Historic building owners and others who want to learn about how to preserve and maintain their properties now have access to a series of short courses in historic preservation trades.
Five new courses on preservation technology will be offered at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology beginning Tuesday.
Efforts to preserve a piece of the local building history have resulted in a demand for more people with the knowledge and experience of working on historic buildings, said Mike Gerfin, director of workforce development and continuing education.
Three new masonry preservation courses will be offered for the first time: Mortars in Preservation; Repair and Repointing; and Masonry Cleaning.
They were developed by a group of construction specialists from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and will be taught by masonry instructors from the college.
Two courses were added to the preservation carpentry track of the curriculum: Preservation and Repair of Porches; and Complex Moldings.
"There is a need to inform contractors and homeowners trying to restore wood, for example, of the options available for repair," said Gerfin.
Two other courses that were offered in the past will be offered again: Wood Repair and Wood Window Repair.
"This program provides information as to why repairs should be done and discusses the skills and the common techniques to do it," Gerfin said.
The preservation curriculum is the only one of its kind in Pennsylvania. It is one of few programs nationally that offer this special combination of historic preservation and building trades education.
The program is funded in part by grants from the Lancaster County Planning Commission, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Johanna Favrot Fund and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Bureau for Historic Preservation.
Registration, which costs $198, is still open, but space it is limited.
For information and to register for the courses, visit the program Web site at www.stevenscollege.edu/preservationtrades, or call 391-3543.