construction, said Boutwell. More people are available in the colder months, but then progress is hampered by rain.

"As seasons go, this is a better choice when it comes to building," he said.

Among the volunteers on this project is Wanda Cochran. She has been a Habitat volunteer since 2013. She started in Portland before moving to McMinnville two years ago.

Other volunteers include Javier Martinez and his son. Like all Habitat clients, the Martinez family is expected to contribute a significant number of hours to building of their home.

Stern said father and son are at the construction site every Saturday. "They're very excited," she said.

Boutwell said construction on the house began three months ago, and it usually takes six or seven months to complete. Stern estimated the three-bedroom Martinez house should be ready in October.

"I call it halfway when the drywall goes up," Boutwell said. "Right now, we're waiting for the framing inspection."

Clients select paint colors and other individual preferences available for a particular neighborhood. "Anything we can do to work with them to achieve that personal touch, we do," said Boutwell.

Most Habitat projects are organized around a theme to increase the level of spirit among the volunteers, said Stern. The theme for the Martinez project is "Ducks versus Beavers."

Volunteers register as Ducks or Beavers and compete for points to see who can bring in the most in financial donations and volunteer hours. Volunteer hours count at $25 per hour.

"We call this one our Platypus Build," said Stern in reference to the term for combined Duck and Beaver fans.

The adjacent house had a veterans theme, and Bonamici provided a flag for the project that had flown over the U.S. Capitol.

Bonamici, who graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1983 after earning her bachelor's degree from the School of Journalism, said she was particularly proud to represent her alma mater.

"I'm a double Duck," she proclaimed.