What started last October as a kitchen-table conversation in Bow culminated Tuesday in the first-of-its-kind donation of used State Police cruiser engines to three technical high schools.
At that table were Ryan Stevenson, shop manager at the Department of Safety’s automotive garage, and his wife, Kimberly, head of the automotive program at Lakes Region Community College in Laconia.
“Randomly one night my wife happened to mention the need for engines and asked, ‘Hey with your surplus program at Safety, do you think you could help with that?’” Stevenson said.
“I think it makes absolute sense. These engines aren’t viable anymore either because of mileage or the situation where the car crashed.
“The schools, they aren’t going to run them, they are just going to take them apart and put them back together; it’s perfect for them.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte presided over Tuesday’s announcement, viewing the donation as a way the state can encourage more students to enter well-paying trades like automotive maintenance.
“This is to make sure our kids get that opportunity to work in the trades. These are jobs we need, and this can be such a strong supporter of our community colleges,” Ayotte said. “This is an excellent program and shows you the creativity and ingenuity of our state employees.”
If not reused, the retired engines might be crushed for scrap. Old high-performance engines like these would cost a school $800 to $1,000 apiece, Ryan Stevenson said.
Department of Safety donates engines
Gov. Kelly Ayotte speaks at the Department of Safety garage during a event to announce the donation of used engines to high school automotive programs in Concord on Tuesday.
The first donated engines are going to the Manchester School of Technology, the Huot Technical Center at Laconia High School and the Richard W. Creteau Regional Technology Center in Rochester.
Kim Stevenson works with all 20 high school automotive programs in the state.
“Everywhere there is always a need,” she said. “Out of the 20 programs, all of them need something, if not many things.”
Jennifer Maguire, head of the Asset & Resource Management Bureau at the Department of Safety, dubbed Tuesday’s event the “reclaim rally” and had no doubt that the initiative will grow once word gets out.
She credited Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn, Administrative Services Commissioner Charles Arlinghaus and many middle managers along with the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association with getting the program up and running — at warp speed by state government standards.
“By streamlining our internal processes to repurpose engines for educational use, we reduce waste, improve operational efficiency, and support hands-on learning,” Quinn said.
Students revved up
Dominic Torres and Elena Carrera, 11th grade students at the Huot Center in Laconia, watched intently as Stevenson showed them the latest engine he had removed from a cruiser Monday — a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 that delivered 395 horsepower.
“I just woke up an hour ago, but I’m so excited about this, I just can’t wait to get to work on one of these,” Carrera said.
Josh Baker of Goffstown, a junior at Manchester, said an automotive career is his “Plan B” that he’ll use to help financially start a career in real estate.
“I’m really looking forward to pulling the supercharger (the engine’s mechanically driven air compressor) and then putting it back together,” Baker said.
Adam Memmolo, workforce director with the auto dealers association, said the group is honored to be the liaison to identify other schools that could make use of the engines.
“This is what breathes new life into our schools,” Memmolo said.
Any school that may be interested in receiving an engine donation can send a request to donation@dos.nh.gov.
Department of Safety donates engines
Guests mingle near a 5.7-liter engine taken from a State Police cruiser at Tuesday’s launch of the Department of Safety’s engines-to-schools donation program.
Warren Hoffman, an instructor at Laconia, said it’s important for the automotive technicians of tomorrow to stay current in a rapidly changing field.
“We are going from gas engines to hybrids to full electric vehicles,” he said. “The only way to stay on top of it is to have new information as well that the students can get their hands dirty on.”
Lisa Diggins, an instructor in Manchester, said Kim Stevenson has been an inspiring force for her program.
“These engines are more than parts and technology, they are opportunities, a chance for our students to get real hands-on experience that prepares them for success in our industry,” Diggins said.
Ryan Stevenson said he’s seen firsthand the chronic workforce shortage in the industry, trying to fill an automotive tech job in his own garage shop.
“There are more positions than there are qualified candidates,” he said.