Editorial: Larabies now on path to rebuild house

Phyllis and Mike Larabie welcomed their nephew Jim Peabody to town Friday. - And with good reason. Jim, a busy and successful contractor from North Carolina who is married to Mike's niece, Joanne, is donating his time and time of his crew to rebuild their house on at the top of Vachereau. Joanne is the daughter of Mike's sister Susan and her husband Wayne Barcomb. See editorial this week on page 4. (McClelland photo)

This past week Phyllis and Mike Larabie made the decision not to have their badly burned house on Vachereau razed. They've had three generous offers from local contractors to tear it down for free.

Instead they are going to rebuild. That decision came easy after Mike's nephew, a builder and contractor from North Carolina, offered to rebuild their place for free. All they have to do is pay for the materials, and the money that has been donated by all sorts of generous folks here will go toward that.

For weeks the local couple has agonized over what to do. A number of people with building expertise have suggested they raze it and build a new house on the site. Others, like village code enforcement officer Pete Edwards, have encouraged them to rebuild and avoid the disposal costs. Even with the offers to tear it down from free, tipping fees at the county landfill could run thousands and thousands of dollars. Pete said the old house has good bones.

Mike's nephew, Jimmy Peabody arrived Friday and met with the code enforcement officer. The next morning he and two of his workers- Josh Hinckley and Tim Martin started peeling off the burned rafters and roof pieces that remained after the recent fire. By Sunday they were building a new attic deck and sheathing it. The floor was finished early this week.

The new Advantec style plywood is supposed to be impermeable to water for many months, at least that's what the company advertises.

The top photo was taken early Saturday when the first load of lumber from Tupper Lake Supply arrived aboard Contractor Jim Peabody's trailer.

Their plan is to seal that floor against the elements so the house can dry out over the new couple of months. Phyllis' sons Jordan and Jerry and some of their friends are expected to attack the inside of the house with their pry bars in the weeks ahead and remove all the wall and ceiling coverings and insulation and expose the studs and exterior sheathing. Any who would be willing to help them, we know the lads would appreciate it.

With the entire gutted, they will know how much water damage the house sustained when firefighters doused the attic blaze on December 17.

Jim Peabody and his crew will be back in mid- to late-winter to begin the rebuild.

The mercury was hovering in the mid-20s during the day light hours since Saturday morning, but the builders seemed not to be bothered working in the cold. Even the four or five inches of snow that fell Saturday didn't deter them. Apparently they are snowmobilers and may bring their sleds on their return.

Josh and Tim said it was better than working in the heat of a North Carolina summer.

A fourth worker arrived later Saturday.

Jim Peabody's company is based in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. The company does work up and down the east coast, including in New York. It has tackled numerous building projects for Wells Fargo.

“Tupper Lake is home for my wife Joanne and I, as her parents both come from here. Mike and Phyllis are family and you always help family!” Jim also said he has roots in Clifton-Fine and Edwards.

He said he and his crew will do whatever the couple want them to do on their way to a new house. He said if they want locals to do finish work after the structural work is completed, it will be up to them.

“Three or four dumpsters from now, everyone in town will want to work in here. That's when the hard part is over!”

As of this writing the upper part of the house has been wrapped in a large tarp, awaiting building weather to return.

The amazing gifts by Jimmy and his crew comes on the back of thousands and thousands of dollars in gifts from local residents since the fire.

The photo above was taken Sunday with most of the burned rafters and roofing removed and a new attic deck installed.

This week the various funds set up to help the couple have been combined into one house fund. In the first days after the fire a GoFundMe account was started by Ashley Frezzo and that fund topped $8,000.

Unsolicited donations given or sent to Phyllis and Mike between the fire and the creation of our house fund poured in during those first days, exceeding $20,000. Theose funds were deposited in an account at the Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union by Phyllis' daughter Celeste.

The total of the three funds now approaches $40,000 and that's all money that will pay for construction materials to help the Larabies rebuild their house. There's been several generous donations in recent days that we'll report next week.

We've told friends around the region about the fundraising in the past month and they are overwhelmed by the generosity of Tupper Lake people.

