Major historic renovation underway downtown
Career Center students handling bulk of job
Medina County Career Center construction trade students Seth Engelhaupt (left) and Jordan Andino cut metal studs for drywalling during remodeling of the Medina Town Hall and Engine House Museum March 16. Photo by KEVIN MCMANUS
MEDINA – The significance of the project isn’t lost on the teens who are putting in the work.
Efforts continued March 16 to renovate the second floor of the 1878 Medina Town Hall and Engine House Museum on Public Square’s south side, thanks to the helping hands of senior construction trade students from the Medina County Career Center.
About 18 students, along with 10 or so from the vocational school’s HVAC program, are performing the work as part of a senior project. Students in those programs used to build an entire house, but program cuts have prevented that the past few years.
“It means a lot,” student Chris Trifiletti said of working in the historic building. “I’ll be able to come back years from now and see this. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Like many of his classmates, Trifiletti, whose home school is Brunswick, works a summer job as a general contractor. The seniors are hoping to have their portion of the work done before they graduate in May, with a few other tasks being outsourced to contractors to help supplement.
“When we first came in here, there was a lot of wainscoting we needed to remove. We started demolition from there,” Trifiletti said in between cutting steel studs for drywalling. “Installing the drop ceiling is next.”
The iconic downtown landmark has remained relatively vacant since fire department operations ceased there in the late 1980s, apart from the museum on the first floor that was opened in 2014. At one point, the space held Medina’s original town hall, police and fire operations.
The idea for the roughly 1,300-square-foot community space – in addition to utilizing it in coordination with Medina Schools’ local history curriculum for elementary students – is for small groups to reserve it for their own events. It could also be opened for various receptions during downtown events.
Office space is also being carved out for both Main Street Medina and the Community Design Committee, the latter nonprofit having already fronted $20,000 for the project. An additional $20,000 was donated by Medina resident Murray Van Epp, who previously donated funds for the fountain constructed on the square’s northwest corner.
“This project has been on the table for a while and it’s finally come to fruition,” MCCC construction trades head instructor Todd Mason said. “Nothing’s better than real-world work experience. Definitely beats sitting in the classroom.”
Added assistant construction trades instructor Dana Porter, “They can look back and say they remodeled this. It’s pretty cool ... It’s not paid. It’s all work experience.”
Community Design Committee Executive Director Bill Lamb, an at-large Medina City Council representative, was on hand March 16 along with Medina TV’s Matt Tomek. The two are working on a short documentary about the building’s history. Their previous cinematic effort was a chronicling of the former Medina Theater.
“These kids are part of a major restoration of the city’s history,” Lamb said, adding the engine house is the only city-owned building on the square, apart from the restrooms on the northwest corner.
The first-floor museum, which details Medina’s history from settlement to present day through pictures and artifacts, is open during downtown events and by appointment.
Efforts continued March 16 to renovate the second floor of the 1878 Medina Town Hall and Engine House Museum on Public Square’s south side, thanks to the helping hands of senior construction trade students from the Medina County Career Center.
About 18 students, along with 10 or so from the vocational school’s HVAC program, are performing the work as part of a senior project. Students in those programs used to build an entire house, but program cuts have prevented that the past few years.
“It means a lot,” student Chris Trifiletti said of working in the historic building. “I’ll be able to come back years from now and see this. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Like many of his classmates, Trifiletti, whose home school is Brunswick, works a summer job as a general contractor. The seniors are hoping to have their portion of the work done before they graduate in May, with a few other tasks being outsourced to contractors to help supplement.
“When we first came in here, there was a lot of wainscoting we needed to remove. We started demolition from there,” Trifiletti said in between cutting steel studs for drywalling. “Installing the drop ceiling is next.”
The iconic downtown landmark has remained relatively vacant since fire department operations ceased there in the late 1980s, apart from the museum on the first floor that was opened in 2014. At one point, the space held Medina’s original town hall, police and fire operations.
The idea for the roughly 1,300-square-foot community space – in addition to utilizing it in coordination with Medina Schools’ local history curriculum for elementary students – is for small groups to reserve it for their own events. It could also be opened for various receptions during downtown events.
Office space is also being carved out for both Main Street Medina and the Community Design Committee, the latter nonprofit having already fronted $20,000 for the project. An additional $20,000 was donated by Medina resident Murray Van Epp, who previously donated funds for the fountain constructed on the square’s northwest corner.
“This project has been on the table for a while and it’s finally come to fruition,” MCCC construction trades head instructor Todd Mason said. “Nothing’s better than real-world work experience. Definitely beats sitting in the classroom.”
Added assistant construction trades instructor Dana Porter, “They can look back and say they remodeled this. It’s pretty cool ... It’s not paid. It’s all work experience.”
Community Design Committee Executive Director Bill Lamb, an at-large Medina City Council representative, was on hand March 16 along with Medina TV’s Matt Tomek. The two are working on a short documentary about the building’s history. Their previous cinematic effort was a chronicling of the former Medina Theater.
“These kids are part of a major restoration of the city’s history,” Lamb said, adding the engine house is the only city-owned building on the square, apart from the restrooms on the northwest corner.
The first-floor museum, which details Medina’s history from settlement to present day through pictures and artifacts, is open during downtown events and by appointment.