Second Chance for Sea Esta Motel materials

When plans called for the Sea Esta Motel in Dewey Beach to be razed to make way for the construction of three private homes, reusable materials comprising the mid-century lodging found a second chance thanks to a Baltimore nonprofit.

Mark Foster is founder and president of Second Chance Inc., which provides workforce development for disadvantaged city residents by training them in the deconstruction of buildings as well as in warehousing, retail, operations, transportation and customer service.

“Our role is to train people with skill sets, get them started on the pathway to sustainable employment, and we use this vehicle of deconstruction to do it,” he said.

Deconstruction is the careful unbuilding of a structure by hand, almost like reverse construction, so that materials can be reused and recycled. About 80% of Second Chance’s deconstruction projects are private homes, Foster said, and the rest are commercial structures. 

Second Chance picks up about 20 projects a year in the Cape Region, Foster said, and has clients stretching along the East Coast. Work is contracted largely through word of mouth, he said, as builders recommend Second Chance as a way for property owners to reduce trash and receive tax credits for their donations.

In addition, Second Chance operates a 250,000-square-foot warehouse retail center in downtown Baltimore, Foster said, where shoppers can find quality salvaged materials. 

“Our warehouse is the equivalent of four Home Depots, and we have attractive prices because we want the items to be reused,” he said, noting the organization’s focus is on preserving architectural heritage.

The store’s parking lot also houses a freecycle section, where locals can donate and pick up free items. 

“We put out windows, doors, things we get a lot of that we want to share with the community,” Foster said.

In so doing, the organization provides jobs for 250 employees and diverts more than 40,000 tons of materials from landfills each year, Foster said.

“It’s a win-win all around,” he said, noting the owners of the former Sea Esta property were motivated to keep materials out of the landfill and put them into the hands of people who could use them.

The motel had 30 identical rooms, Foster said, and deconstruction took place from the roof to the foundation. Second Chance used the motel as a hands-on classroom to train employees how to safely salvage materials, he said.

Items diverted from the landfill for reuse or recycling include window AC units, mattresses, light fixtures, sinks, windows, doors, cabinets, appliances, copper plumbing, flat-screen TVs, hot water heaters, flooring, lumber and plywood.

“People can use the windows to make greenhouses,” Foster said. “There were big, long pieces of lumber that are straight and true; good, reusable lumber that can save a tree.”

Foster moved into this work around 2000, after he and his wife purchased a 1902 fixer-upper. A lot of young people were moving into the city, which was then experiencing an urban renaissance, he said.

“We were renovating the house and couldn’t find the parts and pieces easily,” he said.

Foster, then working in the restaurant and hospitality industry, figured other home renovators faced similar problems. So, he launched the environmentally conscious nonprofit that also gives back to the community by creating job opportunities for those in need of a second chance, he said.

For more information, go to secondchanceinc.org.