AC-WH Career Center breaks ground on expansion

With 50 years behind it, the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center has even better plans for providing its students with a quality education over the next 50.

On May 9 groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the front entrance, symbolizing work that will be underway in the upcoming days as expansion and renovations are already in progress.

“What I am looking forward to the most is finally getting started,” Principal Rick Brindley said. “It has been a long haul. I came here in ‘18, and we started talking about it in our strategic planning back then. They came to us in ‘19, and we were ready to go, and then we got set back by COVID.

“There were changes we wanted to make, and it has been a long process. We have had things back-ordered. I just want to get started and see what we have to offer to the kids of Ashland County and Holmes County and get them up here for an education they deserve and give them the best they deserve.”

Renovations to the Adult Education Center have been underway with additions and renovations to the main building, looking at an approximate completion date of October 2026. Plans also include a new water treatment plant to be installed.

Opening remarks were given by Superintendent Rod Cheyney, 2024 graduate Amasa Maynard, Board President David Hunter and State Rep. Melanie Miller. Several speakers made note of the 50th anniversary as the building opened for the 1973-74 school year.

During his remarks to the audience, Cheyney discussed how a few areas will be different for students next fall.

“All academics is going to move over to the county building for next year, and we are going to be on an A/B schedule,” he said. “On A Day, students will be in their lab, and on B Day, they will be in academics. We have it broken up to where the students will have the same number of hours in lab and the same number of hours in academics.

“I gotta push my people because I only want them over there a year. I am hammering on we have to get people back over in this building.”

He said only two programs would move to the county building: culinary arts and graphic arts.

“Culinary will go in the old kitchen there, and graphics will be in the room up front,” he said. “Those are the only two labs to move. All the other labs will stay here.”

Board member Tina Zickefoose, representing West Holmes, said the long process would be worth the wait.

“It has been a long process going on six years now for the career center to get to tonight,” she said. “They would talk about it, and you would get all excited, and then it would get put on hold. But I am excited for the kids and the opportunities this provides for the kids.”

She said when she came on board, there were approximately 250-275 students in the building, and that number has grown.

“We are almost at 500 now, and that has been in just six years,” she said. “It has been an explosion. I am very blessed to have had a bird’s-eye view of it. It is just wonderful what is happening.”

Cheyney said he is grateful to everyone who had a part in making the evening so special.

“We are grateful for the voters’ support, and now we are going to be able to give students a new cutting edge and one step up,” he said. “They can learn a special skill trade. For the students it is a win-win situation.

“We have students leaving here making $26-$28 per hour right out of high school. The opportunities are there, and we are able to help guide those students and give them so many opportunities.”