Tolles 30,000 square-foot expansion on schedule

Messenger photo by Mike Munden This is a front view of what will be the new entrance to Tolles Career & Technical Center at 7877 U.S. Highway 42 South in Madison County, south of Plain City. This 30,000 square-foot expansion will include new administrative offices, a library and classrooms and is expected to be ready by August 2008.

Construction of a 30,000 square-foot expansion is on schedule at Tolles Career & Technical Center in Plain City.

“The structure is up. Now, we’re pouring the slabs inside. Next, we’ll be doing the electric and HVAC,” said Ervin Baldwin, Tolles maintenance and facilities supervisor, last week.

“Everything has been working out pretty well. We’ve had decent weather for what we’re doing. We’re in pretty good shape,” he said.

Dubbed the new “medical wing,” the expansion will house the center’s dental, sports medicine, biomedicine, pre-veterinarian and other medicine-related programs. The space these programs occupy now will be freed up for expansion of the early childhood development and cosmetology programs. The construction also includes space for administrative offices.

In addition to the expansion, the construction project includes renovation of the existing science laboratories. That work, along with installing furniture and equipment in the new wing, will take place in the summer when the high school students are on break. The schedule was designed to minimize, if not avoid altogether, any disruption of classes.

“Our summer schedule is pretty well used up for us to do everything we need to do inside the building to be ready to open by next school year,” Baldwin said.

The entire project should be wrapped up by late August.

“We will have classes then in rooms that are under construction now,” Baldwin said.

Tolles Career & Technical Center is located at 7877 U.S. Highway 42 South and serves students from the following school districts: Dublin City, Fairbanks Local, Hilliard City, Jefferson Local, Jonathan Alder Local, London City and Madison-Plains Local.