College seeking site for satellite facility

College officials have already turned down five or six proposals.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Butler County Community College officials received six proposals this week for a new satellite location in Lawrence County.
William O'Brien, vice president for continuing education and off-campus centers for the college, said Wednesday was the deadline for submissions. All those submitted will be presented Friday to an executive board, he said. The meeting is not public and the results of that meeting won't be released, O'Brien noted.
But at least two or three of the developers will likely be asked to return in December for more presentations at the college's public board of trustees meeting, he said.
"Some really good people have stepped forward," O'Brien said.
He said in addition to the six proposals, the college already turned down about five or six others that don't meet its criteria.
Recent publicity over Lawrence County Commissioner Ed Fosnaught's proposal to locate the community college in downtown New Castle near a newly built commuter station spurred plenty of others to call, O'Brien said.
"I've been getting calls from developers and real estate agents," he said.
Details
O'Brien said they are looking for the ideal location that would be attractive to people who live in Lawrence, Mercer and Mahoning counties. O'Brien said those areas account for about 200,000 people they hope to attract to take classes at the college.
He said they have seen a 190 percent student growth in Lawrence County since 1999 and expect to grow more with a larger location. There are about 500 students in Lawrence County. Classes are now held in three locations, the Lawrence County Learning Center, the Lawrence County Vo-Tech and Neshannock High School.
"What we are seeing is our students want to stay there. They don't want to drive an hour to Butler," he said.
The college is seeking a spot where it can construct a 25,000-square-foot building with space for 300 parking spots and room to build another 25,000-square-foot building and add another 300 parking spots later. He said they hope the space will be useful to the college for the next 10 or 11 years.
Fosnaught said he knows of two separate proposals being submitted that would locate the college in downtown New Castle.
One by the New Castle Transit Authority would leverage extra federal transportation money if the college were to locate near a new commuter lot built at the corner of Croton Avenue and East Washington streets.
Fosnaught would not say who submitted the second proposal.
Location
Fosnaught noted that he recently met with representatives of Gov. Ed Rendell's office as well as the city and both have shown an interest in keeping the community college downtown.
Union Township officials have said there is another proposal by a private developer in their community for land just off U.S. Route 224.
Fosnaught's effort to have the county borrow 2 million to construct a new building downtown failed when his fellow commissioners refused to borrow the money.
He had hoped county participation would prevent a planned tuition increase that would nearly double the cost of a class credit for Lawrence County students.
O'Brien said they plan to choose a new site by January.
cioffi@vindy.com