PORT EWEN — A Kingston police car at an Ulster BOCES School Board Meeting? No, there were no unruly crowds to be controlled, but City of Kingston Police Department Chief Egidio Tinti was in attendance, specifically to recognize a group of Ulster BOCES students for their help in repainting three Kingston police vehicles.
According to instructor David Rosenberg of the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Automotive Collision Technology program in Port Ewen, a representative of the City of Kingston Police Department (KPD) had approached him with the idea of giving three police cruisers a special makeover. “Gerald Marion, the contact person for the police department, explained the vision of the department and showed us an old photograph of a KPD car from the past,” Rosenberg recalled. “We picked a color and the students went to work restoring the cars to their past glory.”
Since there was no damage to be repaired on the cars, the students were able to achieve an unheard of turnaround time of three weeks per car. “My students really like to see instant gratification, and anyone who knows collision repair knows that painting a car in three weeks is as close to instant gratification as it gets,” explained Rosenberg.
The students put all of their skills to work preparing the vehicles for paint by using dual action sanders equipped with 400-grit sandpaper. After they removed the headlights, taillights, and grille, they next “scuffed” areas that needed to be addressed and masked the vehicles for paint. In the paint booth, they sprayed the cars with a black epoxy primer which reduced the amount of basecoat color needed to change the color from white to dark blue, and also promoted adhesion of the new paint over the old.
Once the basecoat color was applied, the students applied a clearcoat to the cars, which produced their shine as well as provided protection from the damaging effect of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Next, they sanded and buffed the cars, reset the lights and grilles, and finally “gave them a bath” in preparation for delivery.
“These were great projects. The students and I love to help the community, and this project enabled us to do so,” enthused Rosenberg. “The joy that you get when you see a vehicle that you have completed from start to finish is unexplainable, especially when it is something special like a police car. I smile every time I see one of the KPD cars and say to whoever is in my presence, ‘my students did that.’ It doesn't get any better than that.”
PORT EWEN — A Kingston police car at an Ulster BOCES School Board Meeting? No, there were no unruly crowds to be controlled, but City of Kingston Police Department Chief Egidio Tinti was in attendance, specifically to recognize a group of Ulster BOCES students for their help in repainting three Kingston police vehicles.
According to instructor David Rosenberg of the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Automotive Collision Technology program in Port Ewen, a representative of the City of Kingston Police Department (KPD) had approached him with the idea of giving three police cruisers a special makeover. “Gerald Marion, the contact person for the police department, explained the vision of the department and showed us an old photograph of a KPD car from the past,” Rosenberg recalled. “We picked a color and the students went to work restoring the cars to their past glory.”
Since there was no damage to be repaired on the cars, the students were able to achieve an unheard of turnaround time of three weeks per car. “My students really like to see instant gratification, and anyone who knows collision repair knows that painting a car in three weeks is as close to instant gratification as it gets,” explained Rosenberg.
The students put all of their skills to work preparing the vehicles for paint by using dual action sanders equipped with 400-grit sandpaper. After they removed the headlights, taillights, and grille, they next “scuffed” areas that needed to be addressed and masked the vehicles for paint. In the paint booth, they sprayed the cars with a black epoxy primer which reduced the amount of basecoat color needed to change the color from white to dark blue, and also promoted adhesion of the new paint over the old.
Once the basecoat color was applied, the students applied a clearcoat to the cars, which produced their shine as well as provided protection from the damaging effect of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Next, they sanded and buffed the cars, reset the lights and grilles, and finally “gave them a bath” in preparation for delivery.
“These were great projects. The students and I love to help the community, and this project enabled us to do so,” enthused Rosenberg. “The joy that you get when you see a vehicle that you have completed from start to finish is unexplainable, especially when it is something special like a police car. I smile every time I see one of the KPD cars and say to whoever is in my presence, ‘my students did that.’ It doesn't get any better than that.”
Chief Tinti was quite lavish in his praise and appreciation for the job the students did. “The work and effort the students put into the painting of our cars cannot be repaid. We could not have gotten the cars repainted without their assistance,” said the Chief. “For our agency and its officers, the new color scheme and repainting has given us a fresh new look to go along with our renewed commitment to serving Kingston. The paint scheme conveys a traditional ‘police car look’ with some modern graphics that increase our visibility in the community.”
Students in this two-year hands-on program learn about repairing, restoring, and rebuilding damaged auto bodies, from a fender-bender to a major mishap. Throughout their coursework, they experience the professional techniques needed to complete auto collision repair: sheet metal work and frame repair, painting and refinishing, exterior and interior trim and glass, and mechanical and electrical adjustments and repairs. Students will also practice the art of customizing, which is an increasingly popular aspect of the trade, as well as learn how to estimate repair costs and manage a repair shop. Academic instruction in English is integrated and students can earn credits for English, technical math, and technical science. Students can also earn college credits through articulation agreements with Alfred State College (3 credits), SUNY Delhi (2 credits), and SUNY Rockland (13 credits).
