By Tom Caprood – The Troy Record

ALBANY — Construction was able to resume on the “Ted Abriel Fire Safety House” Friday, located at 20 Odell St., which, when finished, is slated to become a model for future fire-safe home building thanks to a donation from State Farm Insurance.

State Farm agent Vernon Hinson presented a $10,000 check to Steve Haggerty, executive director for Capital District Habitat for Humanity, to help restart construction on the home which was halted last year when funding ran out.

“It broke my heart last year to have to halt construction of this project, and while one other sponsor is still needed, I am confident that we can complete this project before the summer is out due to this new partnership today with State Farm,” said Haggerty.

The house, named after Albany firefighter Ted Abriel, who lost his life in the line of duty in February 2007, will contain residential sprinklers as well as other state-of-the-art fire safety systems and will act as a “Fire Safety House” in order to alert developers, contractors, building owners, and residents to recognize the need for built-in fire protection systems that increase not only the safety of residents but also emergency service personnel.

Deputy Fire Chief Warren Abriel spoke briefly about how his family appreciated State Farm’s generous donation to continue work on the house and honor the sacrifice that his brother had made for others.

“This is going to go a long way towards finishing Ted’s house, something that I know he would have been very proud of,” said Abriel.

Joe Quijano, a spokesman for State Farm, explained that the insurance company had long been a national partner with Habitat for Humanity and that its members were happy to be able to assist their efforts in the Capital District.

“State Farm associates and agents pride themselves on being good stewards in the community, much in the same way Ted Abriel lived his life,” said Quijano, who sighted numerous examples of the company’s commitment to staying active with local not-for-profit organizations.

“The opportunity to partner with the Albany Fire Department and Habitat for Humanity to build this fire safety house is truly State Farm’s privilege as we aim to assist in the completion of this project and help realize Ted’ vision for a strong and safe community,” he added.

Mayor Gerald Jennings noted that he was proud to see the partnership between the city and Habitat for Humanity continuing to produce positive local results.

“I wanted to be here today because this is an important event as far as I’m concerned and because Habitat does things right,” said Jennings, who noted that the house’s renovations would not have been possible without corporate support.

Diane Casella, a lifelong city resident and future occupant of the house, said that both her and members of her family were excited for the chance to move into the new, fire-safe house once it is completed.

According to Haggerty, an additional donation of up to $15,000 is still needed before crews will be able to complete all of the necessary renovations on the home, which he hoped to acquire in the near future so that the structure could be finished by Fire Safety Month in October.

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