FCDC Contracts with Homeowners for Construction & Renovation Projects

ORANGE, NJ – Building a house, a walkway, or a kitchen all hold the promise of a new and welcome change for homeowners. At OCNJ, the change is especially sweet when the work is completed by those who are building a better future for themselves as well.

The First Community Development Corporation, a division of OCNJ, is on the move in neighboring communities, with skilled carpenters, electricians and licensed plumbers handling a myriad of challenges. Many workers have been trained through the OCNJ Building Trades program, and perform tasks that include boarding up old buildings, gutting homes, replacing beams, installing floor systems, framing roofs, replacing window and doors, installing ramps for wheelchair accessibility and other construction projects.

Under the guidance of John Eastman, Construction Project Director, the FCDC team also gets involved in projects such as mold remediation or building conversion. A condemned gas station in East Orange was transformed into office space and a storage facility, while a flat roof was converted to a pitched roof on a Montclair home. Other jobs included rebuilding the restrooms and courtroom railing systems in South Brunswick and restoring walls at the Greystone Psychiatric Hospital and at Picatinny Arsenal.

““The graduates of OCNJ are the most conscientious and qualified employees that we have,” says John. “While they are creating a better residence or office space for someone they are also transforming their lives in the process, and that is very satisfying.”