The students climb scaffolding to work on the roof. Photo by Phil Custodio

Clarkston Construction Technology students are helping prepare the historic Bailey House for the winter.
Shingles were delivered and hoisted to the roof, and students worked to hammer them into place, with help from their teachers and local professionals.
The students learned about helmets, harnesses, Self Retracting Lifelines, tools, pinch points, Controlled Access Zones, emergency access plans, leading-edge dangers, and other construction techniques, and are ready to put the lessons to use, said teacher Steve Wyckoff.
“There’s nothing like the real thing,” Wyckoff said.
The Bailey family helped settle Independence Township, and the Sashabaw Road house is on the original U.S. Government land grant of 1856. According to a 1998 Independence Township inventory report, “This house is significant because of its high degree of exterior architectural integrity. It is a good example of the T-plan farmhouse style built within the township in the late 1800s.”
The community group Preservation Clarkston, which is working with the school program to mothball the house, meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Buckshots Bar and Grill.
– Phil Custodio