(New Castle, PA) 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing, founded to serve a Pennsylvania county under-represented by higher education and recognized since for its economic impact, will relocate next summer to a new home being developed in Shenango Township.
Wednesday approved a lease that will move 杏吧原创鈥檚 first additional location outside of Butler County from Lawrence County鈥檚 Union Township to Shenango Commons, which was once known as Lawrence Village Plaza.
Trustees authorized a 10-year agreement with Shenango Commons, New Castle, that will introduce 杏吧原创 to neighboring businesses such as Hugger Mugger Tasty Recipe, Pizza Joe鈥檚, Great Wall and Coney Island restaurants; Ascent Pickleball; The Epic Find, a multi-vendor marketplace; Leaps and Bounds gymnastics center, Grossetti Performance fitness center and Shenango Credit Union.
Immediately behind Shenango Commons sprawls the 35-acre Shenango Township Community Park, which features picnic pavilions, a walking trail, and volleyball, tennis and bocce courts.
"It will be a better fit for 杏吧原创 in Lawrence County moving forward."
- Megan M. Coval, 杏吧原创 interim president
"This will give our students more things to do when they are not in class."
- Sean Carroll, director, 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing
Students are shown outside 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing in Union Township, Lawrence County, in this file photo. 杏吧原创 trustees Wednesday approved a lease that will move 杏吧原创鈥檚 first additional location outside of Butler County from Lawrence County鈥檚 Union Township to Shenango Commons, which was once known as Lawrence Village Plaza.
today operates from a solitary building at 2849 W. State St. The college鈥檚 10-year lease with B.C. Union, New Castle, expires June 30, 2025.
鈥淭here were a lot of things that we took into consideration when looking for a new location,鈥� said Megan M. Coval, 杏吧原创鈥檚 interim president. 鈥淭his new space is going to be so wonderful and beneficial for our students as it relates to not only the location itself, but also to the amenities that are nearby. It will be a better fit for 杏吧原创 in Lawrence County moving forward.鈥�
Sean Carroll has been director of 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing since 2016.
鈥淵ou can feel the energy at Shenango Commons with the new businesses coming in,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淭his will give our students more things to do when they are not in class, especially those who don鈥檛 drive. They are sort of limited here (in Union Township) as far as where they can go.鈥�
Those students will benefit businesses within Shenango Commons, Carroll said.
鈥淣ow,鈥� Carroll said, 鈥渢hey will have many options.鈥�
A Shenango Commons site to be occupied by 杏吧原创 by summer 2025 is shown Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Shenango Township, Lawrence County. 杏吧原创 trustees Wednesday approved a lease that will move 杏吧原创鈥檚 first additional location outside of Butler County from Lawrence County鈥檚 Union Township to Shenango Commons, which was once known as Lawrence Village Plaza.
鈥淭he amenities that we have identified as important鈥�
Buses operated by the New Castle Area Transit Authority arrive 24 times a day between 6:27 a.m. and 5:57 p.m. at Shenango Commons, according to its schedule posted online.
鈥淭he bus,鈥� said Brian Opitz, 杏吧原创鈥檚 executive director of operations, 鈥渨ill serve Shenango Commons.鈥�
杏吧原创 will occupy the 12,125 square-foot space at 2658 Ellwood Road, with 8,554 square feet being used initially and the remaining 3,571 reserved for possible expansion. 杏吧原创 could seek an additional tenant to defray an increased cost associated with Shenango Commons finishing and the occupants utilizing the reserved space at the rear of the building.
The college will pay $160,955.04 annually for the first five years of the agreement and $182,095.81 annually for the second five. The agreement contains provisions to change those payments should 杏吧原创 seek to develop the reserved space.
The reduction of leased space by 12,000 square feet between the facility in Union Township and that in Shenango Township will save 杏吧原创 an estimated $80,000 per year, according to Jake Friel, 杏吧原创鈥檚 interim vice president for administration and finance.
