The memorial will include a gathering area, a legacy trail, a commemorative circle and an interpretive site that looks toward the crash area 2,000 feet away.
Posted on 08/28/2005 12:34:56 PM PDT by lunarbicep
HIBBING, Minn. - Timber harvested from the site of the plane crash that killed U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone and seven others will be used to build a Habitat for Humanity home.
"I think using this lumber makes it very unique," said Nathan Thompson, executive director of North St. Louis County Habitat for Humanity.
"Paul Wellstone was a person who really would have liked to see something like this happen," Thompson said. "Projects that help people in need are what he wanted; it's really fitting."
Wellstone, his wife, Sheila, daughter Marcia Markuson and five others died Oct. 25, 2002, near the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport.
Five Norway pines and white spruce trees cut to make way for a $250,000, 5.8-acre memorial site for the crash victims were made into lumber to help frame the 1,100-square-foot, three-bedroom Habitat for Humanity home in Hibbing.
Lumber mill operator Conrad Jacobsen of rural Mountain Iron donated sawing and planing of the lumber.
On Monday, teenagers from Iron Range Youth in Action, a youth group involved in community projects across the Range, will deliver about three pickup loads of two-by-fours and two-by-sixes to the building site.
Care-A-Vanners, a group of people that travels across the country helping build Habitat for Humanity homes, will then start working on the Hibbing home.
"It's a chance to take some resources from the Wellstone site and turn it into something good," said St. Louis County Commissioner Keith Nelson, whose district includes the Wellstone historical site.
"It's the kids (Youth in Action) who have done a lot of the work on this project. They deserve a lot of the credit," said Nelson, who has stored about 1,500 square feet of lumber from the five trees at his home.
Wellstone was well known as an advocate for the poor, needy and disenfranchised.
"I really think the late senator would have approved," said Nelson.
The home is expected to be finished by December. Raeanne Baumchen, 24, will live in the home with her 9-year-old son, Ethan.
"I didn't even know about the wood coming from there until somebody at work told me about it. I think it's pretty neat. I'll have something that nobody has," said Baumchen, who works at a kidney dialysis center in Hibbing.
As required of all Habitat for Humanity homeowners, Baumchen already has been putting sweat equity into other Habitat for Humanity homes and her future home.
$250,000 would build a couple of nice homes too
In Hibbing????
Should have been accompanied by a very large BARF alert.
Those same libs would have a fit if some republican wanted to make paper for poor school children from the tree that killed Sonny Bono.
http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html
And if he had been a republican....they would say he hated these same folks.
This isn't a news story, its a press release.
Kumbaya!
Trees were lost? Oh, the humanity! [eco-friendly definition]
So, is the crash site some kind of holy shrine, making these trees really, really special? Good grief.
"Five Norway pines and white spruce trees" were sacrificed for this monument to fatuity. Where are the environmentalists when they are really needed?
The dedication for the memorial will probably have the same circus routine as his funeral.....
Not here in LA. I'm a well paid professional (75K+)and I can't even qualify for a medan priced home here.
You sure this isn't from Scrappleface.com?
So Wellstone was a serial tree killer?
Beautiful country up there. Those northern pines are perfect telephone poles.
And a big 'ol "Don't mess with Hillary" sign.
This bit of news really warmed my cockles!
And just think of the pollution those chainsaws will make.
"Pine and spruce"
Those are not good structural grades - maybe for trim.
Studs and beams should be d-fir/larch.
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