The McCook Gazette tells MHProNews that Prairie Gold Homes specializes in selecting inmates to participate in the classroom style construction of modular and on-site homes. The inmates enrolled are typically near the end of their sentence and benefit by gaining construction skills which ease their transition back into society.
Former Mayor Dennis Berry
The program has a zero recidivism rate as of early 2015 and is considered by local officials to be an additional asset they can promote when lobbying for expansion of the McCook Work Ethic Camp.
This week, Prairie Gold Homes hired Former Mayor Dennis Berry to serve as the local Program Director for the non-profit and primarily handle administrative duties. The group has also begun its search for a construction manager. The Lincoln-area non-profit was approved by the McCook, Nebraska, City Council recently to lease the former Public Safety Center, which will serve as a western Nebraska branch for its home construction/inmate training program.
“This will help the community with housing as well as benefit the inmate population, giving folks a new shot at life,” said Berry. Details pertaining to the lease agreement with the city, as well as other details, are still being worked out by the non-profit, but Berry is hopeful the first class will get underway this spring.
In addition to the hiring of Berry, the non-profit has begun its search for a construction manager based out of McCook. According to the help-wanted ad, the individual will be responsible for construction supervision and instruction, as well as transportation of WEC inmates.
The program teaches basic construction skills with students spending roughly half the course time doing bookwork. Prairie Gold Homes Executive Director Renee Bauer lobbied for use of the Public Safety Center in January and said participants are involved from foundation to finish. She said the program would target four classes annually. Typically, three homes would be completed per year, usually one site-built and two modular homes shipped to locations. ##
(Photo Credit: McCook Gazette)
Article submitted by Sandra Lane to – Daily Business News – MHProNews.
