The students have spent the last two months installing the plumbing in one of the homes in the New Preston neighborhood. They finished their work last week.
“Sophomore, you work to this point,” said Ben Weissmann, a junior at Henry Abbott Tech. “It’s great to see all the skills you’ve learned put into practice. They are actually working on a house that people will move into.”
“The students and faculty were great to work with and we’re excited to have their help in building our habitat,” said Diana Arfine, executive director of Housatonic Habitat.
From the classroom to the construction site
The land on Myland Lane was donated to Housatonic Habitat in 2018 by Washington developers Winston Fowlkes and Joseph Gitterman.
“We were very fortunate to receive a land donation to build eight affordable Habitat homes,” said Arfine. “We built one in 2022 and are currently working on four more.”
Peter Arcoma, Housatonic Habitat site manager, said the nonprofit has contacted Henry Abbott Tech on several occasions and the school has expressed a desire to help Housatonic Habitat.
“It worked very well with the children,” said Arcoma. “It’s a unique situation that they actually do the plumbing in the new home and it doesn’t happen that often and they’re really learning.”
According to Arcoma, the students also benefited from working alongside occupations involving home construction.
Jim Roberts, head of plumbing and heating at Henry Abbott Tech, said the students tried to be on site every day, working three-hour shifts. In addition to installing plumbing and water lines, students also learned plumbing codes, according to Roberts.
“Our main goal is for the students to do their work in a hands-on way,” he said. “It prepares them for the world of work.”
Austin Brown, a junior, said, “It’s really interesting because if you do it in the workshop, it’s on a set of chalkboards in the classroom.”
Leonardo Paragarino, a junior, said: “There’s also a lot less supervision by teachers here, so you have to figure things out for yourself.”
Chris Marino, also a junior, agreed. “Here you work more independently and realistically. You can see how everything is connected and connected.”
Future Housatonic Habitat projects
Roberts said Henry Abbott Tech hopes to start working on more homes with Housatonic Habitat early in the 2023-24 school year. Arcoma said he hopes to get the students involved in HVAC work in the new homes.
In addition to affordable homes, Arfine said Housatonic Habitat has an “Aging in Place” program that offers free home repairs to seniors and veterans who have a steady income, allowing them to live safely in their homes.
The program includes minor home repairs and modifications to meet American With Disabilities Act standards such as: B. attaching grab bars, repairing broken stairs or railings or repairing rotted siding.
“We hope to use Abbott Tech students on some of these projects,” said Arfine.
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