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WEST POINT — The Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project (CFCP) reached a milestone in 2022 when it completed its 75th new home. That number has gone up to 80 this year with the construction of five new homes. Numbers 76 and 77 went up in June in the Plant City area. It was the first-ever senior duplex built by the CFCP. This month, three new homes were built in Opelika. The city funded the project with a $250,000 grant.

“This year’s Legacy Build was wonderful,” CFCP Executive Director Kim Roberts told The Valley Times-News. “The homes were dedicated on October 13th, and we have been doing some finishing up work since then. That should be completed by this Friday, and the families will be able to move in.”

The new residents include Julia Finley, who has worked at the East Alabama Medical Center for more than 45 years. She’s now with EAMC’s psych unit. Two single moms with young children will be living in the other two new homes.

“Peter Selamme of Americus, Georgia is helping us with the finishing up work,” Roberts said. “He’a a carpenter from the Fuller Center for Housing. He was with us for the Legacy Build and stayed over for the finishing up work. We appreciate what he has done. Helping him was Terrence Griffin from Lanett and men from His Place.”

The work consisted mostly of interior painting, putting in the doors and door knobs, some shelves and closet rods along with some trim work. The final detail will be to do some needed yard work and putting down the sod.

This year’s house captains for the October 9-13 Legacy Build included David Diffendal of Bradenton, Florida, Jim Tomascak of Coon Rapids, Minnesota and Chuck Ingraham of Cumming, Georgia. They have volunteered on many Fuller Center projects and have previously helped the Chattahoochee Valley covenant partner.

An estimated 100 volunteers took part in the week-long project. Many of them were employees of EAMC. They wanted to help one of their own have a better place to live.

Two of the new homes are on Jeter Avenue in Opelika and are not far from an elementary school. The other new home is close by on Raintree Street.’

Roberts will be stepping aside as executive director at the end of the year. She will be succeeded by her long-time assistant Robin Pierre. “I will be doing family partnering,” Roberts said. “That’s what I did when I first volunteered for the Fuller Center for two years. It’s where my heart is.”

Pierre has been with the CFCP since 2016. She hit the ground running by taking part in a Legacy Build in Valley. Three new homes were built and an existing home flipped in that major project. “The first build I worked on was the women’s build,” she said. “I helped out as a volunteer.”