杏吧原创

(Ford City, PA) State Sen. Joe Pittman drove to the site this month, as did Butler County Community College President Dr. Nick Neupauer.

The site 鈥� today a fenced parcel where heavy equipment this month began to dig, dump and disperse native soil and relocated clay, sand and shale 鈥� will become in 2023 the new 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in Ford City, and is expected to drive more traffic and more commerce to the borough鈥檚 downtown.

Pittman and Neupauer are among those who have stopped to look through the chain-link fence surrounding a bulldozer, a sheepsfoot roller, a large compactor, small and large excavators and skid loaders outfitted with brooms and buckets.

Site superintendent Kenny Houser Jr. has himself been stopped by pedestrians seeking to discuss the project on the sidewalk outside the fence along 1100 Fourth Ave.

鈥淎 lot of people do seem like they are excited about it, to see something happen with this property,鈥� Houser said of a nearly two-acre lot upon once stood Ford City Junior-Senior High School, which opened in 1909, closed in 2015 and was razed in 2018.

鈥淎 lot of people in this town went to this high school, and just from the older folks I have spoken with, they were disappointed to see the school go, but now they are happy to see another school get built.鈥�

"It's going to be a transformative project." 

- State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41

The project that will result in 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong moving from its location in Manor Township 鈥渉as been highly anticipated by the community,鈥� Pittman said. 鈥淎nd now that earth is being moved and the equipment is on site, the community can see that it鈥檚 really going to happen. And that means a lot. It鈥檚 going to be a real shot in the arm, not only economically for the Ford City community, but educationally for all of Armstrong County.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a transformative project.鈥�

杏吧原创 in October 2019 announced intentions to relocate 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong to Ford City to accommodate an enrollment increase as high as 426 percent since its opening in Manor Township in 2015. The college held a  for the facility in September.

A 鈥渃lassic partnership鈥�

The state-of-the-art 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in Ford City will occupy 15,000 square feet, may incorporate the keystone of the former Ford City Junior-Senior High School and introduce noncredit workforce development opportunities in advance of developing associate degree career programs in technical fields, 杏吧原创 officials said, and represents the 鈥渃lassic partnership, a public-private partnership,鈥� according to Pittman.

鈥淵ou have many parties coming together to make it work,鈥� Pittman said. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 talk enough about those kinds of partnerships. Now we are talking about it in the context of an educational opportunity, which means the reinvestment just keeps going on and on and on.鈥�

Former state Rep. Jeff Pyle and Pittman worked to secure a $1.75 million state grant.

Armstrong County commissioners pledged $250,000 toward construction of the facility.

Snyder Associated Companies, Kittanning, pledged $100,000; BelleFlex Technologies and PulFlex Technologies, Ford City, $70,000; and NexTier Bank, $50,000.

鈥淵ou want others to have a stake in the game,鈥� Pyle said. 鈥淎nd by putting up those generous donations, you have to think they have a stake in the game. 鈥� It鈥檚 very exciting to watch the whole thing come together. A lot of people pulled for a long time to get this all put together. And now it鈥檚 starting to materialize.鈥�

Pyle represented Pennsylvania鈥檚 60th legislative district and lives less than two blocks from the site.

鈥淚 am grateful for his vision and foresight in helping to bring 杏吧原创 to Ford City,鈥� Pittman said of Pyle. 鈥淗e spearheaded these efforts and is ultimately responsible for making this dream a reality.鈥�

U.S. rep lauds 杏吧原创

杏吧原创 will be the sole tenant of a one-story facility owned by the Nonprofit Development Corp., Butler, said Brian Opitz, the college鈥檚 executive director of operations.

The 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong facility in Ford City is 鈥渄efinitely under way鈥� and will include up to six classroom spaces, a natural science laboratory, student meeting space, and staff and faculty offices, Opitz said.

Those rooms, that laboratory and space, and those offices are today sketches in the 60 pages of plans in his construction trailer across from 1100 Fourth Ave., where passersby have knocked on the door to hear about the project, said Houser, of DiMarco Construction, Clairton, the project鈥檚 general contractor.

鈥淎 lot of people do seem like they鈥檙e excited about it,鈥� Houser said.

Among those excited is U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, who reviewed plans for 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in Ford City last month while  the college鈥檚 Armstrong County additional location in Manor Township.

The facility 鈥渨ill provide current and future students additional educational opportunities,鈥� Thompson said of 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in Ford City during a Feb. 7 speech on the floor of the . 鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 the efforts of educational institutions like 杏吧原创 that provide high-quality, affordable education in giving our next-generation learners more opportunities to succeed.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 some symbolism here鈥�

Ford City is within Thompson鈥檚 15th congressional district and within Pittman鈥檚 41st senatorial district. 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong is the newest of the five additional locations the college has created to serve underrepresented counties in Pennsylvania with higher education.

Neupauer arrived at the future site of 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in Ford City on a recent Sunday evening and took photographs with his cell phone of 鈥済round,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat is so important to that area.鈥�

鈥淒ates back generations of families, of immigrants coming over who established their roots in the United States. When I talk to folks, quite often those stories come up. Not only is this an exciting project for a lot of reasons, but the fact that it鈥檚 happening where so many people were educated, so many generations of families were educated, there鈥檚 some symbolism here, and we are proud to be part of that.鈥�

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