On October 9th, a team of students from CSC’s Polk County youth program finished reconstructing a 75’ strip of residential sidewalk with professionals from Allied Drilling and Concrete.

The students were trained in the steps of removing, framing, pouring and finishing sidewalks, as well coached by the Allied Concrete owners on the logistics of owning a small, local business.

This is the first in an on-going series of reduced-cost sidewalk projects for Independence homeowners as part of a collaborative initiative between CSC, Willamette Workforce Partnership, the City of Independence and Allied Concrete and Drilling.

The sidewalk project is not only valuable work experience for the students, and support of a local business, but is also an opportunity for Independence homeowners to have their broken sidewalks fixed for a fraction of the cost, as they only have to pay for the concrete and avoid the highest expense, labor.

As a win, win, win, this project has been celebrated by many and is already in plans to be mirrored in at least 8 other nearby towns and counties!

“[These] students are walking away with the first step in job skills to go out and get a family wage and meet a workforce need”, said John McArdle, Mayor of the City of Independence, regarding this collaborative project. “This is a victory, not just for us, but for other places throughout the region that will benefit from programs like this.” McArdle concluded.

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