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MAINE SCHOOL OF MASONRY IN THE NEWS Masonry school planned for old toy factorySun Journal "I fell in love with Lauri right away."
Building a dream: Stephen Mitchell describes plans for the original Lauri Toy Factory on Route 4 in Avon. Mitchell is in the process of purchasing the building and plans to open the Maine School of Masonry there this fall. Article and Photograph By Jodi Hausen, Staff Writer
Program to begin in September; different classes to be offered Avon – A cinder block factory building seems the appropriate venue for a masonry school, and that's what Stephen Mitchell intends to do with the original Lauri Toy Factory. Mitchell is in the process of buying the factory, which was constructed in the 1950s on Route 4 in Avon. He plans to open the Maine School of Masonry there, offering classes in what Mitchell says isn't a trade, but rather an art. The school is a direct result of Mitchell's meeting with Lauri Sibulkin, founder of the Avon Opportunity Center of North Franklin County. Sibulkin acquired the newer abandoned toy factory on Avon Valley Road in addition to the older one when the toy operation closed down in March 2004. Having lived in Montana for about 17 years, Sibulkin felt he didn't have a feel for the best use of the property to benefit the community. So he asked nearly everyone he met. Mitchell met Sibulkin when the Avon resident asked the mason to consider repairing masonry in his home. During that discussion in September Mitchell said, Sibulkin threw a floor plan of the newer factory in front of him and asked, "if you had this, what would you do with it?" That was all it took for Mitchell to become an active creator of the center, what has been offering classes in construction, certified nursing assistant training, trapping and canine obedience since early this year. I fell in love with Lauri right away," said Mitchell of the mild-mannered man, who is quick to note that the center was created through the efforts of a group of people and not him alone. Sibulkin, too, was impressed with Mitchell, saying he used the word "dream," which "tipped him off" that the man had imagination. "We never got over it," Sibulkin said Wednesday, grinning widely, of that initial meeting at which he recruited Mitchell. Mitchell began teaching at the center, providing adult education classes in masonry and general construction to middle school students. According to Mitchell, the country is losing about 1,800 masons annually to retirement and only attracting 200 to 300 young people to the career. Mitchell is planning to open the school in September and has three-pronged plan to attract students nationwide. He will offer community education courses in basic masonry to homeowners who might want to do their own home improvements. A full-time day program will be geared to career-minded students, who will receive a certificate of completion. He expects to be able to accommodate about a dozen students in his first year, he said. The third program will be designed for mission groups preparing to go to Third World countries to help build homes. These one-week programs will offer organizational and skills workshops and provide students with a basic knowledge of masonry tools and practices. Part of the factory building will be converted to a bunk room capable of housing eight to 10 people to accommodate the students. Participants will be "so much ahead if they knew building skills" before they went to help, he said. Mitchell is no neophyte when it comes to teaching either. In addition to teaching at the Opportunity Center, he taught at Foster Applied Technology Center and at venues in Portland. He said he wanted to open in June but decided to spend the summer "putting it together." And, "I had to get over the insurance shock," he said of his insurance policy for the business. "It's more than my mortgage," he added.
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