So…i’m getting heat from ReUse Action staff that we are not doing the best job keeping our website up to date of current events and happenings…the problem is we’re so darn busy.

This blog post features an update on our latest and greatest project ever…the 468 room salvage at the Hotel Lafayette.  Work began just two weeks ago and we anticipate another 4 weeks on-site.  We’re making progress, keeping tremendous materials out of the landfill and creating employment opportunities here in our fine city…

And now, the latest from staff member Megan McNally…more to come…

Retraining the Queen City: Part 1

by Megan McNally
While a big part of ReUse Action is devoted to reclaiming our city by incorporating salvaged materials in our building projects, another large component of our company is that we train our workers for the future of green building deconstruction and rehabilitation.

With natural resource accessibility declining, we believe that deconstruction and salvage is the way of the future, not demolishing and crunching up valuable material and carting it to the landfill never to be seen again. This means that there must be workers trained in the art of removing, processing and saving materials, which is why ReUse Action is excited to be working in conjunction with the Outsource Center and employing our city’s youth in salvage and deconstruction services. Right now we are training them how to safely and carefully remove tubs, sinks, tiles, doors and molding from Hotel Lafayette in preparation for the rehabilitation of this amazing piece of Buffalo’s architectural history.

As we walk into the lobby every morning or as we line the oak doors up along the wall to be processed, we can only imagine what this place must have looked like.  Hotel Lafayette, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was originally designed by the firm of Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs, and in its prime was considered one of the 15 finest hotels in the country! With 6 floors and over 400 rooms, this salvage project at Hotel Lafayette requires a talented crew of individuals, and we are proud to report that this crew of ours is salvaging and deconstructing on time and with much enthusiasm.

If we can do a salvage job as large as Lafayette with this crew, we can do any size project! Before you demo an addition to your house or get rid of a barn or even renovate your kitchen, please consider deconstruction/salvage over demolition.  Not only will you be holding building materials out of the waste stream, but you will  also be providing training opportunities for our green jobs economy!