PORT TOWNSEND — Attending Saturday’s Home & Garden Expo can help property owners turn their house into a home, according to its organizer.
“Improvements like paint and flooring can help make a home cozy and warm,” said Liz Coker, the director of the Jefferson County Home Builders Association.
“When you add improvements, you feel better about where you live and you bring more people in, so it becomes a gathering place.”
The expo, in its third year under the auspices of the homebuilders association, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Blue Heron Middle School, 3939 San Juan Ave.
The expo shut down in 2009 after the recession and was resuscitated in 2014 at Mountain View Commons.
After two years at that location, it has moved to Blue Heron, which offers twice the space, better parking and improved accessibility, Coker said.
This year is not only an expansion of space, but 51 vendors are also participating, up from the 2015 total of 29.
Coker said this year’s expo is concentrating on two areas: emergency preparedness and home accessibility.
The scheduled presentations are:
■ 10 a.m. — Lys Burden of WSU Master Gardeners will discuss the products used in commercial agriculture and their potential health effects, concentrating on the choice to use pesticides and which ones.
■ 11 a.m. — The Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management will talk about access to the free local networks, resources, support and educational opportunities to prepare a neighborhood for emergencies.
■ Noon — Power Trip Energy’s Andy Cochrane will provide information about solar incentives and financing, providing a summary of different solar technologies that provide the most advantageous economics.
■ 1 p.m. — Julie Meyers will provide details about the benefits of a cash purchase, the benefits of a lot loan and tips for when to build.
■ 2 p.m. — Lucas Johnson will discuss how passive buildings are getting more airtight, better insulated and better ventilated, and how passive housebuilding is defining high-performance innovation in today’s construction industry.
■ 3 p.m. — Tanda McMillin will focus on the identification of home hazards, distributing a checklist to improve safety in each room of the house.
■ 4 p.m. — Bill Beezley, public information officer at East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, will talk about fire safety equipment and systems such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors as well as the proper usage of fire extinguishers.
He also will provide information on fire safety behavior regarding cooking, heating, medical oxygen, electrical and barbecuing.
For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/PDN-homexpo.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
