By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Luke Roper, a senior in high school, is building his resume through a Co-op program job at the Chilton County Road Department made possible through an agreement between county officials and LeCroy Career Technical Center.

The agreement had come from discussions with County Engineer Tony Warren and LeCroy Career Technical Center administration. The Chilton County Commission then approved the position.

The opportunity appealed to Roper as a way to broaden his experience in the field of mechanics before graduation.

Roper said the position mostly involves servicing the work trucks, but also includes anything else the department might need him for while he is there.

The paid position is a semester long with Roper working 15 to 20 hours a week.

Being a mechanic “is just something I have always wanted to do, since I was a little kid,” Roper said.

Road Department shop foreman Rick Greg said the position was a good opportunity for Roper to learn the business side of being a mechanic.

“You have parts inventory and putting parts up, you have to keep the shop clean and ordering parts and documentation,” Greg said.

Greg said the arrangement also helped the department because “we are short of manpower out here.”

“The longer he stays here, I think it is going to make him a little more aware of what all there is out there when you talk about mechanics,” Greg said. “An operation like this, it’s not just one thing, it is a variety of things.”

One of the most interesting projects for Roper was helping put tracks back on a trackhoe.

“Basically rebuilding the undercarriage is what we did,” Greg said.

“I had never done that before, so pretty much everything we did was something I learned new,” Roper said.

At LeCroy, students are required to type up a list of parts needed and log their hours worked.

This opportunity is just one of the Co-op jobs available to students through LeCroy.

“This is definitely a good thing,” Roper said.

He would encourage other students to take advantage of the program because it offers additional experience that cannot be completed at LeCroy.