REGION : Jefferson Bungalows Get Needed Face Lift

Bungalow B-6 at Jefferson High School in south Los Angeles hasn’t had a new floor since it was built in 1919, caretaker Gabriel Jackson lamented recently.

The well-trod linoleum flooring is worn and faded, and buckles in some places, creating a hazard for students and teachers alike.

But Saturday, scores of volunteers were expected to set in motion a two-weekend rehabilitation project that will give Bungalow B-6 and eight others like it new floors as well as a fresh coat of paint.

“Teachers out in the bungalows aren’t too happy about their conditions,” said Jackson, whose school has also been slated for a paint job on all exterior walls inside the 19-acre campus. The work will mask graffiti and numerous patches of unmatched paint used over the years to cover it up.

The effort at Jefferson is part of a larger program to give face lifts to the high school, 20 private homes and two community centers in south Los Angeles. Most of the work will be carried out next Saturday by more than 1,000 volunteers affiliated with the private nonprofit agency Christmas In April--South-Central Los Angeles, which rehabilitates buildings in low-income neighborhoods. More than 200 volunteers are expected at Jefferson alone.

“I really thank God for them,” said Novella Houston, whose four-bedroom house in University Park is slated for a paint job.

“It’s really very much needed,” she said. “Paint’s off in a lot of spots.”

The agency--which has rehabilitated 45 buildings since forming in 1993--raised $186,000 in money and in-kind contributions from private sources for this year’s effort, said D’Ann Morris, a consultant for the organization.

Christmas in April--South-Central Los Angeles is a branch of a nationwide organization that began in Midland, Texas. In 1973, a group of residents in that town decided to spruce up an elderly neighbor’s dilapidated home at no charge. When the neighbor saw the flurry of work at her house, group lore holds, she exclaimed, “This is just like Christmas in April.”

Since then, the group has rehabilitated close to 19,000 buildings nationally. Work is done one or two weekends a year, and the remainder of the agency’s time is spent fund-raising.

Great Western Bank and Allied-Signal Aerospace Company are two local corporations that contributed money specifically for the Jefferson High project.

Jefferson plant manager Jackson said the effort will go a long way in fulfilling a wish list of school improvements that a tight budget has kept out of reach.

“I’m surprised to see a volunteer agency like that can recruit 200 to 300 hundred people to come out and donate their time to help the school,” Jackson said. “If we all got that same spirit, the world would be all right.”

More than 100 low-income, elderly or disabled homeowners applied for the rehabilitation service this year, Morris said, and “those that had the most need” were chosen.

Morris also said that the group continues to look for carpenters, plumbers and electricians to help in the effort.

Information: (310) 672-0971.