To the editor:
We are so fortunate in Presque Isle to have schools and instructors that are willing to use local building projects as part of the training program for the trade students at the high school level.
The Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce building at 3 Houlton Road has a newly shingled roof thanks to Mr. Jim Ouellette and his building trades classes. The young men who worked on the roof showed a good level of understanding for the job presented to them and worked hard to complete the project prior to graduation for the senior class.
We were lucky that Roger Hoffses asked early in the fall of 2008 if the school could help us with this project. The class soon got busy with other indoor projects and had to hurry to allow themselves time for this work. Mr. Ouellette acted as the general contractor arranging delivery of materials and acquiring other equipment that they would need to complete the re-shingling in an efficient manner. Thank you Mr. O for all of your help and support!
Through the efforts of Roger Hoffses, Tom Gagnon and Bill Smythe, we were able to pay for the necessary repairs without going into debt. The PIACC has a limited budget that does not have room for major expenditures like this. We are very grateful to these gentlemen for the time they spent helping with these necessary repairs. When the students removed the old shingles they found that the tarpaper had disintegrated. We were fortunate to have the repairs done before we suffered serious water damage!
We know that there will be some well trained carpenters graduating from these building trades classes. We wish Mr. Ouellette the best as he enters retirement and are appreciative that the Chamber of Commerce was his last project.
Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce
Photo courtesy of Billie Brodsky
COMMUNITY SERVICE — Members of the Building Trades II Class at Presque Isle Regional Technical Center who recently replaced the roof at the PI Area Chamber of Commerce include, from left, front: Matt LaJoie, Joshua Buck and Spencer Goodine. Back row: John Ansolini, Mark Allen, Isaac Ashby, Peter Palmer, Scott MacCallum, Travis Pinette and instructor Jim Ouellette.
