18 2022
community
OCTOBER
p o t t e r m c k e a n
county
Austin • Coudersport • Crosby • Eldred • Kane • Lewis Run • Mt. Jewett Port Allegany • Roulette • Smethport • Turtlepoint
Photo by Mandy Colosimo Six&Kane was welcomed into the Kane community Saturday.
Reimagine rural, Six&Kane BY MANDY COLOSIMO
KANE — Yesterday can be reimagined, and that is what is critical to the region. It takes relationships with many to make a project like this happen. West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) turned over the completed Six&Kane building project to the Kane community on Saturday during a ribbon tying ceremony on Fraley Street. Abbi Peters of PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship said during a briefing about community involvement and support, “none of us could have done this alone, and none of it was linear. It was scary to roll up the sleeves and take a leap of faith — but it was well worth it.” A massive undertaking by WPPESF was a “labor
of love,” for Barbara Robuck, Marketing and Communications for WPPSEF, “there is a lot of emotion in this celebration. The building is complete, but there is still work to be done. It is neverending, which is a good thing, we still have to fill it with people.” Six&Kane, the refurbished building project that now meets passive house standards, has been in the news for years, is only the first of its kind. It has sparked many in the Kane community to take on their own investments in the principles of passive house construction. The owner of neighboring business Laughing Owl Press, Joe Lanich, has watched and learned from the engineers and trades people on the project since it was started. He has begun to make better
decisions on his own business that will have long term value. “My building is married to the Six&Kane. It was an inspiration to watch the detail work that went into what they did, I learned a lot. I heard the joy and the frustration. The principles of design and seeing what it means made me a believer,” Lanich. said. The principles he mentioned will be part of an educational installment coming soon by the Kane Chamber of Commerce working with WPPSEF for the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum. Basically, there are five principles that guide the design: Continuous Insulation, No Thermal Bridges, Airtight, High P e r f o r m a n c e Windows and Doors, and Fresh Air with
Heat Recovery. These will be part of a kiosk display for the museum, as well there is an interactive house, currently in construction, that children will be able to play in and see what each of the above mean. As part of the celebration, all the stakeholders, tradespeople, and others held a webinar on Friday to discuss what these principles mean and how they work at Six&Kane. There are standards for refurbished buildings and there are standards for new construction. Six&Kane is a refurbished building, but many of the standards now meet or exceed those of a newly constructed building. An example was given that the great room, on the third floor, the one with an entire brick wall,
needed to have air leakage of less than the equivalent of three sheets of copy paper. This means that every pin hole and crack mattered. The end result, after sealing each found place on the wall and elsewhere, was onethird of one sheet of copy paper of air leakage – better than standard for a newly constructed building. Envity Project Manager, Norm Horn, said he has a, “new appreciation for cracks, a fondness really.” But it is more than making the building energy efficient. Six&Kane was originally a dry goods store in 1905, in 1968 it was a Moose Lodge, and prior to this project the building was vacant and deteriorating. To take a building that is almost 120 years old and keep it from being torn down,
or worse, takes the full commitment of many people throughout a community. The Kane community, including mayor Brandy Schimp and chamber director Kate Kennedy, acknowledged the engineers and designers, thanking them for the learning opportunities provided to local contractors. Horn said, “the tech is here, the talent is here – the people needed are here, they will listen and learn, we see this. They want to try new things, do the work, and do it well.” The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said that they are always asked what the return on investment is. “The return is the buildup in and around the community we have invested in,” said an agency spokesperson.
‘The Reckoning and the Cost’ to be presented at Eldred WWII Museum Lafayette Twp. sets trick-or-treat hours Lafayette Township’s Trick-or-Treat hours will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31. Residents are asked to leave their porch lights on if they wish to
participate. Families within Lafayette Township are also invited to participate in the Trunkor-Treat event at the Lafayette Township
Firehall at 7004 Route 59 on Oct. 31 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Lafayette Township residents are welcome to attend the event and hand out treats.
ELDRED — The Eldred World War II Museum will present “The Reckoning and the Cost,” a program on World War II, on Oct. 20. This installment of the monthly museum series will cover the cost of the War on multiple levels and
detail the Nuremburg Trials and the Japanese War Crimes trials in the immediate aftermath of this cataclysmic period in human history. It will also touch on the echoes of the War and the important lessons to be learned as our country faced
challenges at home and abroad. Museum curator Steve Appleby will give the presentation. All are welcome and admission is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the program starting at 7 p.m.