Volusia space shuttle workers face layoffs

DAYTONA BEACH -- For area residents Jim Macklefresh and Jim Severson, the launch of space shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center will always be a bittersweet memory.

The launch Friday morning marked the end of an era, but it also speeded up the countdown clock for the two electricians who work at the space center. When they report for work there July 22 -- two days after Atlantis is set to return -- it will be for the last time.

Some 7,000 jobs are being cut now that NASA's shuttle program is over; potential replacement positions at the space center don't exist, at least for now.

While the layoffs come as no surprise -- the Bush administration put NASA on notice in 2004 -- neither Macklefresh nor Severson has been able to find another job locally. Severson, in fact, has set his sites on landing a job in the Middle East.

The two friends are among several hundred Volusia County residents who work or used to work at the space center. Some have found jobs and others have returned to school for retraining.

"There is not a lot of electrical work to be had," said Macklefresh, 44, who has worked at the space center for 20 years. For the last eight years, he has been employed by United Space Alliance. He works on the launch pad that rotates out of the way once the shuttle lifts off.

Macklefresh said even though morale has been down among his co-workers because of the pending layoffs, it has not affected output. "Everyone has so much pride in the program," he said during a recent interview at his Daytona Beach home. "You like to see it go out on a positive note."

Macklefresh said his plans are up in the air right now. He would like to stay in the area. He has a daughter in high school. His wife, Paula, works in the IT department for an Ormond Beach firm that manufactures sunglasses.

"She has a good job. It makes it a little easier," he said.

Severson, 45, is single. Both his dad and his grandfather worked as electricians at the space center.

He said he is considering looking for work in Afghanistan. "They are still looking for electricians over there," he said, adding the pay is what would attract him.

"I have a lot of family here and I would like to build a house here," the DeBary resident said. But he added that he would need to earn $50,000 in salary and benefits including retirement in order for him to consider staying here to work. He currently earns $29.88 an hour, he said, which includes benefits such as health insurance and retirement.

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