Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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“Coffee Cup”

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We are Jessica and Charlie Hazzard. We have purchased the historic 1938 hospital in Bigfork, MN, and we need your help to get a new roof. The building, which we have renamed Sam’s Place, is a 16to20-bedroom, independent living facility for special needs adults or elderly with some special services and meals provided. We are inspired to provide an updated, clean and safe living environment for those who may not be able to advocate for themselves. We need financial help, community assistance, general labor and professional services.

 A man I call “Coffee Cup” – As I peeled the bedding from a single sized mattress, I saw holes worn through the top that exposed the coil springs inside the mattress. This mattress, like many others, was covered with layers of blankets and sheets, stained and covered again and again… I thought, “Would I sleep here? Is this how I would provide for my kids? Would I put my mother in this bed?”  I can’t believe this is the best we can do for those who need our help. The blankets covering the springs had actually intertwined the fibers with the mattress, making it necessary to apply a good amount of force to remove the blanket.

This is “Coffee Cup’s” reward for living here 30 plus years. His life was centered in a tiny room that had no sunlight. The window that had once been the source of beauty and blue skies, was now shielded by the underside of a makeshift roof protecting 1000 gallons of fuel oil. Jess started to weep out-loud. She proclaimed, “He deserves better. They all deserve so much better.”

This man we will call “Coffee Cup” had been living here longer than most people can remember. “Coffee Cup” could be found daily, walking the town that loved him and talking to patrons of stores. One day I watched him for a couple hours, walking from the north to the south and back north, visiting his regular stops along the way. Now I see him in a different light. I see a man living in an 11-foot square room with a chair, a portrait of himself as a young man, and his “nice” clothes that looked untouched for years, hanging in his private restroom that had been stripped of the sink and commode. The toilet flange was still where it should be but was “covered” like so many other problems in this grand, old building. I wondered, “Can ‘Coffee Cup’ articulate the needs he has?”

“Coffee Cup” had to be moved to a new home in a new town by the Itasca County Adult Protective Services.  I often wonder…. Is he confused? Is he lonely? Is he scared? Does he have the support he needs now?  He was such a loved part of Bigfork. Everyone knew him and now he is gone, likely to never return.

THE INSPECTOR! – We met with the county inspector that filed the report that eventually led me to this building on a service call to “fix” the boilers that had stopped working. I own Spring Lake Heating and Air. When I saw the attempted repair on a cast iron boiler with epoxy, I knew this building had not seen a professional for decades, and it would require a miracle to revive it.

The inspector was very patient, and we had many questions about his initial findings. He revealed that he had inspected about 4 rooms where clients had slept, and of those rooms inspected, THREE HAD ROOF LEAKS! Obviously, this was no shock to us after we were able to thoroughly inspect the existing roof. We knew the roof was no spring chicken, but not what we were told when we bought the building.

I have rehabilitated many houses, as well as worked commercial & residential heating and air for many years. Although I am well qualified to handle this task, we need help. As hard as I work to maintain my full-time job of a small business owner, a small startup hog producer, a father to a special needs son, and a husband to a loving wife… I can’t do everything that needs to be done on my own.

After requesting quotes for roofing repairs and replacements, I was turned down by some companies, as they told me, “We are not interested in taking on this project.” I have secured quotes from our local builders to replace our rubber roof with a truss and formed metal roof. We need this before winter. 

We have begun the process of applying for grants, but for many it will take up to a year to qualify and receive funds in order to start a project. SO, we are reaching out to the community for help.

Although this project is important to the community, it serves as more than just community benefit. This project is about making improvements to a historic building that has existed in the Bigfork community for years and utilizing it to provide a safe, clean, caring home that someone would actually want to live in. 

Who will live here?

This could be your uncle’s home.

Your brother that lived in a cabin in the woods might live here because he wants to live in his “small town” rather than dying in the city.

Maybe your mother will live here? She is just not able to keep up on her house repairs after Pa died, but she doesn’t want to live in a “home”.

This is a home for those that can almost do everything and want to live more independently. They want to live with dignity. This is where you would like to live if life is just too much alone. This is a home. 

Contributions can be made directly to “Sam’s Place” c/o Bigfork State Bank or online at our Go Fund Me campaign: Help put a roof on Sam’s Place

Check our Facebook page at Sam’s Place Bigfork MN for specific smaller projects that can be volunteered for like painting, landscaping or cleaning…. or maybe you would like to purchase a front load washing machine, pour concrete steps, or help replace windows and doors… There is no shortage of work.

Follow our blog at About Living Hazzardously

There is no donation that is too small. Every dollar makes a difference.

Thank you in advance for helping us help our community.

There is no donation that is too small, every dollar makes a difference. 

Sam’s Place, read more about our vision and Mission here Sam’s Place (livinghazzardously.com)

Connect with us on Facebook at Sam’s Place 

What a beautiful mess

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What a beautiful mess! I know this is a huge undertaking and I know how disciplined I will need to stay in order to accomplish what needs to be done. Or at least I think I do… 

So far, I have moved all the beds, chairs, dressers, lamps & old tv sets out of the first wing… The first wing is now empty of furniture! The previous era has come to an end and the new is beginning. I have discovered that no mask can truly combat Carpet soaked in cat pee, ohh how I despise cat pee.

