Construction to Commence Soon on Center for Business & Workforce Development

Construction contracts have been awarded, and work will begin soon on the new Center for Business & Workforce Development at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The one-story facility, which will be built at 1127 W. Fourth St. in Williamsport, will house offices for Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Penn College, the Penn State Center for Continuing & Distance Education at Penn College, the Industrial Modernization Center (which will be managed by the college beginning in January) and the Williamsport/Lycoming Keystone Innovation Zone. The building will also include laboratories and faculty offices for the college's electronics program.

The general contractor for the project will be Robert Feaster Corp., Northumberland, which submitted a bid of $3.3 million.

Other firms awarded contracts for the project are: plumbing, R&J Ertel Inc., Williamsport, $208,000; heating, ventilation and air conditioning, Spencer Mechanical Inc., Williamsport, $598,000; electrical, TRA Electric Inc., Watsontown, $599,000; and facility management, Johnson Controls Inc., Camp Hill, $166,000.

"We are delighted that this project is moving forward," said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour. "Having offices for WDCE, the IMC and the Williamsport/Lycoming KIZ in one convenient location on the main campus will be a great benefit to area businesses, and relocating the electronics labs and offices to this facility will free up valuable space to accommodate growth in other programs."

Penn College Senior Vice President William J. Martin said construction is expected to begin sometime in June and will continue through May 2007. He said there was considerable interest in the project among the region's contractors.

The architect for the project is Murray Associates Architects, P.C., Harrisburg, which has designed many other recent projects at the college, including the Student and Administrative Services Center, Rose Street Apartments, the College Avenue Labs conversion, the extensive renovations at the Klump Academic Center and construction of the Roger and Peggy Madigan Library, which will open later this year.

Robert Feaster Corp. was also the general contractor for the Klump Academic Center renovation project.

When unveiling the design for the Center for Business & Workforce Development in December, architect Benedict H. Dubbs Jr. said the building materials for the project will be similar to those used in construction of the Student and Administrative Services Center and the Madigan Library, both situated at the college's main entrance on Maynard Street.

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