craigdailypress.com

One of Kevin Kleckler's former students dropped by the new vocational education center Tuesday to check things out.

"We never worked on anything like this when I was here," said Bryan Birch, strolling around a bright blue 1965 Mustang.

"That's because it's mine," said Kleckler, director of career and technical education at Hayden High School. He showed Birch, a 2007 graduate, around the $1.6 million Babson-Carpenter Career and Technical Education Center.

The main auto area, where students have been working on the brakes of Kleckler's ride, can hold 18 vehicles. Another room, where parts of a paint booth sat, can hold six vehicles. A '57 Chevrolet pickup, a raggedy Jeep and a smashed-up Jimmy took up one wall Tuesday.

Hayden students were welding and working in the sprawling building, but the big unveiling will involve a grand opening today. The event includes a free car show (watch for Kleckler's Mustang), as well as tours, a ribbon cutting and a barbecue provided by general contractor Fox Construction.

About 100 students, including those in evening courses, have been using the building, Kleckler said.

The building also has offices and space for computer-aided drafting and mechanical drafting. Kleckler said the school has raised $1.3 million of the price for the center and hopes to come up with the other $300,000.

The school takes donated vehicles to work on, Kleckler said. The vocational technology center does not do repairs for money, he said.