Students work on park through winter
Most days, Daniel Flory trudges across the Maumee River to get to class. The water typically doesn’t rise above the junior’s ankle, but other times the water will rise to meet the Penta Career Center carpentry student’s thigh.
“You don’t really feel intimidated after the first time,” Daniel, 17, from Swanton, said.
He is among the 28 Penta carpentry students working on camping platforms, a cabin, and an outhouse for Metroparks Toledo on Granger Island in the Maumee River near the Waterville Bridge.
“We normally build a home for a homeowner,” Rob Weaver, a Penta Career Center instructor, said. “That’s usually our school year for senior carpentry students.”
But this year, plans fell through in late July. Weaver scurried in search of an alternate project, and found a partner in the Metroparks.
“We thought this will be a unique experience for travelers,” Scott Carpenter, Metroparks spokesman said. “This will be another amenity that paddlers can discover next spring and summer.”
The 434-square-foot cabin will be complemented by two tent stands that can be rented by travelers, Carpenter said. No rates have been set yet, and the project is budgeted to cost the park system $75,000. Penta students are providing unpaid labor for the project.
“It seemed like a unique project for them, and we can always use the help,” Carpenter said. “It’s a win-win.”
The island does not have Metroparks spokesman its own power sources, so the students have worked using generators and battery powered tools. Mr. Weaver estimates the lack of reliable electricity makes the entire project about 25 percent more difficult than a standard home build.
“Progress is slow, but the quality is high,” he said.
And the work is likely to slow down in the coming
‘We thought this will be a unique experience for travelers. This will be another amenity that paddlers can discover next spring and summer.’ Scott Carpenter
weeks. Demand is high for skilled carpenters as the economy comes out of its recessionary building lull, Carpenter said, so several of his students have picked up carpentry jobs while in school.
“Companies were short because of losing workers,” he said. “The timing is fabulous.”
Daniel is currently deciding between Bowling Green State University and Ohio State University to study construction management once he graduates in 2019.
“I don’t like sitting and taking notes,” he said. “I like standing and seeing something happen.”
The project is tentatively expected to be ready for the paddling season in the spring.
Mr. Weaver hopes to return to home building for his seniors next year, but that the juniors can continue working on various projects with the Metroparks.
“It’s definitely a great relationship,” he said.