Each year Hills-Beaver Creek High School industrial arts teacher Chris Louwagie accepts projects for his Patriot Millworks class.
One project helped a local nonprofit with a needed project.
Rock Ranch, located outside of Hills, contacted Louwagie about improving the mounting blocks that the nonprofit uses for its riders to more easily mount and dismount the horses.
Marie LaRock is the Ranch’s owner.
“Our original ones had a plywood top that had gotten warped from being outside for so many years before the arena was built,” she said.
“The steps had a higher rise than what we wanted for our senior population, and it did not have a railing the seniors could hold on to.”
Louwagie’s students were challenged to design low-rise steps for seniors and young children with disabilities and to use materials left over from the arena construction.
“The only lumber we bought was the plywood on the sides and the 2-by-12s for the stair risers,” Louwagie said.
Within weeks the Millworks students discussed LaRock’s vision and built the blocks in pieces to move easily from school to the ranch and assembled the project just before the school year ended this spring.
“It fit perfectly into the space where it was intended,” LaRock said. “They did great work, and we are so pleased with the outcome.”
The Millworks program will accept more projects this fall. Contact Louwagie at c.louwagie@isd671.net.