Students build, company donates land for Habitat house

by Mike Knaak

news@thenewsleaders.com

Sartell High School students have been busy building a Habitat for Humanity house and now, thanks to a land donation from a local company, the completed home will stay in the Sartell-St. St. Stephen school district.

Ryan and Bethany Cross, co-owners of BCI Construction, donated a lot they owned in their Sartell neighborhood so the six-bedroom, three-bath 2,112 square-foot bi-level may be moved to its permanent location in the spring of 2022.

The original Sartell property where the home was to be moved fell through. After weeks of looking for a suitable replacement, it seemed the only option was to move the home outside of the Sartell community. Joe Schulte, SabreCON Instructor, mentioned the lack of available real estate to Ryan and Bethany Cross at a community event.

The Crosses quickly determined the opportunity to donate the lot would likely be a perfect fit. The half-acre wooded lot is nestled in an established neighborhood, which would be ideal for a family home.

On a recent unseasonably warm winter afternoon, Schulte’s students scrambled up scaffolding and installed soffits on the house under construction at the high school. While several crews worked outside, another team worked on the interior. Schulte circled the house and offered tips and an occasional helping hand.

For the students, the project is a chance to help the community while also gaining valuable experience for entering the building trades.

“Out of our crew of 18 right now, most of them are going trades pathways,” Schulte said. “We have 10 students who are committed to technical colleges including St. Cloud Technical & Community College and Alexandria technical college. We have a number of students who are looking at going directly into the trades and joining apprenticeship training programs working toward their journeyman’s license with local industry partner companies like J-Berd. Both are pathways of success into rewarding and promising careers for members of the crew.”

Other students are considering architecture or civil engineering careers while others are considering welding and fabrication but want the construction trades experience.

The Sartell students are building the upper level of the bi-level home. The foundation and lower level will be built at the home site and the students will likely be involved in some of that construction in the spring. This is the first home build collaboration for Sartell High School.

Ryan and Bethany Cross are part owners of BCI Construction Inc. in Sauk Rapids, where Ryan is the president and CEO. BCI employs about 50 construction professionals. Bethany is an attorney at Rinke Noonan in St. Cloud practicing real estate, estate planning and business law.

“We are invested in our community, and this opportunity aligns with our family values beautifully,” Ryan Cross said in a statement. “Our family is able to support our local community and help in educating skilled trades people, who are vital to our community and our workforce. As an added bonus, we can also help a family with a hand up as they invest their time, education and sweat equity into a solid start to homeownership.”

Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity has been building and selling homes for more than 31 years, and they have been partnering with local high schools, colleges and youth organizations since 2015 for School Build projects. Their vision is to ensure everyone in Central Minnesota has a decent place to live at a price they can afford.

To support this project or future SabreCON Habitat homes, contact Joe Schulte at joseph.schulte@isd748.org and Chad Johnson, executive director of Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity at CJohnson@cmhfh.org.

To watch a video showing the progress from the start to the present, go to youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBgboX7UU-mZnfUvaHffBrcKpuyKZNF3O.