KRC Career and Tech Center iron workers ceremony marks historical milestone

With about 40 spectators and several members of the local media witnessing the moment, four iron workers from Alaska's Iron Workers Local 751, lifted the last major steel beam for KRC's Career and Tech Center's super structure and bolted it into place as part of a traditional "topping out" ceremony. All the iron workers who have been working on the project signed the beam and placed a U.S. Flag on one end and a small spruce tree on the other end of the top beam (as pictured to left; photo courtesy of Paul Perry). The tree is said to represent prosperity and the flag love of country.

Union tradesmen on the job included Ben Kohler, Jim Daggett, Jake Rider and Chad Viert. Three of the iron workers, Daggett, Rider and Viert are all KPC alumni, completing the welding certificate under instruction by Fritz Miller, KPC associate professor of welding. They indicated that it felt good to be back at KPC and to see how the college is growing. "We have felt welcomed by everyone and it is good to see union ironworkers back on a Peninsula project - it's been a while," Daggett said. "We have about three weeks of additional welding and detail work before our part of the job is done."

Blazy Construction, Inc. is the contractor on the CTC project and Supervisor Mack Pate was present to oversee the event. Kelly Keating, Blazy Construction president, said that he was just notified that his is the only company in Alaska that has received the American Institute of Steel Construction certification as steel erectors.