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By Amanda Bortman
When an individual wanted their room a certain color, they painted the walls. When an individual wanted raised garden beds, the team built raised garden beds. New shower heads? Plugged toilets? Patch the fence in the yard? Mailbox needs to be erected again?
Dennis Messana and his team of five maintain BCArc’s 43 group homes, office properties, and Zip-n-Sort’s building.
“We have to be jack-of-all-trades,” Dennis said. Before joining BCArc, he built houses as a contractor, and owned Decks by Dennis. His staff includes Lori Moore, who has a pro-level green thumb and can’t help improve the landscape of BCArc properties wherever she goes. Steve Tatro is a certified exterminator. “Larry Belanger, Andy Kelly, tradesman David Quail and veteran Shane Harrington all have the skills we need to round out the group,” said Dennis.
Depending on the season, our day can include snow removal, landscaping, fixing broken toilet seats, replacing a dishwasher, and overseeing contractors while they build a new roof.
While Dennis enjoys working by himself, he also enjoys working with people, and for people. He said the most rewarding part of working for the individuals is “when you are taking care of their place and you see the smile on their face.”
“I like seeing the people who live in these houses enjoy the houses,” says Dennis.
Case in point: “We recently built the replica of the Fenway Park scoreboard for an individual who loves the Red Sox, and plays baseball by himself in the backyard. Now he has his own stadium.” The team bought the trademarked Green Monster-Green paint, included a mechanism for changing the teams on the board, and for marking which inning they’re in. “We had a blast building this for Eric. Seeing the smile on his face makes the effort worth it.”
Before the Coronavirus hit, BCArc was building new homes at least once a year. “There are always deadlines to meet and a long list of projects to take care of,” said Dennis. “With 43 houses and a number of offices, it’s often difficult to prioritize, and keep the budget down. At the same time, I have to be aware of the codes for a handicapped-accessible home. Kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, doorways, all have their own rules.”
“I like to work. I like to get my hands dirty. I like to complete jobs. And I like seeing the people who live in these houses enjoy the houses. So this job works for me. The whole team feels the same way.”
