When Andrea Meyers stepped out her front door and discovered a wooden bench with a note attached she wasn’t sure what to think. After reading the note from students of the Healdsburg High School’s Construction And Sustainability Academy (CASA) program, Meyers was overwhelmed with emotion.
“I was standing in the driveway crying,” she said.
Myers, a Coffey Park resident, was one of many who lost a home in the fall firestorm. As CASA students returned to class the following week after the fires, they discussed what they could do to help.
It was from that conversation the idea emerged of building benches to provide a place for victims to sit and watch as their homes were rebuilt. Meyers received one of five benches constructed and delivered to fire victims.
“It definitely was a bright spot in the recovery process,” Meyers said.
Part of the idea behind constructing the benches was to include a built-in ice chest. Meyers said she looks forward to putting the bench out and enjoying a cool beverage while she watches the rebuilding process.
The project took 2-3 weeks to complete and around 75 students were involved. One of those students was Jacqueline Doherty. The 16-year-old CASA student said she wanted to help give something to the people who lost their homes in the fire.
“It is touching in a way that we can find some way to help them,” Doherty said.
Building benches is not the only construction project Doherty has worked on. She said the skills she has learned in her two years in CASA have helped her build a chicken coop, an open-air dog pen and a shed at her home.
“I can actually help my dad and I know what I’m doing,” Doherty said.
Learning construction skills is something that will benefit the students for years to come said CASA instructor Terry Pagni. Students learn how to change ceiling lights, switch out hot water heaters, read architectural plans and drawings and estimate costs of projects.
CASA students are currently working on a “casitas” project. Pagni said the tiny houses are “as-built” projects with three different floor plans. This concept allows them to have a variety of potential uses, including granny units and temporary housing.
Once completed the casitas will be sold. Pagni said everything constructed in the class is sold and nothing is for profit. Once the casitas are sold, the money earned will be put back into their capital fund and used to purchase materials.
The Healdsburg Education Foundation and the Career Technology Education Foundation also donate money to help purchase materials for the program.
