Veteran Glenn Walker stood in his front yard Tuesday afternoon and watched as a roofing crew layered rows of new brown asphalt shingles on top of his 124-year-old North Toledo home.
"I'm feeling good, I'm feeling good," said Mr. Walker, 69, the remnants of the old roof strewn around him. "You know how long it's taken me to get this ... It's a blessing."
Mr. Walker and his wife, Sheila, had long struggled to figure out how to get a new roof. They dreaded big rainstorms, which would often trigger multiple leaks inside their small yellow home on St. John Avenue.
The Blade profiled the Walkers' leaky roof and their struggle to get a new one earlier this month. Thousands of Toledoans face similar roof problems.
The couple knew they could not afford the replacement on their own, and Mr. Walker was getting too old to continue installing tarps.
Mr. Walker had tried to obtain assistance in recent years from programs operated by the city and Habitat for Humanity, as well as the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission. But he ran into various issues, including compiling all the necessary paperwork.
It was the commission that came through for the retired couple last week. Mr. Walker, who served in the Marines and Michigan National Guard, turned in the last of his paperwork, a bank account statement, before the commission's meeting. The five-member board quickly approved the $13,500 expenditure.
"If a veteran is in need, that's what we're here for," said Charles Hiser, the commission's executive director.
Mr. Walker said he was jubilant after the investigator assigned to his case, Ken Kauffman, informed him last week that he was approved.
At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, a team from Toledo's Amazon Roofing showed up to start the job. They had to rip off a couple layers of asphalt shingles, as well as the home's original cedar shake roof underneath. They put on new sheathing, a layer of felt, and by the afternoon, the new shingles were rapidly being installed.
"The shingles were older, they were worn, they were ready to go," said Rob Ferencz, a veteran who owns Amazon Roofing, noting many Toledo roofs are in similarly poor shape. He said his team of about 10 would have the project "knocked out today, no problem."
Even as a cold wind picked up and hail started to come down Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Walker, wearing a black "Desert Storm Veteran" hat, continued standing in his yard, monitoring the progress.
"Wow," he said as another row of new shingles was installed.
First Published April 19, 2022, 9:47 p.m.
