ELLSWORTH — St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity has continued its efforts to fill the south side of Panther Drive with homes, hosting a dedication ceremony Thursday as Alison Forsman and Cody Nielson joined the community as homeowners.

It is the second Habitat build located near the middle school, neighboring a stick build which broke ground in March 2023. There are future plans for the Panther Woods project that involve a pair of twin homes. One side of the twin homes will be two bedrooms, one bathroom, and the other side will be three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Applications to live in the modular home development are available at scvhabitat.org/open-applications until June 2.

“[The home] is our second modular build,” SCVHFH Executive Director Kristie Smith said. “It’s a home that comes, you see, with a seam in the middle in two pieces and is put together… We love modulars for what it’s helping us do to increase capacity for starter homes.”

Because of it being a modular home, the Habitat crew cut the build time in half from the stick build, with construction starting on Jan. 16 and nearly being complete. Smith said the cost of modular homes is 34% less.

“It’s truly an honor to be here today on behalf of the Village of Ellsworth to celebrate this milestone moment,” Village President Becky Beissel said. “A home is so much more than four walls and a roof, it’s where dreams take root, where families grow and where memories are made.”