HATHORNE – Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to share that the concrete foundation of the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project has been poured.
The Local 22 Laborers’ Union donated $6,000 toward the purchase of the concrete, with the remaining $5,000 funded by the Essex Tech Larkin Foundation. S&F Concrete also donated service and equipment including trucks, pumps, staff and all of the necessary equipment to pour the concrete.
“We have a longstanding, strong relationship with the Local 22 Laborers’ Union and are very thankful for their support,” Superintendent Riccio said. “It was a wonderful learning experience for our students, who gained real world knowledge by pouring a concrete foundation on campus, working alongside S&F Concrete and union representatives.”
All 25 of the district’s Construction Craft Laborer freshman, junior and senior students participated on Monday in pouring the concrete, raking it, working on the cement truck to ensure the concrete was properly getting to the compressor and directing the trucks from Rte. 62 onto the job site.
All of the participating seniors are also eligible to join Local 22 after graduation.
Next steps for the Larkin Cottage project include the installation of: exterior French drains, waterproofing materials on the exterior of the foundation, a foundation drain board, an underground electrical conduit, first floor support columns and beams, and floor joists and subfloor sheathing. Upcoming work also will include the backfilling of earth on the site and stonework.
About the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage Project
Lt. Catherine Larkin of Salem was an alumni of the Essex County Agricultural School homemaking program and World War II nurse who died in a plane crash in 1945. The cottage was built in 1950 and named after Larkin.
It is being rebuilt into a multi-use facility, including a historical museum, service kitchen, office space, an exhibit hall, a learning lab, and function space.
Students from various disciplines at the school are working on the project, including students studying carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing, construction craft labor, landscaping, and natural resources.
To learn more about the Larkin Memorial Cottage project and/or to donate, click here.
###