This week I have been working on emptying all the rooms and getting things ready for paint, disconnecting the old boilers so I can pressure test the radiators. Good news, they held pressure for two days straight. Now I can start planning the new heating plant, prepping rooms for paint, floor repairs and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning…  I have some trim to replace and floors to seal, holes to patch and cracks to cure. I may move them old cast iron radiators into the hall to get the rooms ready for painting and flooring, shouldn’t be too bad as each one has unions. 

We are on the hunt for an economical vinyl plank (or something) to just cover the floor. If the floors last 5 years? Fantastic! If not? We will address that in the future, today is all about “price”. I have always been a “value shopper” and never have I been a “price hunter” … it’s oddly strange and goes against my natural desire. The best value is my normal… never just the bottom line. Being a small business owner, I understand value. Every so often I get a customer that is a “price hunter”. When price is all that matters, it’s hard to sell value.

I thought a short history lesson may be fun. I sat down this morning and studied the abstract, just to get a decent feel for what has gone on in the past. 

This is a story of a piece of land in Northern Itasca County… In the beginning the land was filled with rich large PINE timber

In the year 1906 the land was deeded from the United States to Ed Shultis, in 1908 it became the third addition to the village of Bigfork. Around 1912 an easement was established by Minneapolis and Rainy railroad; this is now the foot bridge crossing the river near the north end of town, don’t get it mistaken with the old railroad trestle. 

In 1938-41 The cornerstone was set for a rural Hospital. The first doctor was hired, his name was Dr Bender (I’m not sure if he practiced Chiropractics or not). North Itasca Hospital Association opened what is possibly the first rural hospital in Minnesota; we are still trying to “verify” this.

In 1957 an addition was made off the east side of the building, adding 4 beds, a Dr office, a Dentist office & a kitchen.

In 1965 the new hospital opened, and this hospital was closed. The building was then sold to Leisure Hills Inc. For many years the building was operated as a retirement facility which is extremely surprising as there is no elevator, chair lift or ramp to get into the lower level for dinner.  

From 1981-2024 the building had at least three new owners and was named “Riverside Residence”. The old building sat there year after year waiting for someone to come along and love it back to health, the electrical just kept getting older, the roofing just leaked more, and the carpet just absorbed more cat pee. Windows would give into the constant nagging winters and lack of paint would allow the water to take away the only barrier between the Minnesota cold and the warmth of the cast iron radiators that were working overtime. 

Some call it fate, I call it “divine appointment” 

On March 6, 2024, at approximately 2pm, I walked into the building for the first time and met the owner. I noticed a few guys, one I knew as “Coffee Cup Ron” his room was just to the left of the front door, he looked tired and weak as he made his way into his small room and sat down on the bed, I saw him later on my way out again in a “near collapsed state” on one of the nearby chairs. As the owner brought me downstairs to the boiler room, I had observed a few areas of the building that were “interesting”. I stepped past the makeshift double doors into the boiler room, and I gasped at what I saw. There, in the middle of a crowded room sat four boilers, three oil and one propane (the propane boiler isn’t connected to anything) The three boilers that were connected were in an extremely distressed condition, anything but a safe condition and I feared for the residents that had no options but to continue living directly above a virtual time bomb. 

A closer inspection revealed one boiler had an attempted repair using epoxy on a cracked section of the cast iron boiler… epoxy? The owner commented she had a handyman make an attempt at repairing this… I shuddered a bit at that thought. I have seen the destructive power of boilers that were operated improperly, I have seen it and I have the utmost respect for this scenario. I tried to not show fear on my face, but that was hard. In my veins I felt a slight chill as I recounted my qualifications as a chief boiler operator and the responsibility that title holds. 

 The building was dotted with small electric heaters, doors to bathrooms were locked but I could see the sewage leaking out from under the door. The floors were wet more than dry and later I would discover it is in part a sewer back up and in part leaking water lines that had been patched over the years and never actually repaired.

As I revealed the truth about her boilers, the owner broke down into tears.  As I explained, the only way to fix this is a full replacement of the system, she slumped down in despair. It was at that very moment I was completely overwhelmed with the one thought: I knew I needed to go home and talk to Jess; I knew we needed to figure out a way to buy this building, I knew we needed to fix it up, I knew we needed to provide a better home for the guys living there.

I won’t reveal more of that day and the emotions that led to the horrible situation.  I was starting to better understand. It must have been so hard to struggle to keep going every day, thinking about the difficulties she had to deal with, to just to manage this monster of a building, to see how much she cared for the guys living there. This was truly heartwarming. Covid was harder than some may think, covid was a back breaker and she was crushed. 

As time went on, Jess and I both understood it was our mission to lead this building back into a usable condition and so we took God’s lead and jumped in. Jumping into a beautiful mess. But that cat pee is a killer.

