PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend School of Woodworking can stimulate the economy on many levels, including a vocational school, the manufacture of locally branded furniture and a school that teaches the fine points of historical restoration, a business audience was told Monday.
“A lot of people think they know what they’re doing when it comes to historic preservation,” said school founder Tim Lawson in an address to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
“Unfortunately, when you talk to the people who do know what they are doing, you find there is somewhat of a gap between them and those who say they can to the work.”
The problem, Lawson said, is that many historical preservation jobs are awarded through the bid process, and lack of experience or ability isn’t clear until the job is in progress.
“You can be in the middle of a job and find that the contractor doesn’t know how to match the mortar or match the paint,” he said, “so the job has to be redone.”
Lawson envisions a school to teach historical preservation techniques in which contractors from throughout the state can learn to restore old buildings to their former appearance.
The courses will be offered in Port Townsend and will take six months to complete adequate training.
“If someone comes to take the course they will need food and accommodations for the time they’re here and that will benefit the economy,” Lawson said.
Several short historical preservation classes were offered last fall, and the woodworking school — based at Fort Worden State Park — is in the middle of a project to renovate windows on two Fort Worden buildings using federal energy conservation stimulus grants to retrofit the buildings.
The woodworking school, founded in 2007, has predominantly targeted hobbyists, although some people have used its training to start their own businesses.
Lawson would like to see the school offer licensed vocational programs, which would increase its appeal for those who want to go into the trade — although he said doing so “is more in the idea stage” at present.
“The state has a fairly rigorous process in order for us to become a licensed vocational school to offer a program that offers a clear progression to job-related skills,” Lawson said.
“Once we’ve got that, we can offer classes as vocational which is a good deal for the students, because if classes get canceled or the school fails, they don’t lose out.”
Lawson said he doesn’t know how the school will function in a vocational capacity “but we are working with people who understand the process and can help it work for us.”
The idea of a company that will manufacture and market locally branded furniture could provide a potent economic boost to the Jefferson County economy, Lawson said.
This local brand would use local materials and rely on retired furniture executives living in Port Townsend to address the national market.
“Instead just trying to build a better table,” he said, “we can do the research to see what there will be a compelling demand for and find the local human and lumber resources to address that market.”
Lawson said the resources are available to design, manufacture and ship the furniture locally.
“The idea is to train people to become furniture makers and when they graduate there will be jobs available for them,” he said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.