Classmates of Dirk DeVries lay the sod for home

Published 9:03 am Tuesday, October 7, 2008

For Todd and Nancy Leach of Performance Landscaping, laying the sod for the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” project has added meaning.

The Leaches, owners of Performance Landscaping, were high school classmates with Dirk DeVries, whose family is getting a new home. They are members of the Albert Lea High School’s class of 1977.

When they heard the news of which family was getting a new house, Nancy said she was delighted. “It was wonderful,” she said. “I couldn’t have been happier for them.”

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“Dirk’s a good man,” added Todd. “He works at Royal Lawn so I come in contact with him regularly. It’s nice on a project like this when somebody’s homegrown.”

Todd said he was asked in mid-September to be part of the “Extreme Makeover” project.

“Al Larson’s been good to Todd Leach,” Leach said of being asked by the contractor to participate in the project. “I wouldn’t have dreamed of saying no to a project like this.”

Performance Landscaping did the shrubs, edging, mulching and put down 13,500 square feet of sod. The business will also do some seeding around the outer edges of the family’s yard, including over the new septic system.

Nancy Leach said the Performance crew of 10 reported at 7 a.m. Sunday to put down on the sod. They got home at 12:30 a.m. Monday, then reported for work again around 7 a.m.

“We stood around and waited to get into certain areas,” Todd said. “But it’s actually been a lot of fun.”

He added they were lucky that rain didn’t keep them from doing their job.

He said it’s been exciting to be a part of the project and nice to see so many local companies take part.

“I knew most everyone who’s been working on this project,” he said. “The job Larsons did coordinating all of this is incredible.”