BEECH GROVE — The Beech Grove Common Council has approved the establishment of a new plumbing apprenticeship school, transforming a long-vacant lot into a center for skilled trades education.
Once a hub for grocery shopping, the corner of 18th Avenue and Albany Street has been abandoned since the Marsh went bankrupt in 2017. The building was most recently Safeway Foods before it was demolished in 2022.
Mechanical Skills, a trade school currently located on the east side of Indianapolis, has purchased the site and plans to relocate its operations to Beech Grove.
Mechanical Skills, Inc. aims to develop a 20,000-square-foot plumbing trade school, along with a parking lot, on a four-acre site at 1815, 1825, and 1831 Albany Street.
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The non-profit school will provide a four-year training program approved by state and federal officials, addressing a growing demand for qualified plumbers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a six percent growth rate in the plumbing industry over the next decade.
“I’m grateful that the Common Council took this significant step to move Beech Grove forward,” said Mayor James Coffman. “This new development will bring new life into a key corridor that has been a vacant eyesore for far too long. Students also pursuing a key trade will not just learn in our community, they will shop here, dine here, patronize our businesses, and support our schools.”
The school plans to employ 21 staff members and accommodate approximately 500 students each week.
