With a $2.2 million infusion, new Community College to open in Ford City in 2022

Butler County Community College’s announcement of $2.2 million from public and private sources for a new site in Ford City increases its sites to five Western Pennsylvania counties.

The college’s new location in Ford City, known as “BC3 @ Armstrong,” will cost $4.5 million to construct.

School officials say it will provide much needed economic opportunity and will help fill specialty and technical jobs in Armstrong County.

The 12,500-square-foot facility will be built at 1100 Fourth Ave., on the site of the Ford City Junior-Senior High School, which was razed in late 2018.

The new school, with a planned opening in the summer/fall of 2022, will offer programs in business administration, general studies, psychology, pre-nursing and other courses and programs under development.

Although the namesake of the new college in Armstrong County is Butler County, it has been this community college’s mission to open branches in underserved rural counties such as Armstrong, Jefferson, Lawrence and Mercer.

“Imaginary county lines should not serve as a limitation for delivering high quality, accessible and affordable education,” said Butler County Community College (BC3) President Nicholas Neupauer.

Most of the counties served by Butler Community College struggle with unemployment rates higher than the state average of 6.6%: Armstrong, 7.1%; Lawrence, 7.7%; and Mercer, 7.6%, according to a Pennsylvania WorkStats report for November.

The new school will educate a generation of residents who took advantage of the modest home prices after Ford City’s anchor industries PPG and Eljer Plumbingware left the area decades ago, said state Rep. Jeff Pyle, R-Ford City. Pyle is a past Ford City mayor and former teacher at Ford City High School.

“This new generation: What do they want for their kids?” Pyle said. “Having an educational facility in Ford City gives them more opportunities for them to graduate with a marketable skill for which they don’t have tremendous debt. Man, that is doing it right.”

Cost savings and a quality local college made a supporter out of Matthew Reitler, 21, of Cowansville, Armstrong County. Reitler attended BC3’s Manor Township program, which is a precursor to the nearby Ford City site, to study finance. He is working toward a bachelor’s degree in finance at Slippery Rock University.

“Student loan debt is real, and it’s not a joke,” said Reitler, who earned a scholarship to Slippery Rock through a BC3 honor society chapter.

“It’s not like you’re sacrificing quality education being close to home,” he said. “You’re getting a quality education for a fraction of the price.”

The new community college in Ford City, will be an incubator for jobs as it joins a triangle with two other nearby educational institutions — Armstrong Junior-Senior High School in Kittanning and Lenape Technical School in Manor Township.

How BC3 got to Ford City

BC3 typically starts off small in a different county to gauge need and interest. It opened a small program in Manor Township and saw enrollment skyrocket as high as 426% in the past five-plus years.

The college looks for commitment and dollars from county governments, businesses and others.

Pyle spearheaded the project, and with the help of state Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, landed a $1.75 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant. Private commitments include $100,000 from Snyder Associated Companies of Kittanning, $70,000 from BelleFlex Technologies and PulFlex Technologies of Ford City, $50,000 from NexTier Bank and other donations.

Then, with Armstrong County commissioners kicking in $250,000 toward the construction of the Ford City site, it’s what Pyle calls a “textbook public and private sector partnership.” Neupauer describes it as “the truest form of the town and gown.”

Geared to fill local jobs

Tapping businesses for support isn’t just about the money, but connecting and training residents to fill jobs, both men said.

“BC3 identifies emerging job trends and jobs news, offering programs identified with a need,” Neupauer said.

For example, there is a tremendous shortage of emergency medical services workers in the Ford City area, Pyle said. A couple of years ago the cost for an EMS degree went up, which caused residents to head to Pittsburgh for jobs paying more money.

“How it fits into the puzzle is that BC3 can teach EMS workers for less money than in Pittsburgh and they will have lower student school payments and they can stay in the area,” Pyle said.

Then there are employers that need workers with technical skills. Pyle knows the owner of a local foam plant in need of workers with advanced chemistry knowledge. “You’re talking about a job with some earning $40,000 to $50,000, and if feasible, BC3 will institute a program,” he said.

Neupauer said the college aims to put people directly into the workforce such as in emergency services, law enforcement and nursing.

“We do deep dives in the demographics of an area coupled with information from the state’s list of high priority occupations.”