杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) Armstrong County commissioners today approved a memorandum of understanding with 杏吧原创 that pledges $250,000 to 杏吧原创 toward the construction of an approximately 12,500-square-foot facility in Ford City to succeed a location the college has outgrown a half-mile away.

The college has also been awarded a $1.75 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant spearheaded by state Rep. Jeff Pyle, and has received $220,000 in private commitments toward a Ford City facility intended to accommodate an enrollment increase as high as 426 percent at 杏吧原创鈥檚 5陆-year-old location in nearby Manor Township.

Commissioners Don Myers, Jason Renshaw and Pat Fabian announced Armstrong County鈥檚 agreement with 杏吧原创 during the board鈥檚 scheduled public meeting in Kittanning. Funds will be allocated from the county鈥檚 general reserves, Myers said.

The state鈥檚 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants fund the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement projects, according to the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget.

Projects must have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues or other measures of economic activity, according to the state Office of the Budget.

鈥淎bsolutely great public-private partnership鈥�

The state-of-the-art 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong facility will be built at 1100 Fourth Avenue, former home of the century-old Ford City Junior-Senior High School, which was razed in late 2018.

杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 Ford City location will also revive a since blighted property, said state Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41, whose district includes Armstrong and Indiana counties, and parts of Butler and Westmoreland counties.

鈥淚 think what I am most proud of,鈥� college President Dr. Nick Neupauer said, 鈥渋s the absolutely great public-private partnership. You have state dollars, you have private dollars and you have a local commitment from the county commissioners. This is the truest form of the town and gown.

鈥淭his location, which has historical value, is literally in the heart of Ford City. We might even have some students who will move to Armstrong County to get the full overall college experience. And the benefit of 杏吧原创 is that we will be helping businesses with their workforce.鈥�

Elected officials and business executives echoed Neupauer.

鈥淎 huge thing for attracting people鈥�

Snyder Associated Companies, Kittanning, will gift $100,000 to the 杏吧原创 Education Foundation to help to found 杏吧原创鈥檚 Ford City location, said Mark Snyder, corporate secretary.

BelleFlex Technologies and PulFlex Technologies, Ford City, will contribute $70,000, said Bruce Kinney, CEO, and Scott McDowell, president; and NexTier Bank will provide $50,000, said Clem Rosenberger, CEO and president.

A 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong location in Ford City will appeal to students, invigorate downtown, increase tax revenue and be used to market Armstrong County which, Myers said, 鈥渋s going to be a huge thing for attracting people here. This is positive growth for our county with increased marketing that will attract others. Very exciting.

鈥淲hen you have a facility such as this, you will have people coming and going,鈥� said Myers, the commissioners鈥� chair. 鈥淎nd it will be different people, because the (杏吧原创 associate degree) programs are two years long. You have our people plus outside people coming in.鈥�

鈥淎 great step forward鈥� for county

Commissioners are 鈥渁lways looking for an economic boon,鈥� said Renshaw, the commissioners鈥� vice chair, adding that the Ford City location will draw students and visitors to downtown businesses.

鈥淭his,鈥� Renshaw said, 鈥渋s a win-win for everybody here. I think it is a great step forward for Armstrong County.鈥�

Restaurants, banks, housing and convenience stores all stand to profit, said Fabian, the commissioners鈥� secretary.

鈥淎ny time you increase your foot traffic, or traffic into a community, there are going to be dollars spent,鈥� Fabian said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a good thing for Ford City. That鈥檚 a good thing for Armstrong County. 鈥� Armstrong County deserves this kind of partnership with 杏吧原创.鈥�

Ford City is located near the center of Armstrong County, and represents one point on a geographic triangle shared with Armstrong Junior-Senior High School, Kittanning, and Lenape Technical School, Manor Township, state officials said.

鈥淲e think that triangle is going to be an incubator for jobs,鈥� said Pyle, R-60, whose district includes parts of Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties. 鈥淎lmost immediately, all the amenities are going to benefit from鈥� 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 relocation to Ford City.

杏吧原创 is 鈥渟uper cost-effective鈥�

Pittman said 鈥渢he ultimate partnership鈥� of state, county and private support that will help to fund 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong鈥檚 relocation to the borough 鈥渋s going to, in my opinion, spur additional development in the Ford City area.鈥�

鈥淎nd it is going to give students in Armstrong County a new educational opportunity, which,鈥� Pittman said, 鈥淚 think is critically important.鈥�

Eighty percent of the college鈥檚 Class of 2020 graduated debt-free.

杏吧原创鈥檚 salary-to-cost ratio was the highest among more than 40 regional public and private colleges and universities in 2018 and 2019, according to the most recent analyses of U.S. Department of Education data conducted by the Pittsburgh Business Times.

杏吧原创 is 鈥渟uper cost-effective in getting people developed for walking into jobs,鈥� Pyle said. 鈥淭he student-loan debt isn鈥檛 as heavy at 杏吧原创 as it would be鈥� at other area institutions of higher education.

杏吧原创, Pyle added, represents 鈥淎 chance for people to better themselves.鈥�

Industry to 鈥渓ean on 杏吧原创鈥� for help

Many of Snyder Associated Companies鈥� subsidiaries are located in Armstrong County, said Snyder, corporate secretary.

