Board formalizes student-led construction projects

A longtime practice by the Wrenshall School's construction course was temporarily stopped last week, after school officials were advised to develop a legal agreement between a property owner and the school.

The construction course is still planning on constructing a small garage project off site this fall, but not before a liability agreement is formalized.

"This current project needs a legal agreement ... to mitigate the risk we are taking in supporting this - the risk for everybody [including the homeowner]," superintendent Jeff Pesta said during a work session Sept. 5.

"We need to set a protocol" for the construction projects, Pesta added, including a timeline and an outline of skills being developed by the students.

Pesta also said the school ought to advertise within the community for prospective projects in the future, so that any property owner might have access to the construction class' work.

"The whole concept is great other than a process that doesn't exist," Pesta said.

The matter was also the subject of Monday's school board meeting at the Wrenshall library.

The construction course is part of the school's Career and Technical Education program.

Students have, for many years, conducted similar projects offsite in and around the community.

"Eventually, our luck might run out," board chair Mary Carlson said. "If something happens to a student, who carries that liability?"

The board and superintendent Jeff Pesta sought advice last week from the school attorney, who recommended "a full stop" on the project until an agreement was in place. The plan had been for the construction class to be onsite beginning Sept. 9. Pesta advised the board to look forward and not dwell on previous projects that unfolded less formally.

The attorney was drawing up an agreement which figures to be used as a boilerplate agreement for all projects in the future.

In addition to the liability issue, the board agreed to provide portable toilets and transportation to and from the site. Background checks of homeowners are also part of the process.

For now, students are doing preparatory work and training on campus until the project is greenlighted, Pesta said.

The agreement was coming together rapidly, board members said, and was expected to be enacted within the week and voted on more formally in October.

"I'm still fully supportive of getting the project going as soon as possible for those students and the instructor," board member Eric Ankrum said. "The sooner, the better."

"This is awesome," board member Misty Bergman said of formalizing the process for such onsite construction projects. "I want to see this project started the day we have that signed."

Such projects are arranged so that the landowner provides the building materials, while the school provides the student labor, supervision by the course instructor and necessary tools at the site.

The name of the homeowner and location of the project will not be public information until the agreement is signed, Pesta said.