Sewers and windows

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Week one, done! Jess has her work cut out for her as we start to write business plans, seek out grants, donations and start the “non-profit” side of things. We have so much to do, we will hopefully get to the bank this week and open a trust account for donations until we can transfer this directly to the non-profit organization. Up to this point, this venture is all out of our pocket. So far, we have been able to start Sam’s Place on cash only… but that’s not going to last long. Please make donations payable to “Sam’s Place”.

We started this week with exploration, discovery and calculations. We now have a much better idea of what we are up against. The best money spent this week went to “Scooters”, professional, courteous and fast service, they listened to me and made my day so much better.  Thank you, Randy, it’s clean and dry now, still smells like _____ but that’s how it goes. 

I removed one window and verified the construction techniques of the double hung, counterbalanced windows in the original building and took measurements for replacements. We conducted some price comparisons; I was so pleased to discover that Lakeside Lumber & Hardware (our local lumber yard) is competitive on pricing. We truly believe in supporting the local businesses in every way. This just adds to my assertion to continue to support them. We may need to stretch our funds but it’s so nice to know that local spending is still our best option. It’s going to take some time to really get stuff done around here but so far, I am not really surprised at our findings. 

In 1957 there were two meters installed in the lower level, one was labeled “dentist” and the other labeled “doctor”. One was bypassed with a 12-gauge wire and a fuse block (very creative but not real safe), the other still had the meter installed. Lovdahl Electric has already started to replace three fuse panels. The goal is to eliminate a “multitude” of potential fires and subverting insurance claims. We found one circuit that was chopped out by cutting the pipe full of wires… but reinstalling the fuses… so the live wires were just sitting in the end of the pipe, waiting for the most opportune time to reveal this dangerous short cut to the least expectant victim. I’m wondering if I should plan for future Air Conditioning in the building or try to save a few bucks to spend three times as much in the future… I think now is smarter.

I will admit, we have had one surprise so far and it seems to be one of our biggest challenges… INSURANCE! I have discovered that insurance is really only available to those who “don’t need it”… getting insurance has been so expensive and troublesome. Most companies won’t even return our inquiries when they hear “Yes, we currently have fused panels and not breaker panels” (that is being corrected already) We signed on with the company I have been using for many years, a man I have known from my days in Belle Plaine. Currently it’s a short-term policy until we can occupy the building (a vacant building is crazy to get covered) but even after that, the costs and requirements are over the top.

Good news is the sprinkler system is good for a few more years… just don’t paint the sprinkler heads.

We will be stripping/ripping carpet off the floors, patching the floors, walls & ceilings. Painting walls and ceilings as soon as possible. Egg shell white is our goal for everything inside, maybe one day we can add color but in the words of my sons “TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY” 

The building will be addressed in “Phases” so we can start to open asap. 

  • First phase is the upper level of the original building. 7 rooms and the front entry.
  • Second phase is the lower level of the addition. Kitchen and laundry area.
  • Third Phase is the upper level of the addition. 6 rooms and rear entry.
  • Fourth Phase is the lower level of the original building, this will be a large suite, a corner room and a staff office/ overnight bunk.
  • Fifth phase is the exterior, shutters and color.
  • Sixth Phase is landscape. A beautiful garden for sitting and relaxing, a privacy fence along the sides of the garden and a picket fence between the garden and the stunning view of the river. Adding a parking lot in the rear and security measures as well as better storm water drainage
  • Seventh phase is adding “ADA” access. A wheelchair lift is probably the answer. Something similar to the chair lift in City Hall would be best. Does anyone have one laying around? We would be happy to get that donation!
  • Eight phase is…. more dreams….

This is my “priority list” but some of this will definitely be overlapping. For instance, I will be installing new boilers before this fall, making changes to the roof so we don’t continue to see the storms inside the building and making temporary ceiling repairs for our licensing.

We have found some “replacement” plumbing fixtures that need to be replaced and repaired. Cats have been allowed into some spaces and they have left behind the scent of their “domestic life” in the carpets. Plenty of cleaning, minor repairs, locks to change and all the normal things one might expect.

Our disappointment so far is limited to discovering all the documents, pictures or historical items of any type have been removed. This was a serious let down for us as we had such big dreams of a “Museum wall” in the cafe. We are hoping to appeal to the community to provide anything! Your help in this is priceless, we hope to build this back into our dream. 

We clearly see the struggles over the years to keep this fantastic part of the community in good operating condition. It has taken its toll and makes me sad that this building will need to have so much of its history replaced. At “Sam’s Place” we are dedicated to making this happen and making it happen is what we will do.

I am hoping to post a few pictures in my next blog. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Thank you for the support, Sam’s Place & Livinghazzadously.

Sam’s Place ℅ Jess and Charlie Hazzard

50145 County Road 4

Spring Lake MN 56680

Email: springlakejess@gmail.com Blog: Sam’s Place (livinghazzardously.com)

Call or text: 218-256-9154