On her 71st birthday Arthurtown resident Mae Barnes gets an unforgettable gift, a brand new LEED certified home.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
This project, funded by Community Assistance Provider Incorporated, gives energy efficient units to low income senior citizens. It should save Barnes nearly 50% on her utility bill
"I'm shocked that I was able to get a brand new place," said Barnes. "It's real nice, because I had been in places that had to be fixed up, had to do this and that."
Barnes new home stands out in a place that as recently as the 1970's had no street lights or paved roads.
"We're only two miles from the city limits, but everyone around us was growing except us," said 43-year Arthurtown resident Leroy Bolton.
He says conditions here were so deplorable people were ashamed to admit they lived here, but things changed when they started taking pride in Arthurtown.
"This community was forgotten," adds Bolton. "Everybody around them had the basic necessities like running water, and city sewage; those who didn't said it was time to do something and they did."
This new home breathing new life into a community that some left for dead.
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