ERVING — Staff from Franklin County Technical School and representatives from Greenfield Savings Bank broke ground on Monday on a house students from the school will build through the winter and spring.
The project, which is financed by a foundation set up through the bank, has been in the works since January 2016. They are laying the foundation and building the frame before winter, with the aim of finishing either this spring or next fall, depending on the severity of the winter.
Students will build and install every aspect of the house, except the foundation and flooring. The house, located at 26 Central St. in Erving, will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and a total of 13,000 square feet.
Ken Vautrin, one of the carpentry instructors at the school, originally pitched the idea to the bank. In the past the school has worked with other organizations to build houses, but the students at the school haven’t built a house from start to finish in several years.
John Howland, president of Greenfield Savings Bank, said the project ties in with the bank’s community involvement. He said that when Vautrin reached out, he knew he was interested. “In about two minutes I realized this was something we were excited about.”
The bank then established the Franklin Technical School Building Society Inc., a foundation that helps finance the front end of the house, and will be replenished when the house is sold. The goal is for the foundation to become self sufficient, with any additional money from the sale going toward future houses.