December 21 may have been gray and wet, but Mother Nature could not dampen the spirits of some residents at Campbell Creek Village. The Village, formerly Harbor Pines and West Harbor Pines, is undergoing a massive transformation by Community Housing of Maine (CHOM). The organization purchased the property October 1.

The first five completely renovated homes were gutted, brought up to code, the outer walls and foundation insulated and new windows and exterior doors hung for energy efficiency;  Energy Star kitchen appliances were installed, new bathrooms with low-flow fixtures, all new flooring (no carpeting), and freshly painted.

The first building's siding is almost complete. To brighten up the new community, the dreary gray shingles are being replaced with siding in a neutral palette of green, linen and blue.

When moving, residents had the option of using $200 to use a moving company provided through CHOM, or keep the $200 and move themselves. Wilma Tatlock has been a resident there since 1988 and is the first to move into her brand new, two bedroom apartment. Tatlock opted to have movers assist her with the move because she had several large pieces of furniture.  

“It's so exciting! I saw it yesterday during the open house and it all looks very nice,” Tatlock said. “It's all painted, new appliances ... they've made some really good changes for us. I'm very excited about getting in there.”

Work is in high gear on the second of three buildings on the family side being renovated. Crews will work half days on Christmas and New Year's Eve, and be off on Christmas and New Year's Day.

The second building will be move-in ready by January 19, according to Aaron Bourassa of Great Falls Construction, the contractor for the renovation project.