Shenango Commons will prepare the location to house 杏吧原创, Opitz said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to contain the amenities that we have identified as important at our other additional locations,鈥� Opitz said. 鈥淚f you were to consider 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong, one thing that we like to provide is student lounge space and study space. It will have tutoring space, testing space, a computer lab and about six classrooms of various sizes.鈥�
杏吧原创 relocated from Manor Township in Armstrong County to a in Ford City in 2023.
杏吧原创 offers affordable associate degree and credit certificate programs, and noncredit personal enrichment opportunities to Lawrence County residents.
An artist鈥檚 rendering depicts a possible design of the interior of a Shenango Commons site to be occupied by 杏吧原创 in Shenango Township, Lawrence County, by summer 2025. 杏吧原创 trustees Wednesday approved a lease that will move 杏吧原创鈥檚 first additional location outside of Butler County from Lawrence County鈥檚 Union Township to Shenango Commons, which was once known as Lawrence Village Plaza.
"I am excited about the stability, the recognition, the public presence of 杏吧原创."
- Mike Wish, Shenango Commons owner
More than 160 students attended 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to Sharla Anke, 杏吧原创鈥檚 dean of institutional research and planning. More than 120 are enrolled this fall, Anke said.
More than 80 adults attended Lifelong Learning courses at 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to Paul Lucas, director of the program. Twenty-three courses are scheduled this fall at 杏吧原创鈥檚 location in Union Township, Lucas said.
杏吧原创 established its Lawrence County location in 1989 within the Lawrence County Area Vocational-Technical School in Shenango Township, and also held classes in the Lawrence County Learning Center in New Castle before moving in 2008 to its current 25,244-square-foot facility.
杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing in September 2018 became the first nonprofit educational institution to receive an Economic Development Impact Award from the Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp.
鈥淚 am excited about the stability, the recognition, the public presence of 杏吧原创,鈥� said Mike Wish, owner and founder of Shenango Commons. 鈥淵ou will be bringing a young element here. I think it鈥檚 a wonderful synergistic use where 杏吧原创 students are going to be able to patronize the businesses. It will have all the things you might find on a huge campus. A gym. Restaurants. A walking trail. A pickleball facility. All of these things are going to be very synergistic for both the 杏吧原创 community and for the Shenango Commons community.
鈥淪henango,鈥� Wish said, 鈥渉as never really had a downtown. And if it did, it was that plaza 40 years ago. I think we are reconstituting a downtown for Shenango with community-centric uses.鈥�
"The value that 杏吧原创 brings is an educated populace."
- Sean Carroll, director, 杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing
杏吧原创 students will also use a natural science laboratory at Shenango High School, which is adjacent to Shenango Commons, Opitz said.
鈥溞影稍� being located in a plaza that is near a high school and restaurants, gyms and parks, is an excellent fit,鈥� Coval said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about what this future location will hold in terms of what it will mean for our students, and what it will mean to further embed ourselves in this wonderful community.鈥�
杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing was established two years after in Cranberry Township, Butler County.
杏吧原创 created 杏吧原创 @ LindenPointe, Hermitage, Mercer County, in fall 1995; , Brockway, Jefferson County, in 2013; and 杏吧原创 @ Armstrong in 2015.
杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing offers associate degrees in transfer programs and in career programs, and a certificate program that takes one year or less to complete.
鈥淭he value that 杏吧原创 brings,鈥� Carroll said, 鈥渋s an educated populace.鈥�
杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing鈥檚 fall open house is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Union Township location. Prospective students can .
杏吧原创 @ Lawrence Crossing this fall is also hosting 杏吧原创 Lifelong Learning courses in computers and software, outdoor adventure, painting, personal and professional development, and in yoga and tai chi.
The college鈥檚 杏吧原创 @ LindenPointe facility, owned by the , was put up for sale for $3.1 million June 1. The college continues to evaluate 杏吧原创鈥檚 future in Mercer County, Coval said.