Two recent collaborations resulted in some practical experience for students in two shops and time — and cost-savings for the department in Warren County.

PennDOT District Executive Brian McNulty, District Press Officer Jill Harry, and Warren County Manager Adam Elms visited the career center last week to receive the items and meet with the students who made them. They also encouraged the students to seek employment with the department.

Students in the welding shop crafted 10 leafless vane grates that department personnel will place along roads with hills rising above them. The heavy grates prevent most light debris from falling into the grate — helping to prevent blockages of the drains. “It’s a huge benefit,” Elms said.

Each grate costs the department $200 to $250 and the time of the county maintenance department’s only welder to produce, Elms said.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry PennDOT officials and Warren County Career Center welding students get together for a photo after they got together on a project to produce 10 leafless vane grates. Pictured, from left, are Welding Instructor Nate McNett, PennDOT Warren County Manager Adam Elms, Caleb McMillen, Konnor Hoffman, Davonte Raffanello, Brodie McElhatten, C.J. Wyman, Conner Winslow, Lex Leamon, BrookeLynn Woods, Michael Crane, Gabe Wynn, and PennDOT Welder David Schwartz.

“We want to thank you,” he said. “For us, they’re huge to do.”

PennDOT Welder David Schwartz joined the group in the welding shop.

Welding instructor Nate McNett said the students worked together on the projects – “almost an assembly line.”

Students Caleb McMillen, Konnor Hoffman, Davonte Raffanello, Brodie McElhatten, C.J. Wyman, Lex Leamon, Conner Winslow, Michael Crane, BrookeLynn Woods, Gabe Wynn, were among those who worked on the project.

As students loaded the 10 grates into a truck, the PennDOT personnel moved on to the machine technology shop.

Students in that shop had crafted 12 delineator drivers.

The items have a simple job, but they had to be made to detailed measurements.

When crew members have to put up plastic delineators at a job site, they drive delineator bases into the ground and drop the plastic posts into them.

The bases are metal tubes that are squeezed to a blade at one end. “There’s only one way to get these in the ground – manual labor,” Elms said.

On site, crew members drop a delineator driver into the top of the base and drive the base home with a sledge hammer. They pull out the driver and drop the delineator into the base. The drivers look a little like unthreaded bolts. They are machined to a size that is a close fit with the bases with a larger head to keep the item from falling into the base and to give the crew members a bigger target for their hammers.

Elms said the drivers cost the department $126 each and wear out quickly.

Machine Technology Instructor Colton Black said the metal for the drivers was donated by Superior Tire and Rubber Corp.

The project gave the students something to work on that will be used in the real-world.;

“The students wrote all the code for it,” Black said.

Students Joseph Reichle, Joe Yost, Matt Klenck, Matt Lobdell, Daniel Drum, and Isabella Brown were present to meet with the PennDOT personnel and hand over the drivers.

The drivers will be carried in each of the department’s foreman crew cabs, Elms said.

“A lot of people don’t realize all the kinds of things that we’re into,” McNulty said. “We’re always looking for good candidates.”

There are some 800 employees in the district. In Warren County, in addition to the single welder – Schwartz, there are 55 operators, Elms said.

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