On June 4th The Paoli Housing Taskforce hosted the very first Possibilities In Paoli Home Showcase & Expo at the model home that was built on E. Water Street. 

The showcase was a hit! We visited with dozens of interested community members that stopped by to check out the model home and gain information on how this design could be replicated on similar properties and lots throughout Paoli. (Click the button below for an interactive map of these properties)

The Home was built by the Lost River Career Cooperative students and will act as the model home for the initiative 25 by 25.

The Construction Trades program is led by Instructor Jon Shellenberger and focuses on

training local high school students in the various fields related to residential

construction. Students enrolled in the program gain the skills, knowledge, and training

necessary to become a successful and valued employee in the construction industry.

Through this class, students first study construction safety, tool use, and the principles

of construction in a classroom/laboratory setting before going on to gain hands-on

training at the class build site. Paoli High School juniors and seniors can also take

advantage of the dual credit partnership between LRCC and Vincennes University and

graduate with up to six college credits in the Construction Technologies pathway.

This year’s building project was in collaboration with many different community partners.

The partnership was with OCEDP, Orange County Community Foundation, Indiana

University Center for Rural Engagement, Town of Paoli and Lost River Career

Cooperative. Incorporated into the design of the home are several new construction

technologies and techniques that will make the home more energy efficient.

Shellenberger stated that, “There are several criteria that we keep in mind when the

program builds a new home. We want to ensure that the project offers a good learning

experience for the students, and that it is going to be a nice place for the future homeowners

to live, and that it's well-built according to residential building codes and new energy

conservation standards."

Some of the building practices that the Construction Trades

program incorporates into their builds to promote energy efficiency are passive solar

design, ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) walls, advanced roof framing and insulating

methods, and infrared thermal imaging assessment. Jon Shellenberger stated that, “In

current times energy efficiency is a huge part of residential construction and is an area

that students need to be familiar with upon graduating high school and entering the

construction workforce. By applying these construction techniques to build a more

energy efficient home we are helping the students gain a deeper understanding of

general “green” building strategies and ultimately lowering the home’s overall energy

usage and reducing the homeowner’s future heating and cooling costs.”

The Construction Trades program also has a close working relationship with Habitat for

Humanity and the Town of Paoli has seen seven student built homes go up as a result of

this partnership. Through these builds the students are gaining a sense of community

involvement and service as well as the hands-on construction training.