$110,000 in contributions to benefit Tri-County Technical Center

DEXTER — The Tri-County Technical Center works to provide students from six high schools with Career and Technical Education that enables them to enter the work world or pursue post-secondary training and education in their chosen field. These efforts are carried out in part with the assistance of community partners, including financial contributions.

During an Aug. 21 meeting of the SAD 46 school board a pair of donations totaling $110,000 together were accepted by the directors. The Bill & Joan Alfond Family Foundation has given $85,000 toward the construction of a new building trades shop on the TCTC campus behind Dexter Regional High School. The Skowhegan Savings Bank Charitable Foundation has donated $25,000 toward the purchase of equipment for the welding technology and metals manufacturing programs.

Superintendent Kevin Jordan said SAD 46 has been very fortunate to work with the Bill & Joan Alfond Family Foundation for a number of years. He said TCTC Director Brian Leavitt gave foundation officials a tour of the facilities.

“We want to add a steel building behind the tech center on a cement pad we have,” Jordan said. Previous building trades space is being used for the new welding program.

 Bill & Joan Alfond Family Foundation tour attendees had a number of questions for Leavitt. Jordan said at the end Justin Alfond said they would be happy to support TCTC.

“They have been a great partner of ours and they will continue to be a partner of ours,” the superintendent said.

Leavitt said construction costs will be six figures. “We are in the process of getting quotes and getting underway,” he said, with the aim of having a structure in place before the first snowfall.

Should $20,000 be raised, then the Bill & Joan Alfond Family Foundation would match with another $35,000.

Leavitt said he applied for a $55,000 workforce development grant from Skowhegan Savings Bank to purchase a commercial band saw. A $25,000 contribution was made and Leavitt said, after consulting with other CTC directors, he was able to find a different less expensive model of saw for the welding technology program and for the metals manufacturing program.

“We were able to buy the saw with the money instead of just half of one,” he said.

Jordan said Skowhegan Savings Bank, which has a branch in Dexter, has always been willing to support the school system and student success.

Leavitt reported a record high number of 87 participants were enrolled in the CTE Summer Camp, which is supported by the Bill & Joan Alfond Family Foundation. Programs included multimedia production, culinary arts, graphic arts, health occupations, and activities with elders.

In other business, the school board approved a high school golf cooperative team with neighboring Piscataquis Community High School of Guilford. 

Principal Steve Bell said PCHS has just one golfer who would be part of the Tiger squad, but there could be another. He said the bulk of the roster will return from a team that won its second consecutive Penobscot Valley Conference title, finished in a tie for eighth place at the Class C championship, and qualified for the state finals for the third year in a row.

Dexter has cooperative agreements with PCHS in football and with the Corinth-based Central High School in field hockey as these athletes travel to Dexter for practices and games and wear the Tiger orange and white as full-fledged members of the roster. 

“This is just a continuation and this time it happens to be golf,” Bell said. “It’s what we see across the state, enrollment’s dropping but kids are still playing.”

“A school with only a couple of kids who want to play still have an opportunity,” Jordan said.

Bell said 140-plus athletes are taking part in fall sports at the high school. 

He said on Wednesday, Aug. 28 freshmen and new students would be coming in for a day prior to the start of classes for everyone the following day. “That’s a long tradition at Dexter, it gives new students a day to themselves,” the principal said with activities and team-building exercises on the schedule.

The protected enrollment is between 270 and 280 pupils and Bell said he would have an exact count for the September board meeting.