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The couple purchased a two-acre parcel on the corner of Rt. 30
and Denver-Vega Road in Kelly Corners with plans to expand their
business. "At that time, we'd been operating Absolute Construction
for about ten years and really wanted to explore millworking,"
Erica said. "Over the years, we realized that hunting for the
right wood to use for trimwork and other projects was too time consuming
and difficult. We had very specific orders from customers. To meet
their needs, we decided to buy local dimension lumber and work to
mill it ourselves."
When they bought the property in Kelly Corners, the Anconas had
their work cut out for them. During a recent visit to the place,
Glenn took me on a tour of the grounds. "Most of the land was
overgrown with trees and weeds. You couldn't even see the old house
from the road. And the barn was crammed full of old relics. It needed
a lot of work." Today, the yard is open and gravel-covered,
the house – soon to be converted into an office and showroom
– is ready for restoration. But it is the barn that catches
your eye. Bright beige with a large American flag draped across
the front, it has been completely renovated – inside and out
– and is stocked with new millworking equipment and electrical
upgrades purchased with grant money from the Watershed Forestry
Program's Rural Development through Forestry Grant Initiative.
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| Baby barns manufactured on site at
Absolute Construction's new facility in Margaretville |
The grants program is a USDA Forest Service-funded economic development
initiative targeting wood-based businesses in the New York City
watersheds. Its goal is to ensure that forestry – one of the
preferred land uses to protect water quality in the region –
continues to be a viable industry in the Catskills.
"The grants from the Watershed Forestry Program came at just
the right time for the company," Erica said. "The area
is growing and the grant money enabled us to install a large dust
collection system and purchase machinery to custom build homes from
start to finish. The new machines have helped to bolster our baby
barn production line, too." Driving down Denver-Vega Road,
passers-by can see a chain of baby barns flanking the stream on
the company's new parcel. "Finally, the Watershed funds helped
us to upgrade our electrical system in the barn to run the new equipment,"
Erica said. "After our electrician finished his work on the
barn, I was so excited! The barn was ready."
As I finished my walk around Absolute's new headquarters with Glenn,
he said, "You know, this kind of expansion would have taken
us six to eight years to complete through loans and other financial
arrangements. The grants have helped us take giant steps forward
in less than a year." With the company's reputation for quality
and meticulous attention to customers' needs, the new millworking
operation is poised to be one of the best in the area and a great
complement to the existing construction company. And their customers
seem to agree. Recently, readers of The Catskill Mountain News named
Absolute Construction the Best Contractor in the Region for 2001. |
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