In November, longstanding Central Kentucky customer Elite Homes sponsored a massive home renovation project that will be the subject of an episode of ABC’s hit show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
The project focused on building a home for the Hughes family in Louisville. Patricia and Patrick John Hughes’s 19-year-old son, Patrick Henry, was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, leaving him unable to walk. Patrick’s wheelchair had caused extensive damage to the walls, and the house was in desperate need of help. With a huge hole in their bank account due to Patrick Henry’s father’s decision to stay at home during the day and care for Patrick’s special needs, repairing the house was the last priority on the Hughes’ agenda.
Then, ABC producers decided to feature the Hughes family in the show, and as a result, the family now has a beautiful home with no stairs (inside or out) and full access for handicapped individuals.
Working around the clock when needed, Jefferson County Stone donated over 2,000 tons of stone with additional material sent by Bullitt County Stone. Of course, coordinating the supply of that much stone in such a short time took the cooperation of several people. Quarry Manager Kevin Phillips led the team and also drove a delivery truck. Dispatcher Shirley Benfield directed trucks to the job site and Loader Operators John Keys and Jay Brown kept the trucks loaded and moving. The extra hours and effort by these employees made sure Elite had all the stone necessary for this special project.
Stone was used to fill the slab areas as well as around the pool decks and for driveways. The site had a fall of approximately four and a half feet from one end of the house to the other so a lot of fill was required. Grades had to be altered to allow for handicapped access to all entry points. Since the accelerated schedule did not allow time for subgrades to dry, many areas were undercut and filled with stone to stabilize soft, damp soils and roadways.
"This was a unique opportunity to work with some of our best customers on an obviously very worthy project," CKY Area VP Les Geralds said. "The willingness of our employees and truckers to step up at a moments notice, either late at night and/or weekends should make everyone at Rogers Group proud of their dedication and efforts. A truly amazing display of dedication and teamwork!"
Thousands of area residents and businesses volunteered time and materials to complete the project that included building a temporary access road to allow additional access to the site within an older, established neighborhood.
The airdate for the episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is tentatively scheduled for February 17, 2008.
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