Over 70 people attend Golden Shovel Ceremony
PASO ROBLES — Habitat for Humanity SLO County proudly held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of nine homes in Paso Robles on Thursday, June 1. Over 70 people attended, including SLO County officials, Paso Robles city officials, Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce board members and staff, Habitat for Humanity board members and staff, and USDA Program Director for California Stephen Nnodin.
Nicholas Rasmussen, Habitat for Humanity SLO County CEO, opened the ceremony.
“I am extremely grateful for the continued support to address affordable housing needs for families in our community,” Rasmussen said. “This project is only possible because of continued collaboration at the city, county, state, and federal levels.”
Emily Baranek, the Vine Street Build project manager, has been a part of this project for over a decade, first as a volunteer.
“We are so proud and thankful to be breaking ground on this project,” Baranek said. “Many people, businesses and organizations have been working for years to make this a reality. Together with our nine partner families, Habitat is looking forward to building a strong community around this project and I think today was a great start.”
Sponsors and partners include USDA, City of Paso Robles, County of San Luis Obispo, Precision Construction Services, Pacific Premier Bank, Mechanics Bank, A&T Arborists, Above Grade Engineering, Althouse & Meade, Ashley & Vance Engineering, Earth Systems Pacific, GEO Solutions, Greg Wilhelm Architects, Jim Burrows Landscape Architect, Will Ruoff Architect & 4 Creeks, Vintage Wine Estates, and Zurn Industries.
Precision Construction Services is managing the nine-home Vine Street build.
“I can’t think of a better way to give back to the community than to support Habitat’s mission of helping hard working families achieve the American dream of homeownership,” said Precision Construction Services CEO Karl Vaillancourt. “We at Precision are humbled and honored to play a part in delivering for the organization, the community, and these deserving families.”
Jim Duffy, president of Ten Over Studio and Habitat SLO County Board president, is honored to be a part of the project.
“Today’s groundbreaking marks a significant milestone for our organization,” Duffy said. “We are so grateful for the countless hours of dedicated volunteers in our community and the financial support we have received from a wide variety of sources to bring this project to life. We’re honored to be serving our community by building housing for our neighbors.”
To support and learn more about this project and Habitat for Humanity SLO County, go to habitatslo.org.
Feature Image: (From left) Karl Vaillancourt, Precision Services CEO; Emily Baranek, Habitat for Humanity SLO County project manager; Nick Rasmussen, Habitat for Humanity SLO County CEO; Jonathan Stornetta, Paso Robles chief of Fire and Emergency Services; Darren Nash, Paso Robles city planner; Stephen Nnodin, USDA program director; Vicky Janssen, legislative assistant to District 1 Supervisor John Peschong; Jim Duffy, Ten Over Studio president and Habitat for Humanity SLO board chair; Mark Koegler, Paso Robles Planning Commissioner; Gina Fitzpatrick, Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce CEO; and Kraig Crozier, GEO Solutions Principal and Habitat for Humanity SLO board member, gather for the groundbreaking of nine homes in Paso Robles. Contributed Photo.
