PEABODY — Eight juniors from the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School’s carpentry program were praised by Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. as they presented their progress in building a new vestibule for the city’s police department on Thursday.
The vestibule, which serves as an entryway behind the station, needs to be replaced because of its old materials. The carpentry program has collaborated with the Peabody Police Department for the past two weeks to help build a new one.
The students working on the project learned how to use professional equipment and how to work as a team. The project helped the city save money, as it only had to pay for building materials rather than hire a contractor to fix the vestibule.
Bettencourt said these students were an asset to the city and brought impactful change to the community.
“They are a great value to us,” said Bettencourt. “It’s terrific to see our students working for the community. They are doing great work.”
The mayor thanked the students for all their hard work.
Police Capt. Doug Marcus also praised the eight high schoolers, saying that this project helps the community grow and helps all of them learn valuable lessons.
“To be here at the police department and see them working, I think it’s great,” said Marcus. “It’s great for the kids and it’s great for the community.”
Construction began two weeks ago and will finish in the early months of 2022. Roy Silva, the carpentry instructor, said that the project is halfway done, and he hopes that inclement weather will not slow down their progress.
“It depends on the weather,” Silva said. “My concern right now is getting this weather-tight. I was rooting for this year but it depends on the weather.”
The students all get a chance to build a piece of the vestibule. Some even get to work on building the roof.
Many of the students have been involved in carpentry their whole lives, working on projects with their families and communities.
An Essex Tech junior, Griffon Minette, said he has always been interested in carpentry, and his grandfather, who worked as a handyman, inspired him. Minette recalls how he and his grandfather spent time building a church in Saugus.
“I’ve been doing this for over 10 years,” said Minette. “He did it for 30-plus years.”
Another junior, Trevor O’Neil, said his father introduced him to carpentry and taught him everything about construction.
“I remember the first time I saw his workshop,” said O’Neil. “I fell in love with it.”
Both Minette and O’Neil said they are considering enlisting in the military, but Minette still wishes to do construction in the future.
“I want to go out west,” said Minette. “That’s where all the jobs in construction are right now.”
When asked if their families were proud of them, O’Neil simply said, “I think so, yeah.”
