Ribbon cut for new, renovated Career Center

By LINDA HALL

Staff Writer

From The Daily Record, Oct. 28, 2011

Thank you for your support and patience during our three year renovation phase.  If you were unable to attend the dedication ceremony on October 27th, we would love to give you a personal tour!  Photos from the dedication ceremony can be found in the photo gallery on the High School tab.

SMITHVILLE — The Wayne County Schools Career Center welcomed a crowd to its Thursday evening celebration.

Special guests, from alumni to elected officials, as well as staff members, students and their families and members of all sectors of the county, swarmed the hallways for tours of the completely renovated building and packed the Commons for congratulatory remarks.

“I think this is a great day for the county, a great day for the community and a great day for students,” said state Sen. Larry Obhof Jr., R-Montville, who along with state Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, brought a commendation on the Career Center’s achievement from the General Assembly.

“I can’t think of anything more important for the state of Ohio than this,” Obhof said, referring to the Career Center’s contribution to workforce development. Amstutz, too, praised workforce development and life skills development. He also credited the Ohio School Facilities Commission for its part in helping “communities across the state upgrade their educational facilities.”

The state recognized “the investment it represents to the future of our county,” Amstutz said. While the state recognition spoke of a grand “opening,” Amstutz pointed out the building never really closed. “You did the hard thing; you kept the building open while renovating the building,” Amstutz said.

Rebuilding schools was targeted at giving students “access to modern facilities,” said Karen Skipworth-Little, representing the OSFC.

“It is a partnership,” Amstutz said. Smithville Mayor Al Snyder spoke of the beneficial partnership enjoyed by the Career Center and the village.

“This is a celebration of many organizations and individuals’ efforts to renew our center so that we can continue to provide career-technical education to the youth and adults of our community,” said Superintendent Kip Crain.

Even the school’s initial development depended upon state officials, educators, skilled tradespeople, agricultural and business owners and agencies “to ensure that it would meet the needs of Wayne County’s flourishing businesses and industries,” said Career Center board President Sue Williams.

In renovating the entire building, the input from partners created a “design for life,” said Domenic Ferrente, SoL Harris/Day Architects, adding features, such as natural light and better air circulation it “didn’t have before.”

Information gathered was used “to make this a better place for everyone,” Ferrente said.

Construction manager Quandel Group’s Brian Swope called the dedication ceremony an opportunity to “celebrate the conclusion of a long and rewarding journey.”

“Today is a celebration of our new facilities, and we also give thanks to those pioneers who had the vision to establish this center over 40 years ago. Their legacy has provided bright career futures for tens of thousands of successful adult and high school alumni,” Crain said.

In fact, 16,000 of them work locally and globally, Williams said, in a variety of roles, from nurses to CEOs, and entrepreneurs to industry leaders.

A ribbon-cutting, involving a number of guests, was held inside the Commons. Two of the participants were

Janice Grim, a Career Center board member for 26 years and the daughter of original board member Merle Douglas; and Ashley Louis, a senior cosmetology student representing three generations of Career Center students in her family.

Crain thanked partners including the board, staff, students, architects, construction managers, contractors, the OSFC, voters who approved the bond issue for the local share of the three-year, $30.75 million project of which the OSFC paid 61 percent and commended Lynn Moomaw, director of operations; Tom Nadelin, maintenance manager; and Jeffrey Slutz, treasurer, for their part in the multi-phased project first discussed 7 1/2 years ago.

Williams reminded guests to look around the building — “200,000 beautiful square feet of renovated or new space.”

Hal Fulton, an original staff member who served the Career Center until 1993, expressed his appreciation for all that was done. “I’m impressed,” he said. “It’s a beautiful facility. I just feel good about the place.” The first students and staff members “took a chance on us,” Fulton said. “They were very special. They didn’t know how this would turn out.” “I found a place I enjoyed working and people I enjoyed working with,” Fulton said.