Underdown said he is worried about the impact the paint booth being closed will have on his son’s ability to get a certification at the end of the year.
“I feel he’s being shortchanged," Underdown said. “You can’t get good at hand painting or using the spray without lots of experience.
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The Greene County Career Center and the county have been going back and forth since the start of the school year about permits for the paint booth.
Ron Bolender, spokesman for the Greene County Career Center, said students have been learning other aspects of the industry leading up to painting while the booth is out of commission. The juniors would have just begun painting. Seniors would have been working actively in the booth.
“The Greene County Career Center is working closely with our contractors and the Greene County building inspector to remedy the issue regarding the installation of the paint booth at our new campus. While we are certainly concerned that our auto collision repair students have not been able to utilize the new technology, ensuring the safety of students is our first priority,” Greene County Career Center Superintendent Dave Deskins said
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The school is considering visits to paint shops, Deskins said, but COVID-19 restrictions limit travel.
The new $70 million school opened to students on Aug. 25.
Al Kuzma, the chief building official in Greene County, said the paint booth is the only thing not ready to go in the new Greene County Career Center building.
“The building is completely safe as long, as they’re not using the paint booth,” Kuzma said.
Kuzma said the architects of the new career center building got plans for the paint booth to building inspectors “late in the game." Kuzma sent letters on Oct. 7 to the career center regarding the paint booth permit, stating what corrections needed to be made.
According to the letters, obtained by the Dayton Daily News, the department of building regulation asked that more details be provided on the ductwork in the paint booth and changes be made to the sprinkler hook ups. The letter also asks that fire alarm plan reviews be submitted to the county.
“A paint booth has a lot of hazards associated with it,” Kuzma said. “Paint can combust, so there has to be proper exhaust and sprinkler systems inside. All these systems allow for safe painting.”
Kuzma said no response on the correction letter has been received.
“We’re all in this together. We all want safe occupancy of the building,” Kuzma said.
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