Monty Tech students build another house, prepare for third

Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School has again partnered with the City of Gardner and the Greater Gardner Community Development Corp. (CDC) to make the dream of affordable housing a reality for a qualified family.

Representatives from the three partners attended a ribbon cutting ceremony held recently at the latest home being built on Clairmont Street in Gardner. The house is the second Monty Tech and the CDC have built in the city, and the fourth time the two organizations have partnered to build affordable single-family homes.

The Clairmont Street project is being built on land donated by Mark Dymek, owner of Dymek Custom Builders and a Monty Tech graduate. He also donated a lot in Ashburnham, which will be the site of another CDC-Monty Tech home going up next year. Participating in the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony in Gardner are, front row from left, Sarah Bond of Gardner, Angel Acosta of Fitchburg and Anthony Lavigne of Athol, all seniors in Monty Tech's House Carpentry program; Helen Lepkowski, Gardner representative to the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical District School Committee; Dennis Cormier, the house carpentry teacher, and Alice Anderson, another School Committee representative from Gardner. In back row are Denise O'Loughlin, Monty Tech director of vocational programs, and James R. Culkeen, superintendent-director.