Committee Chair Jeff Botts speaks with Magistrates Ronnie Stinson and Tim Coomer, along with Garland Gilliam, concerning potential HVAC bids on the old U.S. Bank Building during the Building and Property Committee meeting on Nov. 21. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
During the county Building and Property Committee meeting, which was an hour before the full Barren County Fiscal Court meeting, Magistrate and committee chair Jeff Botts provided an update on the progress occurring at the Emergency Management Building at the intersection of S. Franklin Street and E. College Street.
As previously reported, Botts raised the idea of a partnership between the fiscal court and the Barren County Area Technology Center by providing hands-on projects for trade students as they renovate the EM building at the Oct.17 committee meeting.
According to Botts, he got the idea from the trade school’s prior work on a trailer, and on other county projects, and after talking with some people at the trade school asking if they would be in need of projects, they enthusiastically agreed.
Currently, Botts said, there are some carpentry, plumbing and electrical trade students working on the Barren County Clerk’s space — referred to as Phase One with Phase Two being the coroner’s space and Phase Three being a space for the sheriff and his office.
Not only will this “save the county a lot of money” but it will also provide good real world projects they can use as an example they can point to in order to get their credentials faster and/or get a job in their respective field.
“They’ll be getting apprenticeship time in doing this,” Botts said. “These kids, that are helping out on this project, once they graduate they can use their education [at] the vocational school as time on their apprenticeship so they can get their journeyman’s sooner, so it’s a win-win situation for kids.”
“I can look at the board for six months and not get it, but when you go up there and get hands on [experience] then you get it,” Botts added.
He said, as long at the BCATC wants to, the county plans to continue this partnership throughout the renovation process.
“There’ll be quite a bit of activity for the kids for at least this school year,” Botts said. “And we’ll have plenty of projects for them if they want to do them.”
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