Published below are many of the people who gave in the first weeks after the fire: Nina LaVenture, Eileen and Mike Richer, Corey Larabie, George Harriman, Taylor Vaillancourt, Valerie DeGrace, Tammy Planty, Stacey Mallette, Randy Bedore, Fran and Jeanine Akiki, John Maloney, John R. Shackelford, Gale Valliere, Mary Ellen Claremont, Christina Tremblay, Gina Gravlin, Peggy Liberty-Olcott, Jeff and Karen Bombard, Kellie Trudeau, Jacob and Emily Spencer, Dana Jeweler, Bill Stranahan, Jeff and Sonya Wells, Jeannie Greene, Joe Guido, Sarah Stansbury, Nicole Pickering, Shannon Savage, Dennis Quinn, Shaunie and Kyle Kavanagh, Maeghan Ottrey, Kiersten Lamica, Joann Larabie, Mary Sharp, Billie Jo Pickering, Sam Churco, Sherrie Decker, Kurt Bedore and Kelly Devirgeles, Ryan Hathaway, Blake Riggs, Shelly Gagnon, Tammy Boucher, Alicia Avery Oro, John Ellis, Suzanne Thompson, Andy and Nita DeVirgeles, Tabitha Bailey, Ronald Belleville, Karen Bennett, Mary Denis, Angie and Vern James, John and Rita Quinn, John B. Briaddy, Sharron Langdell, Dane DeGrace, Stephanie Bujold, Maddison Kelly, Robert Woodhill, Pat and Gabrielle Schneider, Gisele Denno, Vicki Gonyea, Shawn and Ashley Ladue, Bruce Cook, Tom and Candy Callaghan, Michelle and Dennis Ryan, Virginia and Donald Earlin, Jessica Kelly, Cara Beauharnois, Robert Smith, Jordan Lizotte, Erica Bath, Rick Pickering, Emily and Jay Martin, Michelle Hill, Devon McCauley, Polly Garvey, Francine Smith, Mary Joe Wells, William Shaver, Phyllis Trudeau, Kate Martin, Debby and Kirk Gagnier, Jessie Hewitt, Jennifer Mullikin, Sheila Jessie, Terry and Robyn Doolen, Tesha Derrico, Hildred Williams, Chris Mitchell, Noah Santana, Amanda Kelly, Michelle Reardon, Cheryl Fee, Dezarae Dattoma, Marah Liseum, Maureen Zande, Sally Strasser, Patti Amell, Larry Lanthier, Kaylee Rae Adams, Heidi and Mike Cheney, Jenn and Bailey Charron and Jessie Gonyea, The Davison Family, Joan Beaudette, Tina LaCombe, Patti Stott, Micheline Vaillancourt, Alyssa Rupert, Thomas and Tina Vaillancourt, Linda Sexton, Emma Dubey, Patrick Barrett, Jeremy and Michelle Dukette, Theresa Denis, Samantha Whitman, Linda and Steve Farnsworth, Nicole Rice, Alicia Lanthier, Alan Bailey, Patrick Beaudette, Lucus Bishop, Ashley Frezzo, Jessica and Royce Cole, Erica James, Carole and Walter Barrett, Carrie Bouchaud, Bob and Cindy Platt, and seven anonymous donors.

These are the donors who made outright gifts to the couple: Terry and Richard Whitman, Dan and Judy McClelland, Jane and Ed Whitman, Ashley and Rose Courtney, Diane and James Lanthier, Sunmount H/R and PayRoll, Lois Jessie, Cindy and Scot Dukett, Deb and John Miller, Sayla and Brayden Harris, Cale Taylor, Austin Fortier, Theresa Joseph, Bob and Sue LaBarge, Marie Mayotte, Holly and Ron Sauvie, Margaret, Amanda Amell and Nate Lewis, Paul Maroun, Mark and Carrie Counter, tenants at Don Smiths, Sue Arsenault, Michele Salamy, Bruce and Jane LaVoy, Mary Bradley, M/Ms Claude Desabrais, Carol Peets, Mary Reandeau, Pat and Darlene Donnelly, Tim and Petra Labarge, Lisa Reed, Amvets Ladies Auxiliary, Faith and Andrew McClelland, Dean and Kathy Lefebvre, Jill Provost, Bruce VanVranken, Fred Schuller, Zig Akiki, Nancy Phelps, Kurt Rolley, Lynn Zande, Haile North/Audrey, Patricia Nichols, Mike and Kathy Farkas, Mike Vaillancourt, Dave Bell, Mitch and Connie Robillard, Football Boosters, Bev Sauvie, Michelle Blair, Anne and Rudy Gibbs, Patty Francisco, Jeremiah and Eileen Hayes, Mary Gonyea / Nicole and Kevin, John and Carol Girouard, Walt and Julie LaVoy, Tupper Lake, Ecumenical Pastor Fund, Maurice Helms and Billie, Richard and Judy Wilburn, Woodman Life Chapter, Harry and Joanne Wilber, Christine Danussi, Katie Stuart and Robbie LaLonde, Stuart and Roxanne Soucy, Shawn and Joan Stuart, Richard Rule, Leroy and Trudie Pickering, Amvets, Debbie and Chipper LaVigne, Jane Cole, Jason Roberge, Charlie Madore, Josh Jones Food Pantry, Laurie Pickering, Tammy and Broderick Cross, Glenn and Anne Bedore, Jane and Steve Wilson, Linda Pickering, Red Cross, Donald Clark, Stacy Callaghan, Adirondack Regional Federal Credit Union, Bruce and Elizabeth Smith, Cory Whitman, Mary Kay Strack, Michele Boyea, Nancy Foote, Anne Hoag, Mel and Marj Derr, all the supporters at the spaghetti dinner organized by the VFW Post 3120 and the post itself, NYS Police, Kathleen McPhilips, Robert and Helen Kentile, Tupper Lake Hardwood Inc., Shirley Boyer, Matthew Choate, Paula Rose, Carol Jones, Theresa Woulf, James and Sheila Larkin, David and Joanne Dechene, Linda and Terrance Perrigo, Violet Jensen and Phyllis DeVirgeles.

To that generosity, we can only say “Wow!”

Those who wish to add their names to this impressive list, drop off your check to the Free Press office, in care of Larabie House Fund.

-Dan McClelland