L.U. 44 (catv,lctt,o,rtb,s&u), BUTTE, MT — On April 26 this year, a grand opening was held for the new Stan I. Dupree Training Center in Helena, MT.

Those in attendance included: Eighth District Int. Vice Pres. Jerry Bellah; delegates from the Eighth District office; Western Line Constructors Chapter NECA Exec. Dir./Chapter Mgr. Jules Weaver; and the Mountain States Line Constructors Apprenticeship & Training JATC board of trustees.

This state-of-the-art training center has: a large classroom (which can be divided) that features state-of-the-art technological teaching aides and can seat up to 80 people; a large break room; an indoor lab building; and hands-on training equipment including a Three Phase Innovations scale-model Mobile Cabinet transformer, training equipment that will help both the apprentices and journeyman linemen.

The Helena center currently has about 100 apprentices in the apprenticeship training program. Recent years have seen an increasing number of apprentices, making the old training center too small. JATC instructor Tim Newman noted that the old training center was 2,200 square feet, and the new facility is about 7,700 square feet, with the ability to expand and grow as needed! Future training equipment may include a back hoe, as works are in progress to add more equipment.

The future is indeed bright!

Dwight Rose, Mbr. Dev.