Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007 • Sunnyside homes partners with Rancheria to build new homes

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007 edition of the Lassen County Times.

The Susanville Indian Rancheria Housing Authority’s partnership with Sunnyside homes to build modular homes is on track and close to completion.

The project to build affordable yet energy efficient homes for young families on Susanville Indian Rancheria land near Chestnut and Joaquin Street has gone through a whirlwind building process ever since Sunnyside Homes owner Gail Helmer was awarded the bid to build the project on June 22.

Four months later, all but two units of the 12-unit project are in their final stages of completion, a fact Helmer is very proud of.

“(The Rancheria) had a certain criteria that I had to meet,” Helmer said. “We’ve met that criteria, and we’ve exceeded it by a long-shot. I just wanted to make sure they got a real good product.”

The project was designed for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program. The funding came from the Indian Community Development Block Grant Program, which according the HUD’s Web site, is used primarily to “provide eligible grantees with direct grants for use in developing viable Indian and Alaska Native communities.”

Executive Director of SIRHA Brian Newman said the Rancheria has been developing the infrastructure of the project since 2000, when they first purchased the 3.2-acre property. After acquiring the property, the housing authority began improving the property to bring up to the level needed for the houses to be built.

After the land development, SIRHA began to entertain bids for which company would provide the homes. SIRHA entertained three bids, including Sunnyside Homes, as well as two developers outside the area.

Helmer, who originally started Sunnyside Homes with her husband in Janesville in 1984, said her family-owned company actually had the lowest bid. Helmer said her being located in Lassen County and her willingness to work with Manpower Inc, a job placement company, was part of the reason Sunnyside Homes was selected for the project. Newman said part of the requirement for receiving the funding for the project was that some of the local tribal members had to participate in the building portion of the homes. Helmer said she was more than willing to comply. With the help of her son, Matt Schortz of Schortz Enterprise in Janesville, they were able to get workers to contribute the bulk of the labor.

Helmer said Schortz acted as a job site coordinator and contractor during the construction.

“That was something that we worked out too, that Sunnyside would be more than willing to pretty much help provide direction,” Helmer said. “So, it’s an interesting project in that it’s a shared project. All 12 houses came from Sunnyside Homes. Sunnyside is providing the utility hookup. However, Sunnyside is only doing six of the twelve foundations, while Manpower is doing the other six.”

The project is now better recognized as Hammawi Court, a cul-de-sac located off of Chestnut Street. Helmer said the project moved at almost breakneck speeds over the last 30 plus days. The first manufactured home was delivered on Sept. 5, and now that home is almost completely finished.

Each house on the street is a three-bedroom, two-bath house except for a couple four-bedroom, two-bath units. Helmer explained that all of the furnishings in the homes are top quality. All appliances are energy efficient, as is the structural integrity of the homes, right down the insulated window frames.

Helmer said all of the homes will be finished and ready for move in by the end of this year. Newman said the Rancheria will soon begin the process of selecting which families will be eligible to live on Hammawi Court.