Living Hazzardously

Little pieces of our journey with Jesus

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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

Sam’s Place

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Free moon full heaven illustration

The first human in space was the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who made one orbit around Earth on April 12, 1961, on a flight that lasted 108 minutes. 

Throughout time humans have ventured out of their comfort zone to achieve great, noble, extraordinary & transformative work. Creatively developing new ways to explore, discover and synchronize the world with our ingenuity. 

Providing care for those who need a bit more help in life is how Jess and myself want to spend our energy and resources.

If we surrender to God’s will, what would He have us do? I was reading this morning in one of my favorite books, Ecclesiastes. It says (paraphrased) after you die, you are forgotten in time by everyone you have ever known, except for God. So, in light of this truth, should we not strive to do those things that are most precious to our LORD?

In the year 1885 a statue was starting to be sculpted in France, America was also known for something that inspired this monumental project. Perhaps best explained with an excerpt from a sonnet written for a fundraising event in support of the statue project. See if you recognize this snippet: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Luke 10 talks about a man who was robbed, beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Some excellent community members all avoided this man and made excuses to not help, but a foreigner of the land who was despised as an outsider came along and helped this man and took care of him.

Isaiah 1:17 Directs us about how we should change for the better: “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”

2 Thessalonians 3:13 Gives us direction and encouragement to not quit: “But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good.”

1 John 3:17 Tells us to help those in need out of our prosperity, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

Orphans, Widows, Samaritans, Tax Collectors, Poor and Needy. 

It is out of this desire to serve that Jess and I have jumped in with both feet and we bought something, something huge, we bought a hospital. Yes, you read that correctly, we bought a hospital.

Introducing “Sam’s Place”

Why “Sam’s Place”? As you may already know, we lost our son, Sam, to an accidental drug overdose in 2022. But his story is more than addiction, much more. Sam was loving, kind and selfless. Sam had a passion for those people in his life that needed a bit more help. Selflessness seemed to just naturally flow from Sam like a great river that waters and nourishes the valley it flows into, always providing, always showing kindness, always listening.

The stories we could tell of Sam would fill this blog for years, but the point I am trying to convey is that Sam was an inspiration and to this day his legacy continues as the name “Sams Place” will now be forever entered into the record books as a reference to caring for the needy. Understanding Sam means you understand gentleness, kindness and love. Sam just had a way of being there for all who “don’t exactly fit”, those that “need a little extra help”. The verse carved on the statue of liberty describes Sam, he lived this verse but also lived for this verse:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

So here we are, taking the “Old Bigfork Hospital” into the next chapter. A brief history:

1938 construction started for the first rural hospital in North Itasca, 8 beds total.

1953 4 more beds were added with the new addition totaling 12.

1965 the hospital was retired and started a new use as a retirement home.

Over the years the building morphed into the riverside residence and started serving more folks with special needs.

As time went on, the building became more outdated and needed more updates. 

Normally Alex would have been the one to stop for this type of service call, but he was busy, so I stopped to see what we could do. 2 of the three boilers failed, causing the building to heat only in one small section. Electric space heaters littered the building like tiny islands of heat in the arctic wasteland. I just knew this was calling for Jess and me to take action. We both knew from that very first day, this is a divine appointment.  

We realized early, this transformation won’t happen overnight, we need all new windows, exterior doors, roof work, updated electrical panels (still 1938 fuses), heating systems (we hope to add AC in the future) … ALL NEW INTERIOR, a garden out front, a parking lot in back…. The list is endless, and we know it’s a big, long project. And as if that were not enough, my “pipe dream”, a small breakfast cafe open to the public, known for the best cinnamon rolls north of MacGregor!

Jess and I have drafted mission & vision statements we would like to share with you:

Sam’s Place Mission statement: 

Empowering extraordinary opportunities. Highlighting intrinsic human value. Allying the local community. Magnifying individual development, productivity, dignity and independence for our residents.

Sam’s Place Vision Statement:

At Sam’s Place, our vision is to create a clean, organized, and secure living environment for all our residents. We emphasize community involvement, recognizing that all humans are made in the image of the Creator and all people are infinitely valuable in our world. This fundamental belief places community at the heart of our operations.

Our approach to mealtimes extends beyond nourishment; it is about fostering community connections. Whether through a voucher system with local eateries or special meals during community events, we aim to enrich residents’ lives through social interaction. Our aspiration includes launching a community-accessible breakfast cafe within our facility, enhancing both resident and community engagement.

We are committed to personal development, offering our residents opportunities to learn and grow through activities like card and board games, karaoke, book clubs, and crafting workshops. Our staff provides essential guidance in daily life skills, ensuring that every resident receives support tailored to their needs.

Safety is paramount. We implement robust security measures, including controlled access and privacy fencing, particularly around key communal areas like our community garden, which boasts a stunning river view.

Ultimately, our goal is to deliver unparalleled care, upholding the dignity, purpose, and meaning of life for each resident. At Sam’s Place, every individual is valued and treated with the utmost respect, embodying our core belief in the profound worth of every person.

We have plenty to do in this project, but when we are done, our hope is to provide a home for between 16-20 people, where our vision statement can thrive. We invite your support and assistance on this fantastic journey, whatever your level of support, we strongly covet your prayers. 

The Team at “Sam’s Place” thank you in advance for all you do.

Matthew 25:35-40 – “For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

Now is the time for action! Join us today on this worthwhile journey, developing this dream even further than we had imagined. Remember, you are also infinitely valuable in our world.

Jess and Charlie

Livinghazzardously