Western New York's Largest Supplier of Reclaimed & Surplus Building Material

Month: June 2011

Coming soon . . .

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In a few weeks, ReUse Action will be able to process, plane and repackage all of the wood products we salvage! It has taken two months to buy tools, set up the space and get stuff in working order, but there is soon to be a functioning workshop space in the back of our storage warehouse where we can do anything from refacing of flooring to repairing furniture to building unique kitchen cabinets with a reclaimed/reused twist! Rusted Grain, the woodshop, has a super solid Berlin Machine Works cast iron planer and a jointer made in the early 20th century, … Read more

Snack Shack Update

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The snack shack ReUse Action is building for the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. is nearly finished. Opening is planned for July 1. The snack shack is the primary structure on the Canal Harbor’s expansion toward the DL&W terminal, along the river. Judging by the crowds we see every day, it should be a hit from day one. All that’s left on the outside is to trim the roof edge. All the mechanicals and the food service equipment is ready to go inside. The landscapers have been busy rolling out sod where there was rubble only a few weeks ago. … Read more

The “Snack” Shack

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As part of the push for waterfront development, ECHDC has committed to a very ambitious schedule for building and connecting waterfront pathways this summer.  ReUse Action has landed the job of building the “snack shack” along the boardwalk, a food kiosk where walkers, joggers and cyclists can all stop for a cold beverage and some tasty treats!  Yes, we’re excited about the food, but we’re more excited because the building incorporates a lot of green building and material reuse components! Green Building Components:  The building is held together by blood, sweat and . . . SISs/SIPs! SIS stands for Structural … Read more

Salvaging at the Lafayette Hotel

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We’ve hinted at our current big salvage project, and some of you may have seen activity downtown at Washington and Clinton. Here’s the scoop on what ReUse Action’s salvage team is up to: The Lafayette, Buffalo’s Most Palatial Hotel . . . Absolutely Fireproof . . . European Plan . . . 300 Rooms . . . Designed by the first female professional architect in the US, Louise Blanchard Bethune. Opened in 1904, every room featured hot and cold water and a telephone. Built in the French Renaissance style, befitting its name, Lafayette, after the French general who fought in … Read more

Empowering Neighbor

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Michael was interviewed by Megan Callahan for Merge’s Empowering Neighbors feature. Read the whole interview at The Good Neighborhood: You have a passion for helping young people, for equipping them with concrete job skills and readiness in the “green collar” class and finding them job placement, as you mentioned. How is that going? Is this a model you plan to continue? Well, I have a commitment at ReUse Action to support: A) employment opportunities in our community; and B) young adults in our community who are out of school and out of work. So that’s long been my commitment in … Read more

Do not wait…

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“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” ~Mother Teresa Though my formal schooling is long behind me, I’m grateful that my hunger for new information, ideas, and skills is still rumbling.  I learn best from doing, so if I were to spend the next year in learning mode, I’d design my year to learn directly from some of my friends that are experts in their respective fields.  I can think of many of this fine folks…friends that are overflowing with information and skills, people whose talent I envy and admire, and individuals that have so much … Read more