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GIRARD —
To use a baseball analogy, if you can’t get on base with a hit, a walk can be just as good. That’s the philosophy being used by county commissioners and local educators in the creation of a countywide technical education program.
Officials have missed on three major grants to start up the tech programs, but County Commissioner Carl Wood said that plans were moving forward anyway.
“We’re starting with a welding class in January. Pittsburg will be the only one with kids in it at this point,” Wood said. “We’re looking into an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) program at the Lock Supply building. Girard’s got the welding they do. Others are interested in the construction trades part... We’ve been knocked down on three grants already. It looks like we’re going to have to build this ourselves.”
Other commissioners said they were glad the program was moving forward, though the grants would have been nice.
“It’s a good deal. For years, tech was the big push, but we got away from the trades,” said Commissioner Bob Kmiec. “They found you can’t do tech without the trades. I think this is a great deal.”
“When you start thinking about economic development, in order to be in business like that, you need skills like these,” Grilz said. “This is the tip of the iceberg. I think the biggest mistake the Board of Regents made was eliminating the two-year programs from the four-year schools.”
Commissioners also said the tech program will need to teach work ethic in addition to the technical skills.
In other news, the commissioners agreed to buy a 100-ton sample of a new de-icer that they said melts at -20 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit, as most salt products do.
Further, this new product has a residual effect and is not based upon the sun to be shining in order to work properly.
“It does cost a bit more, but I think it’s well worth it. We’ll keep it here in Girard. The shelf life on it’s good,” Wood said.
The commission also heard from Janis Goedeke, Crawford County Health officer, about the creation of two groups, one a countywide board of public health to address local issues, and the other a regional health care coalition.
Commissioners said they’d move on that when a resolution was formed.
Finally, the commission approved a contract with All Concrete of St. Paul to repair the road and bridge barn roof. Once started, the project is expected to take roughly 1-2 weeks, weather dependent.
To use a baseball analogy, if you can’t get on base with a hit, a walk can be just as good. That’s the philosophy being used by county commissioners and local educators in the creation of a countywide technical education program.
Officials have missed on three major grants to start up the tech programs, but County Commissioner Carl Wood said that plans were moving forward anyway.
“We’re starting with a welding class in January. Pittsburg will be the only one with kids in it at this point,” Wood said. “We’re looking into an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) program at the Lock Supply building. Girard’s got the welding they do. Others are interested in the construction trades part... We’ve been knocked down on three grants already. It looks like we’re going to have to build this ourselves.”
Other commissioners said they were glad the program was moving forward, though the grants would have been nice.
“It’s a good deal. For years, tech was the big push, but we got away from the trades,” said Commissioner Bob Kmiec. “They found you can’t do tech without the trades. I think this is a great deal.”
“When you start thinking about economic development, in order to be in business like that, you need skills like these,” Grilz said. “This is the tip of the iceberg. I think the biggest mistake the Board of Regents made was eliminating the two-year programs from the four-year schools.”
Commissioners also said the tech program will need to teach work ethic in addition to the technical skills.
In other news, the commissioners agreed to buy a 100-ton sample of a new de-icer that they said melts at -20 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit, as most salt products do.
Further, this new product has a residual effect and is not based upon the sun to be shining in order to work properly.
“It does cost a bit more, but I think it’s well worth it. We’ll keep it here in Girard. The shelf life on it’s good,” Wood said.
The commission also heard from Janis Goedeke, Crawford County Health officer, about the creation of two groups, one a countywide board of public health to address local issues, and the other a regional health care coalition.
Commissioners said they’d move on that when a resolution was formed.
Finally, the commission approved a contract with All Concrete of St. Paul to repair the road and bridge barn roof. Once started, the project is expected to take roughly 1-2 weeks, weather dependent.
