Work got underway Friday on several new homes in the Atwater subdivision--located off Avenue 1 near Buhach Road.
The sound of trucks is music to the ears of the workers who are just happy to have a job.
"I think we're lucky because we're still working pretty much every day," said Jose Aguayo, G&G Construction.
Jose Aguayo works for G&G construction in Atwater, which has had to lay-off more than 500 employees since the start of the recession. But now the company has been chosen to do the concrete work for up to 109 new homes in the Claremont Reserve subdivision in Atwater.
"Everyone's more than happy to come back to work and be able to feed their kids, that's the main thing right now, it's tough out there for the guys," Alfredo Castiglione said.
G&G construction is just one of several local companies hired by the Sacramento based developer that's now working to build out this neighborhood. It was abandoned by the previous owner four years ago when the housing market went bust. The new builder also chose Merced County's only locally owned title company.
And it's using a work site clean-up crew from an Atwater non-profit that finds jobs for developmentally disabled adults.
"It's letting me put a bunch of my guys back to work doing construction, which they love to do instead of cleaning up foreclosed homes," said Dan Brunger, Kings View Work Experience.
The new homes will range from just under 1700 square feet to about 2,700, and prices will start at less than $170 thousand. But not everyone is happy about that.
"The house I have now I bought 2 years ago for 430 thousand and I just got it back from the bank saying it was worth less than 150," said Anthony Wescott, Atwater Homeowner.
Anthony Westcott said the bank won't modify his loan because of the more affordable homes being built next door, and now he's facing foreclosure. But even he says if the work is going to be done, he's glad the jobs are going to local companies.
"Yeah, that's great, somebody's gotta be working because it's hard for everybody," Wescott said.
