El Dorado is being asked to “Paint Your Heart Out” with a volunteer program that is designed to assist the elderly, disabled and low-income families in sprucing up their homes.
Christopher Wasson, customer service manager for Entergy’s El Dorado office, presented the idea last week to the El Dorado City Council, saying that he would like to launch the program in May 2019.
Wasson pointed to a similar program for which he volunteered in Shreveport, Louisiana. The program there has been ongoing for nearly 30 years.
He explained that money for the project in El Dorado would be donated by local businesses and organizations.
Volunteers would provide labor.
The estimated cost is $7,500 per house and Wasson said professional contractors would prep the houses for painting.
Minor repairs would also be included in the project.
Teams of at least 15 people are recommended per house on “paint day,” with a goal of wrapping up the work by noon or 1 p.m., Wasson said, adding that a target date for the scheduled workday would be next May.
“In Shreveport, they’ve done 58 homes in one day. They’ve done 100 in one day,” he said. “It’s a really neat program, and I wanted to know if the city would support something like this?”
Mayor Frank Hash asked who would administer the monetary donations.
“I would,” Wasson said, adding that he would head up a steering team that will sift through applications. The number of houses that are selected would be based on the amount of money that is raised.
“We’ll verify information with tax returns and identify candidates that we feel would benefit most from the program,” Wasson said.
To qualify for the program, applicants must:
• Be 62 and over.
• Disabled.
• Low income (annual household income must be 80 percent or below the median household income for El Dorado — which is estimated between $33,725 and $38,466).
• Owner occupant (whoever occupies the house must the owner).
• Resident of El Dorado.
Houses must structurally meet building/housing codes — local, state and federal — and have visible signs for a need for painting and minor exterior repairs.
Wasson said smoke detectors will also be installed in homes that need them.
El Dorado Fire Chief Chad Mosby said the fire department can assist with the installation of smoke detectors.
“If we identify a home without smoke detectors, we can help with that. We’ll give them away until we run out,” Mosby said.
Added Wasson, “Maybe we can come with funds to buy more.”
Alderman Willie McGhee noted that a community cleanup that was recently held in Ward 3 drew several volunteers and he felt that local residents would be eager to get involved with “Paint Your Heart Out - El Dorado.”
Hash said McGhee and Tony Henry, alderman-elect of Ward 3, Position 2, have expressed interest in serving on the steering committee for the program.
“We have a very benevolent community here. Sometimes, I think we call on them too much,” Hash said.
On Thursday, Wasson told the News-Times that he has received enthusiastic feedback about the program in El Dorado.
“So far, everybody has been positive about contributing and providing labor for paint day,” he said. “We’ll see how many homes we can do based on the funds we raise.”
He said applications are still being drafted, and the steering team will begin accepting applications in August.
For more information or to request an application, call Wasson at 870-864-3838.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at [email protected].