Technical training center receives $20,000 donation from local builders

A new vocational education center that plans to open this fall in Lawrence has received a $20,000 gift to create a training program for people wanting to enter the construction industry.

The Sharon K. Stultz Family Foundation of Lawrence has made the gift to the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center, which is a partnership between local economic development organizations and city and county governments.

The $20,000 gift will help create a program that will provide training to area adults in a variety of skills in the construction and building trades, said Marvin Hunt, executive director of the Peaslee Center.

“It will include a lot of the staples of the construction industry,” including framing, finish carpentry, HVAC skills and others,” Hunt said.

The center also is expected to offer courses in auto mechanics and manufacturing technologies when it opens this fall in a renovated warehouse space at 2920 Haskell Ave.

The Stultz foundation is backed by a family of longtime Lawrence builders.

“There has been a need for technical training in Lawrence for decades now, and we are excited to see this collaborative community effort moving forward,” Tim Stultz, president of Lawrence-based Highland Construction, said in a release.

The donation is the first by private industry toward the center, said Hugh Carter, vice president of external affairs for the Lawrence chamber of commerce. The Peaslee Center board has made arrangements for the Douglas County Community Foundation to accept donations on behalf of the center.

“Industry leaders have been very supportive of the idea of the center,” Carter said. “They expressed a willingness to donate some equipment and other support. We’re hoping this gift will spur some interest from others that we haven’t spoken to yet.”

The center still has significant remodeling and equipment costs before it can open in the fall. Carter said he expects to approach the Lawrence City Commission about the Douglas County Commission about each group providing $500,000 in funding to help with interior renovations of the building, which is just northeast of the 31st and Haskell streets intersection. Carter said he anticipates having a funding request before the commissions in January. Originally Carter had expected to make the funding requests in December but said the group decided to gather more detailed cost estimates on the renovation work that is needed.