Work is progressing at a house being remodeled by the construction trades class at the Regional Rural Technology Center.
Because students are limited by time and skills, much of the work over the past summer has been done by professional contractors. That includes plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling. Work on a new roof is currently underway.
School board members were apprised of the progress at Monday’s meeting. The two-story structure was moved in January 2021 from its original location near the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, to a lot near Iola Middle School, at the intersection of Jackson and Colborn.
Work has been slow for a number of reasons. Post-pandemic prices skyrocketed, and materials were in short supply. Students have limited time to work on the project, typically a couple hours a day Monday-Friday during the school year, and face some restrictions on what kind of work they can do because of safety reasons.
In December 2021, as students prepared to dig into the project, instructor Brett Dawson died unexpectedly. Don Settlemeyer took over the class, and with it, the house project.
Students began demolition work in the spring of 2022, and uncovered more work needed to be done than was originally expected. For example, Settlemeyer hoped to salvage some of the original wood flooring but found large areas where it had been removed; the new plan calls for carpet and laminate tiles. The kitchen is rather small so crews removed a center island and raised the ceiling to make it feel larger.
The goals for this semester are to complete both the front and back porches, and install new windows, USD 257 Board of Education member Dan Willis reported to other board members. Neosho County Community College, which partners with the tech center to teach classes including construction trades, potentially could bring its college students to help install windows, because high school students are not allowed on aerial lifts.
Willis said a recent meeting about the project “felt positive.” The group will meet again in October.
“Sometimes I wonder if that old house is going to get done,” Willis mused. “But that was the best meeting we’ve had in a long time. It’s looking better and I appreciate what they got done this summer.”
This semester’s construction trades classes have eight beginning students and three advanced students.
