It’s the makeover they swished for!
Aspiring athletes at a Vinegar Hill public-housing complex can shoot hoops on a brand new basketball court after dozens of do-gooders hustled to renovate the facility on Thursday, according to an organizer of the project.
“Kids will be playing basketball in that gymnasium again,” said Terry Scott, who oversees construction jobs for Rebuilding Together, a group that helps rehabilitate dilapidated properties across the city. “Nothing could make me happier.”
Thirty-one volunteers dedicated their day to fixing up the community center at the city-run Farragut Houses — a 10-building complex with more than 3,400 residents, according to records — by replacing its gym’s flooring, sprucing up fixtures such as handrails, repairing seating, and giving the space a fresh coat of paint, Scott said.
Rebuilding Together leaders worked on the renovation with bigwigs at city-based builders Turner Construction Company, who corralled volunteers and coughed up cash to fund the upgrades, he said.
And the day of service went so well that the good Samaritans are planing to return to the community center next month to lend their helpful hands to other projects, which include creating a computer-equipped workspace, according to Scott.
“There were too many hugs trying to get out the door,” he said. “We’re going back in early June to do another go-around.”