Fourteen carpentry students at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School designed and constructed a new handicapped access ramp for the Georgetown Water Department.
The seniors worked on the project this fall after a town survey of all town buildings last winter revealed issues with the old ramp. Utility Director Marlene Ladderbush reached out to Whittier Tech Vocational Coordinator Paul Moskevitz, a Georgetown resident, for help with the project. Moskevitz then coordinated students to rebuild the ramp with the help of Carpentry Instructor Mike Sandlin.
“The Whittier Tech students who completed this project did an outstanding job,” said Ladderbush. “The kids were great, hard-working, well-mannered and extremely polite. I cannot thank them enough for their work, which will benefit our community for years to come.”
Computer Aided Design students and their instructor Scott Robertson designed and drew the blueprints for the project. Carpentry students then demolished the old ramp and installed a new, code-compliant handicap ramp. They also rebuilt the stairs and installed a box for Georgetown residents to drop off water bill payments while construction was taking place.
Superintendent Maureen Lynch said “These community projects allow our students to connect with community organizations and their members and provide them with valuable experience along the way.”
Participating seniors were Jeffrey Avila, Christopher Bognanno, Aidan Collins, Shannon DeJesus, Aiden Dupre, Noah Gayner, William Monroy, Zachary Sieminski, Benificent Silva and Connor Swales all of Haverhill; Stephanie Darmody and Craig Kielbania, both of Ipswich; William King of Merrimac; and Jordan Salthouse of Georgetown.
Students completed the project during their shop week.