In the seven-month period from April, 2001 to November, 2001, DeConstruction Services crews have salvaged materials with an estimated market value of $265,921. The salvaged materials came from fifty sites in Dakota, Hennepin, Carver, and Ramsey Counties. While the program has not received any offers for work in Anoka County in the grant period, the city of Fridley has adopted a resolution that requires a deconstruction service provider be consulted as an option when applying for building or demolition permits. A copy of the resolution is included as an attachment to this report. DeConstruction Services is pursuing several possible full deconstruction projects in the city of Ramsey in Anoka County. During the grant period, the program had no offers for work in Washington County, but has just completed a project lasting over two weeks in January and located in Newport, MN.

Some of the most exciting projects have been the valuable deconstructions of many high-end homes. A home at 14730 Stone Road in Minnetonka yielded a $15,000 estimated market value with most of the materials being quality construction grade lumber. Another home at 1235 Shoreline Drive in Orono, Minnesota was deconstructed. Two carved marble sinks with gold plated bathroom fixtures were saved from the landfill. Large quantities of very high quality products like Corian, solid core doors, and ornate light fixtures were removed from this large house and have been put back into use. A full deconstruction of a classic older home in White Bear Lake netted over $10,000 in on-site sales, $15,000 in materials brought back to the warehouse and a $4,000 labor fee. In addition, the DeConstruction crews dismantled a house at 5813 North Wood Drive in Edina. The treasures recovered from this property include a large amount of virgin redwood paneling, siding and construction grade lumber. All these items are truly treasures. The owners of these homes are grateful to have an option in exchange to putting these valuable items into the landfill. DeConstruction Services offers people with an environmental consciousness a choice at a very cost-effective rate.

Our crews do not measure the volume or weight of salvaged materials, but record these materials by descriptions needed to process the items for resale. Thus, it is difficult for us to calculate the impact on the solid waste stream. It is easy, however, to envision the mass of a 4000 square foot home or to recognize the volume of waste of 1,093 square yards of carpet. These are huge volumes. The list of items salvaged from the fifty sites offers a description of the valuable items but should also be looked at in terms of volume. The volume illustrates the potential space that would have been taken in a landfill.

Before and during this reporting period, DeConstruction Services provided $20,000 in materials to Rondo Community Land Trust in St. Paul for use in construction of two new single family affordable homes. The use of reclaimed and re-milled wood products won the project a St. Paul Heritage Preservation Award on May 15, 2001.

In addition to a new space for warehouse sales, there is a 1,000 square feet area that has been built out as a redressing shop. New milling and redressing equipment was purchased with a grant from the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance. This "mini-mill" creates high quality wood finishing materials that are from 100% salvaged wood sources such as Douglas Fir beams and reclaimed Cedar and Redwood. Through the Rainforest Alliance, the warehouse operation has earned the Smartwood certification on its products. The program has joined a short list of prestigious groups who can claim to retail 100% reclaimed lumber with the Smartwood certification. An example of this new product development can be seen at the Sticks and Stones retail gift shop in St. Louis Park where Douglas Fir timbers were re-milled for 5,000 square feet of beautiful flooring.

The ReUse Center and DeConstruction Services has just hired a new Program Director to unite the two programs. With the combination of the programs of the ReUse Center and DeConstruction Services the groups plan to tighten the focus to making the operation more cost effective to cover livable wages for crewmembers and staff. The program will be looking for avenues of improvement to continue to be a model for other organizations throughout the community and country.