鈥淲e have employees who have children who are looking for higher education,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥溞影稍�创 has always provided a quality education for those students who choose to attend 杏吧原创.鈥�

杏吧原创鈥檚 location in Ford City will 鈥渟tart to generate commerce,鈥� Snyder said. 鈥淭he more positive things that are happening in town, the more benefit there will be. There is a lot of industry in the borough right now, and I am sure they will lean on 杏吧原创 to help provide education for their employees as well as for the employees鈥� families.鈥�

鈥淵ou have to help make it happen鈥�

Among those industries are BelleFlex and PulFlex, Ford City subsidiaries of Blair Strip Steel, a 238-year-old New Castle specialty mill.

The 11-year-old BelleFlex manufactures specialty Belleville springs, and the 3-year-old PulFlex, composite pultrusions.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 become 238 years old without planning long-term,鈥� said Kinney, CEO of Blair Strip Steel and of its subsidiaries.

鈥淲hen we take a long-term approach looking at these two new companies in Ford City, that needs to include looking five, 10, 20 years down the road and helping to create a trained and knowledgeable workforce,鈥� Kinney said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e ecstatic to partner with 杏吧原创 to establish the new 杏吧原创 location in Ford City. You have to invest in it. You can鈥檛 just hope. You have to help make it happen.鈥�

A 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong location in Ford City represents 鈥渁 great place to start from an economic development standpoint,鈥� said McDowell, president of Blair Strip Steel and of its subsidiaries, and a 杏吧原创 trustee since 2012.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt in my mind that people in Ford City are looking to start to generate growth,鈥� McDowell said. 鈥淎nd how does that start? It starts with something like this.

鈥淲hen you look at Ford City, I think it creates a win in a number of ways. Economically for the community, it鈥檚 a win. For the businesses in that area, with a pool of talent coming out of the college, is a win. And most importantly, for the students, it鈥檚 a big win.鈥�

Partnership to 鈥渂enefit the area鈥�

杏吧原创 is 鈥渃ertainly a strong educational institution that is part of the fabric of the community in Butler and in surrounding counties,鈥� said Rosenberger, NexTier鈥檚 CEO and president. 鈥淚t brings the opportunity of a quality education at an affordable price to many residents in the surrounding communities.鈥�

NexTier Bank, which has locations in Armstrong and Butler counties, has always been proud of its efforts to support 鈥渢he communities that we live and work in,鈥� Rosenberger said.

鈥淏utler and Armstrong counties are the roots of our institution. So the partnership with 杏吧原创 and Armstrong County to make this extension into Ford City certainly is going to benefit the area, the communities,鈥� Rosenberger said.

Facility to cost approximately $4.5M

杏吧原创 @ Armstrong, which opened in 2015, occupies approximately 2,000 square feet of dedicated space and shares other areas within the Lenape Technical School鈥檚 NexTier Adult Learning Center, Manor Township.

The debut of 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong followed the establishment of the college鈥檚 additional locations in Cranberry Township, Butler County, in 1987; New Castle, Lawrence County, in 1989; Hermitage, Mercer County, in 1995; and Brockway, Jefferson County, in 2013.

杏吧原创 generated $147.5 million in added income to Butler County鈥檚 economy in the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to an economic impact analysis conducted by Emsi, an Idaho research company that has completed more than 1,800 impact studies for educational institutions since 2000.

The college was also recognized in 2018 with a Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Lawrence County Economic Development Corp. Economic Development Impact Award for 杏吧原创鈥檚 additional location in New Castle; and in 2011 with a Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce Phoenix Award for 杏吧原创鈥檚 additional location in Hermitage, Mercer County.

杏吧原创 created its additional locations to serve under-represented counties in Pennsylvania with higher education. 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong saves students an otherwise 30-mile, 40-minute drive to 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus in Butler Township, Butler County.

Facility could open in fall 2022

The Nonprofit Development Corp., Butler, will own the facility, said Chris Lunn, the organization鈥檚 chief financial officer. The Nonprofit Development Corp. is the subgrantee of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant awarded to 杏吧原创.

Groundbreaking could begin this summer and the facility could open by fall 2022, said Brian Opitz, 杏吧原创鈥檚 executive director of operations.

The single-story 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong facility in Ford City will house approximately four classrooms, a multipurpose room, a natural science laboratory, student meeting space, and staff and faculty offices, Opitz said.

The college in October 2019 announced intentions to relocate 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong from Manor Township to Ford City to accommodate the increase in enrollment.

鈥淚 think from the beginning, we all knew this was a good thing for the college, but it鈥檚 a great thing for the Ford City community,鈥� Lunn said. 鈥溞影稍�创 is so ingrained in the communities that it goes into.鈥�

Karen Zapp, director of 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong, said 杏吧原创鈥檚 current home in Manor Township was a 鈥済reat place to begin.鈥�

鈥淎nd we鈥檝e enjoyed the small, kind of cozy atmosphere that we have had, which gives our students the opportunity to get to know each other and learn about college in a friendly environment,鈥� Zapp said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to expand that into our larger facility.鈥