(Shoshoni, WY) – The Shoshoni Town Council approved a building permit for the Shoshoni school district this week to accommodate an upcoming project for the high school’s construction technology program.
Town officials said students in the program will build a 1,578 square foot home on the northwest corner of Seventh and Maple streets as part of the project.
“The kids will get experience actually doing the construction themselves,” Shoshoni Police Department Chief Chris Konija said.
Shoshoni High School’s woodworking and construction technology instructor Cory Clemetson said he will serve as the general contractor overseeing the project, using his experience building Habitat for Humanities houses in Riverton.
“That’s why they brought me in – because I’ve done it before,” he explained.
The school district will own the home at the end of the project, Clemetson said, and they’ll try to use it to “give the new staff an opportunity” to live in town.
If the district ends up selling the house, Clemetson said they’ll use the proceeds to fund another construction project and “continue the program.”
He guessed it would take two years for the student crew to build the new home, with construction slated to begin in the spring – or even this fall, depending on the weather.
For now, he said the utilities and foundation are being installed by outside contractors while the students finish working on a pole barn they’re currently constructing near the school.
“Once the foundation’s done (for the house), if we can get rolling and the weather looks good, we’ll go ahead and put the floor on,” he said. “We’re just excited to get started.”
Mayor Joel Highsmith said the project is “a great deal for our kids and for the school.”
“(We’ll) get some new homes built and teach the kids some training,” he said. “This is a good deal.”
For more information call the Town of Shoshoni at (307) 876-2515.