Kalamazoo-based non-profit Community Homeworks has offered classes for some time teaching do-it-yourself skills. Soon participants will be able to test those skills with Homeworks’ new tool library.
Beginning Wednesday, Kalamazoo County residents will be able to access the right tool for the job.
Homeworks Director Chris Praedel said the library is meant to take down cost barriers for residents when tackling home repair projects.
“We really want this to be a resource to the community to empower people to tackle the things that they want and need to do, he said. "And we really think that this is going to be an opportunity to kind of expand on the opportunities for people to stay safe and stable in their home.”
Rachel McCartney is the library's manager, which has over 600 tools ranging from power drills to leaf blowers.
She said the library will pair well with the group’s workshops, bringing the community together through the shared goal of home repair.
“It's having somebody to come talk to and being a part of a community of members that are trying to improve their circumstances and have the bravery to try to tackle something that they may have never tackled before.”
McCartney said the new library won't just benefit residents, but also the environment.
"There was a statistic that we came across that the average drill is used for 12 minutes in its lifetime. And so, if you think about how much pollution is created with all that plastic and all that shipping and all of the environmental impact of that many people buying a drill to use it for one project," McCartney said, "being able to minimize that by having one drill serve 150 people in a year, it's enormous."
The tool library had a soft opening last November, with its grand opening set for Wednesday at 1:30pm.
Residents must be 18 years or older to rent and operate the tools.
Members are encouraged to pay $35 annually for access, though fees can be adjusted to meet users' budgets.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
