Focused Renovations

Projects were initiated at dozens of Job Corps centers to provide additional training opportunities for students and make the centers more efficient.

At the Atterbury Job Corps Center in Edinburgh, Indiana, students and staff members took a high- and low-technology approach to energy efficiency on campus. From installing highly sensitive automatic light sensors in buildings and parking lots to switching to energy-efficient washers and dryers, the center's energy-saving improvement strategies are reducing operational costs.

At the Tulsa Job Corps Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Facilities Maintenance students installed a new energy-efficient hot water unit for their center's cafeteria. Students worked alongside their Home Builders Institute instructor and workers from local contractor K&M Shillingford throughout the project. The new unit, which meets the Oklahoma State Department of Health requirements for energy efficiency, conserves energy by remaining dormant until it receives a signal from the main hot water tank.

"We got to test out our new skills and learn about green technology at the same time," said Tulsa student Marissa Justice. "I feel better prepared for maintenance industry jobs that will require knowledge of energy-efficient equipment."

The Finch-Henry Job Corps Center in Batesville, Mississippi, made plumbing upgrades that utilized energy-efficient fixtures to reduce water consumption in some areas of the center by 20 percent when compared to the previous year (2009).

At the Keystone Job Corps Center in Drums, Pennsylvania, a road-paving project meant less wear and tear on vehicles.

"The roads and parking lots at Keystone were in very bad shape, so we couldn't have been more excited to see more than $600,000 in stimulus money come to us for a major paving project," said Mike Martine, deputy director at Keystone Job Corps Center. "By repaving these roads, vehicles on the center are lasting longer and less time and money is being spent to repair and maintain center vehicles."

Eighteen jobs were created when a local construction company was hired to rip out the old blacktop on most of the Keystone Job Corps Center's roads and parking lots and replace it with a new base and top coat. The construction company also completely rebuilt some of the center's roads.

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