BC3 breaks ground on new facility in Ford City
FORD CITY — Matthew Reitler completed a majority of his associate's degree at Butler County Community College's Armstrong County campus.
When he heard the community college was building a new facility in Ford City, the recent graduate said he bought a house right down the street from the site, in part because of the community investment it promises.
“I have been very, very excited to see what this was going to do not only for students, but also for residents, and also for business and commerce in the area,” Reitler said.
“Bringing young people in and educating them and giving them the access that they need to a high-quality education in this area has to do nothing but good things.”
BC3 officially broke ground Friday on a new facility in Ford City that will replace the old building in Manor Township. According to a news release from the college, the facility will tentatively be completed in late 2022.
It will be a single-story facility with four classrooms, a multipurpose room, a natural science laboratory, student meeting space and staff and faculty offices.
According to Karen Zapp, director of BC3 @ Armstrong, the facility being considerably larger than the current one in Armstrong will be a general improvement for student life.
“We'll be able to expand course offerings,” she said. “Right now, our students don't have a real hang-out place. This will feel more like a real college experience.”
Zapp said the current facility normally has about 100 students per semester, but the new facility has a goal of upping that to 150 per semester.
The college raised about $2.2 million for the project, according to BC3 president Nick Neupauer, through multiple community businesses, state grants and donations.
Neupauer credited former state Rep. Jeff Pyle, who has been a supporter of expanding in Armstrong County for years.
Pyle said at the groundbreaking ceremony that BC3 has been a great supplier for the local workforce. He said he has spoken with Neupauer on multiple occasions to tell him what kind of positions need to be filled in the Armstrong County area and beyond.
“I need this, I need that,” Pyle said. “BC3 excels at identifying emerging job fields, and they will continue to do that.”
State House majority leader Bryan Cutler, R-100th, State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41th, Armstrong County commissioner Pat Fabian and Clem Rosenberger, president of donor NexTier Bank, all spoke at the ceremony. But each speaker was most congratulatory to the two local student speakers, alumnus Reitler and Joseph Ruble, a history major in his third semester at BC3 Armstrong.
Ruble takes most of his classes at BC3 Armstrong, and although he will tentatively be graduated by the time the new facility is completed, he is pleased to see an expansion take place.
“I definitely think this will be a good opportunity for students in Armstrong,” he said, “especially for lower-income students who may not be able to afford going to Butler or another university.”
