Harborites needed to lend a hand this Saturday

Grays Harbor Vision 2020 is in desperate need of Harborites to volunteer for a few hours this Saturday to get houses scraped and prepped for the upcoming “Paint the Corridor” community paint party.



On that Saturday in June, organizers hope volunteers will help put a fresh face on up to 25 houses on the Highway 101 corridor in Aberdeen and Hoquiam. But first they all must be prepped.



“We’d be thrilled to get several dozen people out this Saturday to help us prep the remaining houses,” said Dave Murnen, executive director of NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor, which is helping organize the event. “We can only paint as many houses on June 19 as are prepped. So far we have only six ready for primer.”

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Anyone 18 or older is invited to show up as early as 8 a.m. at 517 Wooding St. in Aberdeen, at the intersection of Sumner and Wooding. If there’s enough volunteers, Murnen said, when the work is done at the Wooding house he hopes to tackle at least three more houses on Sumner Avenue in Hoquiam as well – at 2932, 3018 and 3026 Sumner Ave.



Volunteers should wear old clothes and bring a lunch and water bottle. For insurance reasons, children and dogs are not invited.



“Bring a scraper, a wire brush, a broad knife and/or a ladder if you have one,” said Murnen. ”But if you don’t have any tools, come anyway, we’ll find something for you. If you don’t have any experience, we’ll teach you how to prep. And, if you don’t want to get on a ladder, that’s fine, there are plenty of low places that need work too.



“You don’t have to be there right at 8 a.m. and you don’t have to stay all day,” Murnen said. “Many hands make light work, so even a few hours of an individual’s time will make a huge difference and be much appreciated,” he said.



The Paint the Corridor event was birthed after a generous gift from the Stritmatter family of Hoquiam was given to the project. In addition, Kelly-Moore Paint is donating quality paint at cost.



“This is such a great opportunity that we want to make as much out of it as possible,” Murnen said. “Right now what we need is people to help us prep these houses. When they’re all painted it will make such a different impression driving through Aberdeen and Hoquiam.”



“At NeighborWorks we’re always talking about how important a good coat of paint is to protect your home,” said Murnen, “but, nicely painted houses are also very valuable in terms of a community’s image and attractiveness to outsiders,” he said.



“There are places in our community now that have a deferred maintenance first impression, and this is a wonderful opportunity to start putting on a fresh face,” said Murnen.



Volunteer teams are still needed for the June 19 Paint the Corridor event as well. To sign up as an individual or group, call NeighborWorks at 533-7828 and register with Nancy.



“We want to create a spark and get people excited again,” said Ron Pinnick, the community director of Vision 2020. “We want it to become a contagious, on-going event to help improve the Grays Harbor area.”