Francisco Cruz Jr. gets few complaints from soldiers and their families about their stays at the Fisher House at Fort Gordon, but there have been some negative comments about the dining room wallpaper.
"Every lady that comes in, and past residents" comment on the out-of-date wallpaper, which features a busy print with a forest of green and white vertical stripes below the chair rail, said Mr. Cruz, the house manager.
Soon that will change. The Fisher House will undergo its first upgrade since it opened in 1993.
Haimanot Abbit, an interior designer in the Army's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command in Alexandria, Va., spent Aug. 26-27 at the house evaluating it for updates.
The dining room wallpaper will be among the first items to go, she said.
"It will have more neutral colors," she said. "I'll try not to make it trendy. It will be neutral tone on tone so it can last 10-15 years."
Updates will also bring the house up to the standards of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Kitchen appliances will be changed to be more accessible to those in wheelchairs. Currently, the microwave is too high for a person in a wheelchair to reach. Also, the knobs on the stove are out of reach.
There will be additional painting and wallpapering in the rooms, and some of the light fixtures will be changed.
Work on the exterior is already under way.
"We've already pressure-washed," said Michael Spray, of Taylor Construction, a company doing some of the repairs.
Next, some rotten wood, the oversize shutters and some exterior light fixtures will be replaced. The brick faÃade will get a coat of sealant, and the chimney will receive some cosmetics to hide a place where it was struck by lightning, said Mr. Cruz.
The exterior work should be complete in the next 30 days. The interior work must be bid on; the house will have to be shut down for about 30 days to complete the work. Mr. Cruz said he hopes the work can be done in February or March, because that's usually a slow time at the facility.
The Fisher House provides free lodging for the families of injured or wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment at area hospitals. The house depends on volunteers and donations to offset operating expenses.
Donations to the Fisher House can be mailed to Fisher House, 280 Fisher House Road, Fort Gordon, GA 30905. Checks must specify that the money is to be used at the Fort Gordon house. Otherwise, donations become part of the Fisher House Foundation and may be used for any Fisher House.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010. All Rights Reserved.
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