Renaissance Pointe Hosts Zion Lutheran Academy Tour

Going to work Monday morning on a real construction site was both thrilling, educational and just plain fun for nearly 80 children enrolled at Zion Lutheran Academy’s Clubhouse Summer Camp. The children were equipped with measuring tapes and a workmen’s apron’s as they set out on a walking tour of Renaissance Pointe, a major neighborhood revitalization development in central Fort Wayne. The City of Fort Wayne and Ideal Builders hosted the event. Children from K-5th grades inspected an IDEAL Builder’s home currently under construction and two finished model homes.

Janelle Cain, Property Acquisition Specialist, City of Fort Wayne, explained the materials, tools, and processes involved in building a new home. “We hope to stimulate life-long interest in the building and construction trades among children,” she said. “When they grow up, maybe they will work in the industry or at least have a better understanding of it.” Cynthia McBride of Ideal Builders, guided tours throughout the beautiful model homes. “This is such a special opportunity for children,” she said. “They can see and experience a new house being built from start to finish, inside and out.” “What’s even better,” she added, “They can visualize themselves designing their own home and living in high tech, contemporary luxury!”

Zion Lutheran Academy’s Clubhouse Summer Camp program is funded by a grant from Foellinger Foundation in collaboration with Taylor University, Fort Wayne. Most of the children attending are currently living in central Fort Wayne. Amy Settle, Program Director, said “The children are learning about constructions trades as a real world example of applied mathematics. We hope the children will be motivated to learn basic math facts, weights and measurements and geometric concepts. Building a house is like a big long word problem. You can’t possibly build one without knowing your math.”

The visit spurned a keen interest in the home construction industry among both boys and girls. A few boys boasted as they bravely climbed up a wood framed stairwell into the unfinished attic loft to look around in the shadows of its rafters. Some girls pulled out their measuring tapes to verify measurements on window openings and doorways. Each one marveled at foil covered duct work, big sheets of drywall, puffy pink pads of insulation and many odd shaped pieces of PVC pipe. They saw workmen drilling shower tub forms into wood beams, mounting electrical sockets and pulling cable. They learned how to watch out for discarded nails, splinters and wires as they walked through. Outside construction workers were finishing up street and sidewalk improvements along John and Hurd Streets. Big gravel filled dump trucks and earth movers were roaming about making loud, thumping clanging noises amidst large lumpy mounds of dirt and construction debris. Overall, the whole scene of building a house and its surrounding infrastructure was both baffling and invigorating to the group of youngsters.

“Wow! Oooo weee! That is so awesome!” squealed a couple of 4th grade girls when they entered the Renaissance Welcome Center. As the security system was disarmed, the lights throughout the home gradually came on, the window shades automatically lifted, the home theater system came on and a video began playing and the surround sound music came on and played softly on each floor. Instantly, nearly forty children at a time, scattered all over the three bedroom home with attached garage. They spun around in spacious master bedroom suites and lounged in luxurious living rooms. They laid back on a soft leather sofa and watched a virtual video presentation on what Renaissance Pointe will be like when it is finished. They were dazzled with the sophisticated system that monitors and controls all the window, lighting, electronic, heating/AC, security, entertainment and internet systems from a single wall mount control box accessible from a PC/web site. They listened in amazement as they learned about the home’s geo-thermal heating and hot water systems and Energy Star Ratings and cost saving benefits.

With pure excitement the children skipped from bedroom to bedroom, floor to floor; from huge attic bonus rooms to a two-story garage, stopping only to gaze and feel the warmth of a blazing gas fireplace. Not a single lamp toppled, not a chair was out of place as they gracefully left the homes casting many thanks and big smiles as they walked back to Zion when the tour completed.

Children took referral cards for their parents, relatives and friends hoping they will purchase a home in Renaissance Pointe now. A few took business cards asking the IDEAL Builders agent to hold the model homes in their names for the next ten years, until they finished college and get jobs, so they can come back and purchase them for themselves. The agent happily obliged.