ST. GEORGE — A condemned property that has stood unoccupied for years on the Long Cove Road is now a new home for a young family who has grown to love the St. George community, its people, its school and church. This Midcoast Habitat for Humanity project is a first for St. George, and as executive director Tia Anderson said during the house dedication ceremony Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024, “there’s more to come, I’m sure.”

A year or so prior, in order to remain close to the community they care about, the six-member Oakes Family (with another on the way) lived in a two bedroom apartment in Thomaston. Meanwhile, a derelict, unsalvageable structure at the road’s edge of 40 Long Cove Road.

The ultimate result brought the family to their desired outcome thanks to revitalization and volunteer hours donated by teachers, realtors, future neighbors, and a required 250 sweat equity hours by the family, along with the impetus, push, and coordination of Midcoast Habitat for Humanity and St. George Community Development Corporation.

With other Habitat projects already in motion, Anderson knew that Long Cove wouldn’t always have the volunteers it needed for a speedy completion. Each project averages 5,000 – 6,000 volunteer hours.

Yet, “when we have other projects that present themselves, we want to seize that opportunity.

"It was important to us that the folks who wanted to be on the Peninsula live and work here,” she said.

Habitat paid back-taxes to the Town, hired a part-time assistant contractor, and then demolished the boarded-up house. They created a new foundation on the one-third acre of land and started anew.

Work on the approximate 1600 sq ft structure often occurred only a couple of times a week. Sometimes a base crew of 12 volunteers kept the hammers and paint brushes swinging. Sometimes special teams came in. In total Anderson believes that Long Cove drew close to a hundred people, including Ben Oakes, who happens to be an independent general contractor and carpenter, which was a boon for Habitat.

The family moved in in April 2024, watching new grass grow while the remaining volunteers took down trees and added the final touches throughout the summer. 

The Oakes Family has been well received in the community. At the dedication ceremony, their pastor, Randall Thissel, blessed the house (the house blessing was a first for him, though he’s blessed several lobster boats and one LifeFlight helicopter). The crew, out of earshot of the family, remarked repeatedly at how amazing and well behaved the children have been throughout the year. Yet, along with being a qualified candidate, and understanding that a Habitat Home isn’t a hand-out, but a hand-up, the family did one more thing that helped their prospects: they applied. 

The assumption that Midcoast Habitat for Humanity has a long wait list is wrong, according to Susan Taylor, Chair of the Habitat selection support committee. For a community desperately trying to find affordable housing as a way to support the workers who support the community, the applications that arrive in the Habitat inbox are much fewer than expected. (However, the Talbot Street project is at capacity as may be Philbrick Commons).

Taylor could not begin to speculate as to the reason for the lack of applications, other than to reiterate that there’s much more involved beyond the simple notion of ask-and-you-shall-receive.

“We want folks to engage and be proud of home ownership – obviously affordability is key, but that engagement process is really an important part,” said Anderson.

In terms of this day, which was also attended by SGCDC Housing Committee member Trish Ohler and Judy Smith, “I just want to thank everyone that had a part in this, and family that supports this wonderful family,” said Anderson. "It’s been a real joy. And we just look forward to seeing you grow up.”

The final thoughts from Sermon on the Mountain:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine, and acts on them, maybe compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house. And yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of wisdom of mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house. And it fell.

“When we built our house in Tenants Harbor, we scraped an old rotten house down to bare ledge,” said Thissell, and I really like the analogy of building the house on the rock. This house will stand. This house is well built – sturdy built. These walls are exceptionally thick, strong, full of insulation, really good foundation. It’s not going anywhere.

"This house is to be a safe and comfortable place for a family to build a life," he said. "This well-built house, the result of your hard work and generosity is a place where a loving mom and dad can teach their sons and daughters the lessons they need to know, to be good neighbors, to be good citizens.”

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com