Garrett Academy builds themed playhouses, all to be auctioned for local charities

Garrett Academy of Technology students built four themed playhouses to be auctioned off to benefit three local charities (MUSC Children’s Hospital, Lowcountry Food Bank and The Ronald McDonald House of Charleston).  The playhouses will be on display at the Felix C. Davis Community Center in Park Circle.

Dean Wilson is accepting offers for the auction until December 23, 2011. To bid, call Dean at 345-2458.

Local business partners have donated the materials to the Construction Program at Garrett Academy of Technology for a real life work experience.

The materials, valued in excess of $6,000, were donated by:
CarolinaOne Real Estate - Dean Wilson and Mark Kerse
Harbor Homes
Capitol City Homes
Rex Thompson Homes
CCSD - Garrett Academy of Technology

Garrett Academy students present Mayor with Adirondack chair

Students from Garrett Academy of Technology’s Carpentry and Metal Fabrication Class presented an Adirondack chair they crafted from Heart Pine to North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey. The wood, donated by the Sustainability Warehouse (a 501(c)3 nonprofit), was reclaimed from Cross Seed Company facility after its closure. The students will sell the Adirondack chairs in order to raise money to participate in the Skills USA Competition on entrepreneurship.

The Skills USA Competition is a team event testing students' knowledge in starting their own businesses by developing business plans that identify needed products or services in a local market. Emphasis is placed on financial planning and practicality of product/service. Teams give oral presentations based upon their written plans and the team must successfully answer questions by a team of judges in response to typical problem encountered by entrepreneurs during their first year of business.

North Charleston Fire Station 5 Grand Opening

The North Charleston Fire Department, City Council, and Mayor R. Keith Summey hosted a Grand Opening for Fire Station 5, located at 6265 Dorchester Road, on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The ceremony will include remarks, a ribbon cutting, and a traditional station “WetDown.”  Station tours will be given after the ceremony.

The Station will house an engine and a ladder truck with a total of eight crew members each day.

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Replacement of Fire Station 5 has begun

The North Charleston Fire Department, City Council, and Mayor R. Keith Summey broke ground on Fire Station 5 on May 20, 2010. The new fire station will be located across the street from the current fire station on Dorchester Road between Covington Hills and Jericho on the Ashley.

When the City conducted inspections of all facilities in November 2007, it was determined that Fire Station 5 needed a complete renovation. The renovation would have taken 6 months and require temporary housing (trailers) for fire personnel. Instead of renovating the station at the current site, which the City leases from the Air Force, it was deemed wiser to construct an up to date station on city owned property.

The new station will contain an additional bay that will house reserve or specialized equipment, some of which is currently stored outside due to lack of space. It will contain a weight room for the crews to maintain a higher level of physical fitness and a day room equipped for classroom training for the crews while they maintain coverage in the area. The new station will also contain living space for a Battalion Chief, as our Battalion Chiefs currently stay at other stations dictated more by space limitations rather than strategic determinations.

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