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Photo by Drew Fleming A house being moved from Central Point to Medford moves along the McAndrews overpass on its way to renovation. Medford high school students will refurbish it for a low-income family as part of a Community Development Corp. project. Taking the high road House moves toward new life By CHRIS BRISTOL CENTRAL POINT -- Everybody knows the Rogue Valley Community Development Corporation renovates old houses. What about mobile homes? Best known for helping low-income families snag a piece of the American dream, RVCDC was the proud owner of a once-grounded 1,000-square-foot cottage that got an urge to git up and go Sunday morning -- all the way from Central Point to west Medford. The move itself was relatively simple, according to Robert Scholl, executive director of RVCDC. The trip took only a couple of hours. "Getting from Point A to Point B was the easy part," he said. "The hard part is before and after." Before, because the house had to be freed from the foundation where it sat for 50 years at the corner of Highway 99 and Scenic Avenue. Moreover, a contractor had to carefully remove asbestos-lined linoleum. That was Point A. After, because unskilled high school students will do much of the refurbishing for real-world academic credit before RVCDC can re-sell to a deserving family. Point B is 1115 W. Fourth St., in west Medford a half-block from North Columbus Avenue. The house was free, donated by Pac Trend Building Company to make room for a subdivision. Moving it saved it. "It was useless to them," Scholl said. "By the time we're done with it, it will be a very nice house." And it will be a bargain, too, re-selling for maybe $70,000 or so. Which makes sense, considering the nonprofit RVCDC exists to provide an option for families hopelessly locked out of Medford's increasingly pricey housing market. To keep costs down, the agency uses students from South Medford High School's alternative Foundations program. Some kids learn better by doing, and the Foundations program offers such students a chance to learn vocational skills under the watchful eyes of teachers who know how build. North Medford High also participates. "It takes longer than using contractors, simply because the kids are only available during school hours," Scholl said. The agency sometimes subcontracts tricky projects, such as wiring. Sunday's move was only the second for RVCDC, which usually buys vacant homes and renovates them where they stand. Funding comes from block grants, foundations and corporate sponsors. But free is a very good price, and it often costs much less to move a house than build a new one from scratch. Finding vacant lots is another matter. "We would love to hear from people with lots for sale," Scholl said. "Something in Medford works best, but we'll take what we can get." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA