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The
first five of 20 Make It Right homes are being laid on their
concrete foundations in Poplar this week. The homes are part
of a sustainable village project. (photo by Richard Peterson
for the Great Falls Tribune)
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Poplar, MT The first five of 20 eco-friendly modular
homes arrived on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and are being
set on their foundations this week.
Founded by actor Brad Pitt,
the Make It Right foundation and the Fort
Peck Tribes are hoping to have the first five families moved
into their new homes by Aug. 1. Plans are to have the entire housing
project filled by Dec. 1.
The homes, built in Washington state, are being laid down in
a sustainable village project on the old Poplar airport site. They
are built from state-of-the art recycled materials and are LEED
Platinum standard, foundation officials said.
The tribes are in the process of preselecting the tenants to
live in the homes and conducted a lottery system among the 127 applicants.
The tenants will ultimately be able to own the homes.
"We've had a fantastic application run and are now working
on certification (of residents)," said Deb Madison, a board
member of the tribes' company, Integrated Solutions. The company
is the developer of the homes, which were designed by foundation
architects with input from Assiniboine and Sioux tribal members.
Eighteen of the homes are being trucked in, and two octagon-shaped
homes will be constructed on-site.
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Each
Make It Right home was built with state-of-the-art materials
and meet the LEED Platinum Standard, foundation officials
said. Actor Brad Pitt founded Make It Right, which has also
built homes in neighborhoods in New Orleans, New Jersey and
Missouri. (photo by Richard Peterson for the Great Falls Tribune)
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There are several styles of houses and, with transportation,
the cost per house is around $235,000, Madison said. The tribes
are doing $2 million to $3 million in infrastructure work, including
installing roads and sewer and water lines, she said.
The foundation and the tribes have been working on the project
for more than two years. Make It Right has also built homes in New
Orleans' Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the
neighborhood in 2005.
The homes are 75 percent more energy efficient than a regular
home, and owners will see a direct impact on their utility bills,
which are expected to not exceed more than $60 a month in the winter.
"Each home has a fireplace. That's what the community asked
for," said Brian Abramson, co-founder of Method Homes, the
Ferndale, Wash., company that built and shipped the 18 modular homes.
"They're super-insulated and no toxic chemicals were used in
the paint, adhesives and finishes."
The Kohler Co. provided the plumbing supplies and Shaw Flooring
chipped in with their products. The homes built with the materials
far exceeds the standards of any low-income government home, foundation
officials said.
The tribes are completing work on the water and sewer lines
and Montana Dakota Utilities is hooking up the electricity and gas
lines. MDU is also considering the construction of a solar farm
in the area, which would be the only one in Montana if built, Madison
said.
Method Homes completed the first Make It Right home in May and
trucked it to the Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles in late
May. The conference, sponsored by Dwell magazine, is America's largest
design event and features designs with cutting-edge technology.
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