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Foster Tech students building office for 82 High Street

3 mins read
Building Construction students with George Chimenti’s class work on a wheelchair ramp.

FARMINGTON – The housing development 82 High Street Inc. is getting a new office this spring, courtesy of some builders-in-training at Foster Career and Technical Education Center.

Students with George Chimenti’s Building Construction program were on site Thursday morning, finishing up a wheelchair ramp for a small, single-story office building on Sawtelle Lane in Farmington. The building includes office space for 82 High Street Inc., the nonprofit that operates the housing development, a space usable for resident assemblies, board meetings and classes, and a bathroom, with plumbing installed by Foster Tech’s plumbing program.

“We’re just thrilled to have this done,” 82 High Street Chair Janet Smith said, watching students install trim beneath the roof. “It’s a good opportunity to work with the school.”

82 High Street, 30-year-old development formed back in 1987, recently oversaw the installation of three new apartment buildings, replacing two deteriorating structures built in 1900 and a third built in the 1960s on a very low budget. That project also resulted in the demolition of a small meeting room to make space for one of the new apartment buildings. Smith said that while planners tried to incorporate the space in the new buildings, they were unable to come up with a design that would allow the office to be handicap accessible.

A year after the grand opening of the new apartments, the 82 High Street board was looking how to inexpensively reclaim that missing office space. Bill Crandall, who sits on the 82 High Street board and works for Western Maine Community Action, recalled that Foster Tech’s Building Construction program built a house for a Chesterville couple last year, as part of the WMCA Community Home Replacement Program. Building Construction did not have an in-community project lined up this year, Smith said, and the collaboration made sense.

“We try to do things as inexpensively as possible, to keep rents low,” Smith said.

82 High Street provided materials and some planning and oversight in the form of board members Erick Apland and Michael Fogg, both of whom have contractor experience, while manager Rachel Jackson acted as the go-between for the housing development and school.

Smith said that in addition to providing a meeting space for 82 High Street activities, such as board meetings, the space could be used by other agencies to provide educational programs to residents. Holding such events off-site was always an issue due to the lack of transportation for many residents.

The building is expected to be nearly complete next week.

The building includes a meeting room and office space, as well as a bathroom.
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7 Comments

  1. Great job builders-in-training!! 82 High Street has really cleaned itself up….I just love all the Foster Tech programs. Such wonderful opportunities for the kids enrolled.

  2. Glad to see programs like this. Learning skills are knowledge for life.

  3. This is a wonderful partnership for the school and the community. The Foster Tech programs are first rate and provide important skills and training opportunities to so many students.

  4. Great to see kids learning useful things. We have more than enough professional desk sitters.

  5. These students appear to be doing an amazing job. Glad they get a good hands on skill set for when the enter into the real world.

    Mr. Firsching, not sure exactly what your problem is with “Professional Desk Sitters”, but just keep in mind, not all people who sit at a desk are ‘non essential’.

  6. Thank you Mr. Chimenti for teaching these students such a valuable trade, and for looking out for all of them by being such a great role model.

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