The Lorain County JVS junior Carpentry and Masonry Trades students built a replica of the Oberlin Midas building, as the first building at the new Oberlin Safety Town. This building was unveiled on Monday, May 23rd in front of special guests that included Oberlin Chief of Police, Ryan Warfield; Oberlin Midas Owner, Barry Jones; Lorain County JVS Superintendent, Dr. Glenn Faircloth; and Oberlin Schools Superintendent, Dr. David Hall.
Jones was overwhelmed by the finished piece. “I have to tell you, as the owner of this building, that I truly love, and to see what these young men have done has just blown me away.”
Carpentry students Kirk Yochum (Oberlin), Logan Rutz (Elyria), and Ethan Sante (North Ridgeville) led the ceremony, each speaking about their experiences on the project and what it meant to them.
“The part I enjoyed the most was installing the brick look on the building,” shared Rutz. “It was something I had never done before and I enjoyed learning how to do it.”
Rutz also explained that this building will not only be a replica of the Midas shop in town, but it will also serve a purpose. “This mini Midas building is going to be used as a storage shed. The kids can take their little bikes into the Midas building and pretend they are getting worked on and fixed until they get brought out the next time.”
Learning about the carpentry industry and the skills you need to be a successful carpenter is something Sante spoke about, but it was not his biggest takeaway from this project. “Teamwork is what I would like to highlight today. We had to learn how to work together for the cause of this project and I am proud for not quitting when it got too hard and for putting in enough work so that we can all stand here and present the new safety town building.”
“Safety Town is truly a community project,” said Chief Warfield. “Our community involvement in Oberlin includes Oberlin City Schools, Oberlin Police Department, Lorain County JVS, the City of Oberlin, Oberlin Rotary, and various other sponsors and businesses. We hope that our Safety Town will look like our community.”
“We are excited to see this building that shows the skillset that our students have. Our students have the tools to take with them to change the world,” shared Dr. Faircloth.
The JVS carpentry class of 2023 presented Chief Warfield and Mr. Jones with hammers as a symbol and remembrance of the occasion. The hammers are engraved with the words; “Dedication of the Oberlin Safety Town Midas Building May 23, 2022. Lorain County JVS.”