Construction has restarted on the first of four houses that the Construction program at Fairfield Career Center has committed to for the Fairfield County Habitat for Humanity.
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With the school year well underway, the banging of hammers, clanging of tools, and roars of saws are taking over the southeast corner of the Fairfield Career Center campus. Construction students at FCC have resumed their ongoing housing project for Fairfield County Habitat for Humanity.
Construction instructor Mr. Troy Dennison has regrouped members of this year’s senior class and picked up the hammers and nail guns right where they left off before breaking for the summer. A few additional students have joined the group to help complete the home they began last winter.
Dennison explained that students are currently working on tasks to make the house “dry-in”, as they call it in the construction industry. This means that exterior work including siding, trim, and roofing is complete so that work on the interior can begin.
“I would say we’re close to 50-60 percent done,” said Dennison. “Once we get inside and everything is considered ‘dry’ we can work more on a daily basis because right now the weather affects everything that we are doing.”
When we last visited students working on the home, siding was complete on two walls and nearly 80 percent complete on a third. Floors were being sanded and prepared for joint work, and trim was being measured, cut, and installed on the fourth and final wall. All roofing is complete, which was a popular part of the process for some students.
“My favorite part of this project was putting the shingles up on the roof,” said Berne Union senior, Patrick Taylor. “We got to work up on an elevated surface and work as a group to make our way down the roof.”
Once the exterior is complete, Mr. Dennison explained that the next phases will include the installation of plumbing and electric. Following that, the students will install the drywall.
“They’re very excited about it. It’s real. It’s something that they can relate to.”
Among the many aspects of this project that make it special is the opportunity for students from other lab programs to work together to complete their portion of the home. Students from the HVAC program at FCC were employed to lay out the floor vents and will join the Construction students on-site to assist with unit installation and plumbing work. Students from the Electrical program at Eastland Career Center are being asked to donate their expertise to assist in installing electricity throughout the house. The Welding program has already contributed to some of the foundation work that helped kick off the project as the work site was established.
The home that the students are currently working on is the first of four homes that the Construction program has agreed to build as part of the project. The goal is for students to complete their part of the project so that the current home can be delivered to its permanent residence in November.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Habitat for Humanity project on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks.
About Eastland-Fairfield Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools is the seventh-largest career and technical education district, geographically, in the State of Ohio. We serve more than 5,000 students in 16 school districts throughout Franklin, Fairfield and Pickaway counties. Eastland-Fairfield provides more than 35 high school and adult training programs that enroll more than 1,700 students. The district has two main campuses — Eastland Career Center in Groveport and Fairfield Career Center in Carroll, four satellite locations, and middle school programming housed in 10 different middle schools around the EFCTS district. Eastland-Fairfield also partners with various businesses to provide students career advancement through specific programming or experiences.
Founded in 1969, Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools’ mission is to engage, enrich, and equip students every day in every experience. We prepare students to pursue their life’s next E: Employment, Enlistment, Entrepreneurship, and/or additional Education. Visit us online at www.eastlandfairfield.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn for regular updates, fun content and information.