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Habitat ReStore Benefits from Highway Project

August 6, 2004 (04-106)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Habitat ReStore Benefits from Highway Project

Overland Park - Upcoming highway improvements are helping to provide quality homes for low-income families. The City of Overland Park, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), Pyramid Contractors, Inc., and Habitat ReStore have teamed up to salvage building materials from homes being affected by the Focus435 highway project in Overland Park.

In 2006, major construction will begin on the Focus435 highway improvement projects in Overland Park. As a part of those projects, 15 homes along 107^th Street, which parallels I-435, were purchased to accommodate the highway improvements. In response to the 15 homeowners’ desire to have the acquisitions done as soon as possible, the City of Overland Park and KDOT moved up a portion of the project. In June of this year, KDOT let the portion of the project which involves removing the 15 homes and constructing a noise wall along I-435 from about Bond Street east to US-69. Pyramid Contractors, Inc. is the contractor that was awarded the project.

Before the homes were removed, the City of Overland Park and KDOT decided to partner with Habitat Restore and allow them access into the homes to salvage building materials. Merchandise at Habitat Restore is priced low in order to give homeowners an opportunity to maintain their property. All money that is made from sales at Habitat Restore is used to fund Kansas City Habitat for Humanity’s mission of providing quality homes for low-income families in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Had the partnership with Habitat Restore not been formed, the salvageable materials in the homes would have most likely ended up in the landfill.

“Because of this partnership, we were able to divert over 36 tons of material from the landfill. That diverted material became $26,000 worth of merchandise in Habitat ReStore and went back into the community as home improvements for our customers. This type of collaboration can make a huge difference for the environment and for the families that are able to improve their homes with the materials,” said Don Reck, Director of Habitat ReStore>.

“The City of Overland Park and KDOT felt that it was important to not let the quality materials in these homes go to waste and that Habitat Restore was a good fit to help accomplish that goal. While the City and KDOT understand the impact this project has and will have on the homeowners and neighborhood affected by the demolition of these houses, we believe that teaming up with Habitat Restore is one of the many good things that will come of this project,” said Tim McEldowney, Project Manager, City of Overland Park.

The remainder of the Focus435 projects will begin as scheduled in 2006. Those projects include:

• A new interchange at I-435 and Antioch Road
• Widening I-435 from six to eight lanes between Metcalf Avenue and US-69, with auxiliary lanes between interchanges
• Partial reconstruction of the US-69/103^rd Street interchange
• Construction of noise walls

For more information regarding the projects and/or the specific locations of the noise walls, please visit the project web site, www.focus435.org or call the project hotline at 913-312-4999.