Route 309 Home is Millionth to be Weatherized with Government Funding

Lee Ann and Andrew Garton's home at 4619 Route 309 in Schnecksville, built in 1905, lacked insulation, making it very cold in winter and very hot in summer.

Until Thursday.

That's when the four-bedroom home, where the two are raising their four children, was celebrated as a millionth home in the country to be insulated and upgraded with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Gartons appreciated the help. Andrew Garton is currently unemployed but expects to return to work in the next few weeks, according to a release from the CACLV. However, Lee Ann Garton has multiple sclerosis and her employment options are limited.   

With the funding, CACLV's subcontractor, Sellair, Inc., blew insulation into the attic, floor and walls of the home, installed weatherstripping, caulking and door sweeps, and replaced an old, energy-sapping refrigerator, the release said. The total cost of the weatherization was $10,149.  

"Weatherization is the kind of investment that pays dividends to society in so many ways," said Alicia Miller Karner, president of the CACLV's board, according to the release. "It reduces our dependence on foreign sources of energy, it protects the environment by reducing the damage done by extracting resources from the ground and burning those resources, it creates jobs, it reduces the need for taxpayer-funded energy assistance and, most importantly, it saves families like the Gartons from the burden of bills they can't afford to pay, while improving the comfort of their home."

CACLV has operated a weatherization program for 28 years.