Painters’ Union Pitches in to Help E-Inc Museum Renovation Effort

By Seth Daniel

As the e-Inc organization in the Navy Yard transformed itself into a museum over the past few months, one thing became very clear.

The new walls were going to need some paint.

That’s where the Painters Allied Trade Union District Council #35 stepped up to the plate, with Charlestown’s Chris Brennan offering the Union’s services to help the effort and get the museum in tip-top shape.

Brennan, the business representative for the Union and a man with deep roots in the Town, said he had been contacted by a member of the e-Inc board, Jimmy Lister, about helping out with the new endeavor.

“We’re trying to give help to Partners Health Care (who owns the building) and the community of Charlestown,” said Brennan. “I’m from Charlestown as well, and I got a call from Jimmy Lister who asked us if we could paint the walls for the museum exhibition coming to e-Inc…Partners Health Care is a wonderful partner of the Building Trades in Boston, which I’m a part of. Any time we have a friend like that who may need some help, we make sure we do what we can for them.”

On site for the past week have been Chris Grainger, a drywall finisher, and Deirdre Washington, a painter, who will be finishing and painting the large space.

To date, the space has served as a headquarters for E-inc’s after school programs across the City and region, as well as its summer camp programs. The dream, Dr. Ricky Stern said, was always to transform the space into a museum that would connect with their mission of environmental science education.

Finally, that was realized this year when a Chicago museum partnered with e-inc to bring a traveling exhibit to the space in January. The exhibit will be interactive and focuses on the environment and science. It will remain through July.

Stern said transforming the space has been quite an endeavor, but finding help from the community has been a blessing.

“We are just really grateful and humbled by all of the support we’ve received from the community,” said Stern. “The Painters really bought into the idea…They have been doing a beautiful job and are giving of their own time to do it. It’s amazing this is happening.”

Stern said the exhibit is ready to come to Charlestown and is expected in January.

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