THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508300558
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Thirty-one sailors from the aircraft carrier Eisenhower put their weight behind a volunteer project Monday and Tuesday at the historic Warwick Hotel in downtown Newport News.
They unloaded, uncrated and assembled 88 rooms of new furniture to equip the remodeled hotel, which has been turned into homes for homeless people in the area.
By noon Tuesday, the sailors were in friendly competition to see who could be the fastest to assemble a wooden bed. The winners boasted that their team of two could put one together in less than three minutes.
The $2 million renovation of the Warwick, built in 1928, is part of the state's Neighborhood Assistance Program. The project is designed to provide a permanent housing community for the homeless.
The 15 men and women moving into the Warwick Friday will pay 30 percent of their income for furnished efficiency apartments.
But first, the 200- to 350-square-foot rooms had to be furnished.
That's where the Navy came in.
``What's going on here is what needs to be going on in this country a lot more than it does,'' said Barbara Barnes. She is director of housing management for VMH Inc., the company hired to manage the project.
Barnes and assistant director Brenda Meadows were looking for volunteers to unload and assemble nearly 500 pieces of new furniture, donated by Stanley Furniture Co. and King Koil Sleep Products. Meadows' husband, Petty Officer First Class Ron Meadows, overheard their conversation.
He recruited 29 men and one woman from the Eisenhower's air department to spend two days working at the residence.
The Eisenhower is undergoing an overhaul nearby at Newport News Shipbuilding.
``I just thought I'd like to do something for the community, since they do so much for us with their tax dollars,'' said Petty Officer Third Class Brian Isbel, 22.
``I'd rather see us help our own people than go to other countries. It gives you some insight when you look at our own needs right here,'' he said.
He and his partner, Petty Officer Third Class Scott Bowman, 21, had just finished assembling and arranging about 35 rooms full of furniture, including beds, dressers, desks and refrigerators. The efficiency apartments are also equipped with microwaves, counter space, kitchen supplies and linens.
Bowman, who lives in Hampton, and Isbell, a Newport News resident, said they were surprised to learn of the need for such a project. Neither sailor had been aware of any homeless people in his neighborhoods.
``Everything has gone smoothly because all these guys are used to working together,'' said Ron Meadows. The Ike's air department consists of five divisions, whose major responsibility is to launch planes from the carrier's flight deck.
``If you ever see flight ops - we call it choreographed chaos - you'd know how used to physical labor they are, too,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
The Warwick Hotel in Newport News now has 88 rooms of beds, drawers,
desks and accessories, part of a $2 million renovation to make the
building a home for homeless and low-income people. Above, Brian
Isbell and Scott Bowman, petty officers third class, from the
Eisenhower, help in the effort. They assembled and arranged about 35
rooms of furniture.
by CNB