HEUVELTON — The first of three community milk houses to be built this year by the Amish is almost complete. A roof was added to the red steel structure Wednesday.

"We're hoping to be in there by Nov. 1 if it's feasible," said David B. Elliott, a field supervisor with Agri-Mark, the cooperative overseeing the project.

A second milk house, also in Heuvelton, will be in use by mid-November, and a third, in Hammond, is set to open by the end of November, Mr. Elliott said.

The Heritage Cheese House, which closed in September, was the only dairy plant in the area to accept Amish milk, but with these new facilities the milk could be shipped across the state, Mr. Elliott said.

Milk must be cooled within two hours of being harvested to meet Grade A requirements, but the Amish are prohibited from owning the machinery to accomplish this because of religious restrictions. Community houses are temporary storage and cooling stations that will allow milk from Amish farms to meet Grade A standards and reach a larger market.

The houses are approximately 900 square feet and will hold several 100- to 300-gallon bulk tanks that cool the milk. The number of bulk tanks in the milk house will depend on the supply of the community, Mr. Elliott said.

The structures are being built by the Amish; Agri-Mark will install all the electrical equipment necessary to cool the milk.

Mr. Elliott said there is a lot of support within the Amish community for the houses.

Nine are in the planning stages, and Mr. Elliott expects 12 to be built and in use by next fall.

Although the building and planning of the houses has been a success, Mr. Elliott said, he still is in need of bulk tanks, which he plans to buy from farmers who no longer use them.

"We're going to have a tremendous need in the spring," he said.

Mr. Elliott asked that anyone wanting to sell a 100- to 300-gallon bulk tank call him at 323-5974.