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Date: 4/17/2023
PALMER — Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Eric Duda told the School Committee about two programs at its April 12 meeting.
Duda said after applying several months ago, Pathfinder was awarded their biggest competitive grant in school history in the amount of $492,000.
The money was used for the HVAC program and to upgrade the building with two new rooms with LED lights, new ceilings, gas lines, upgraded ventilation, new floors, new hand tools, new tool area, new power tools, new equipment and more, according to Duda.
“What the grant was for was to take one of the most outdated programs we have, or at least the one that needed the most work we thought. Mini split, commercial, residential you name it. Anything you can think of in that HVAC industry. Ths is going to one of the most outfitted programs there is.,” Duda said.
Electrical and plumbing students in their respective programs completed a lot of the work in the new rooms for the HVAC program.
Duda added that the tentative ribbon cutting ceremony for the new rooms is Aug. 16 with the hope for the construction to be completed by July 1.
Duda added, “You are going to be impressed by what it looks like when it is done. There is high demand for carbon HVAC. We are going to have an option to look at your old school oil boiler as well as this high tech green push. The kids will be more equipped now to do more technological things they never would have been able to have done.”
Duda also told the committee that the school has recently partnered with Sanderson Macleod Inc. whose main location is in Palmer.
Duda and Sanderson Macleod CEO Mark Borsari have been in contact for the past two years and have kicked off a new program at the beginning of April.
Sanderson Macleod Inc. is known for their twisted wire brushes for medical, cosmetic, firearm and industrial use but Duda thinks the partnership can be much more than that.
He said, “We built out this program called Twist. [Borsari] spent an incredibly amount of money renovating a huge amount of his facility and turn it into a learning center for our kids.”
There is currently a “pilot” program running with six seniors but the hope is to bring it to more juniors and seniors next school year.
“This is not about training for that industry. It is about training the students for life. We are collaborating them with bank presidents, CEOs of other companies. These kids are doing tours with various companies to see how these things function. They are looking at business, expenses, how to have a patent. All stuff that will be very beneficial,” Duda said.