Siena Habitat House Ribbon Cutting Tomorrow

Siena College Partners with Habitat for Humanity
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Kick-off Spring Project

Capital District Habitat for Humanity will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 486 North Pearl Street in Albany on January 21st at 1pm.

Construction on the project – co-sponsored by Siena College and Prime Companies – will begin in the spring of 2009 by the non-profit developer whose mission is to assist low-income families achieve affordable homeownership. The build is called “SIENA House”.

Students, faculty and staff from Siena launched a fundraising campaign during the 2008 academic year. Students got creative with the campaign. For example, 12 students competed in a fundraiser for the title of “Mr. Siena”. In total, the school raised $17,500 which was matched by Prime Companies. In the spring, hundreds of students will begin volunteering on the Habitat House construction site to provide the labor necessary to construct the home.

"Siena's partnership with Habitat for Humanity reflects our Franciscan mission to educate our students to become responsible leaders in their communities and use their many talents to serve those in need. We consider this is an especially important project because it gives us another opportunity to help make a difference in the Capital Region," states Fr. Kevin Mullen '75, O.F.M., PhD., President of Siena College.

This will be CDHfH’s first house built entirely with the SIPS panels the organization will assemble itself at its headquarters. SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panels) consist of insulated foam pressed and glued between two outer layers of strand-board. These wall and roof panels are easier for Habitat’s volunteer labor pool to build with – compared to traditional stick construction. They are also much more energy efficient and will save the Habitat homeowners money on energy bills.

“Habitat is honored to welcome Siena College and Prime Companies to the list of sponsors who have made possible the dream of homeownership for 45 families who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for a mortgage loan. This project returns our work to the North Albany neighborhood where we have built 15 homes since 2004 and is consistent with the College’s focus in this neighborhood. It will be a pleasure to work alongside the students, administration and faculty to build this home,” said Steve Haggerty, Executive Director at Capital District Habitat for Humanity.

Albany Mayor Jennings, County Executive Breslin and the President of Siena College will be guest speakers.