At Monday’s Corry City Council meeting, Dr. Matt Platz, executive director of the Corry Higher Education Council (Hi-Ed), spoke about the renovations to the building at 221 N. Center St. and plans for the future.
Platz had recently spoken to Erie County Councilman Charlie Bale, who recommended that Platz update the Council and the Corry community on how the project has been progressing, and answer any questions or concerns.
The training hub and fiber node location was originally planned for the former hospital building on West Smith Street. However, the decision to move to the Higher Education Council building came from the Hi-Ed board of directors.
“They decided that the energy was not well spent trying to renovate the old hospital, and they wanted me to focus on the building that we have currently,” Platz said.
There are two floors on the upper part of the building that are not renovated, currently unused and closed off from the public. The board and Platz looked into what it would take to move everything they planned for the original site into the Hi-Ed building.
The beginning of the project is the fiber node.
“I know the node has been a long time coming, but we hope to have that started later this summer,” Platz said. “That is the framework of everything that we’ve tried to put together so far for the building. What we’re hoping to do with the Hi-Ed is to create stackable credentials for coding, cybersecurity, fiber installation and aviation. Those labs will go on the third floor of the building.”
Platz noted that the education will be provided to not just the residents of Corry, but for residents in surrounding communities in a 50–mile radius or more.
“The idea behind those types of training is we have connections with potential jobs on the other side, once they receive their credentials,” Platz said. “Many of the courses will result in a certificate, which takes less time than a four-year degree. What we’re trying to do is provide the opportunity for people to get a job and potentially move to the fourth floor, where we’re looking at a co-working space.”
Platz added that the vision behind this project is to create a place where people live, learn, work and recreate, and do not see a need to move away.
“We see the project as helping to make Corry an attractive place to be, and reverse the trend of people leaving the city,” Platz said, before giving Council and the public an opportunity to ask questions and comment.
Councilman William “Buzz” Hammond asked how the project was being funded.
Platz explained the project is funded through grants and individual donations which, when combined, constitute a “capital stack.”
“We are currently working on the capital stack for that — $2.5 million is already in place with the RACP [Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant] that was moved from the old hospital location,” Platz said. “We have approval from the state to be able to do that.”
Platz said he had discussions with Gov. Shapiro’s office and the Department of Community and Economic Development, which allowed the project to get the extensions and move forward.
As for the remaining funds, “We’ve looked at quite a few different ways of funding,” Platz said. “I talked with the mayor about the community facilities grant program. We’ve also used this potential project as a congressionally directed spending request with Sen. [John] Fetterman and Sen. [Bob] Casey’s office. They are both aware that we are turning that in, and once that match is in place, we’re close to being fully funded.”
Platz commented that, although sometimes a project seems like it’s far away, this one is close to happening.
“There’s been a lot of positive momentum even in the year and three months that I’ve been here,” he noted.
A member of the public asked where people who go through the training will work.
Platz answered that the Hi-Ed has built relationships with employers that allow for remote work.
“That’s kind of the idea behind why we picked these particular programs with credentials,” Platz said. “We’re working with places like IBM, Cisco Systems — one of the certificates is actually a Cisco approved program. They hire a lot of people through remote work in the cybersecurity and encoding fields. They have shortages of available workers that will extend well into the future. The cyber security space is one of those areas where you can get a job anywhere in the United States, but you have to have programs like this to be able to support it.
“That’s kind of what we think is, that not only can you get your stackable credentials here, you can continue to work in the building and the co-working space upstairs.”
When asked if the Corry-Lawrence Airport came into play, Platz mentioned future cooperation between the project program and Gannon University’s new aviation major. Gannon will have an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in aviation, with programming beginning this fall.
“With the Corry airport, we have a resource here that provides an opportunity for training,” Platz explained. “I’ve been working with Gannon University in their program. It’s very early in the discussion, because they just created their program. We’ve been talking about what could look like for training modules.”
Through a grant, the Hi-Ed made a request for Red Bird Flight Simulators that were FAA approved.
“Those simulators will be in our building, and we’re going to start building what that program looks like for the high school and other people in the surrounding area,” Platz said.
A member of the public asked if the course would lead to a student obtaining a pilot’s license. Platz confirmed that they will eventually lead to that. A private pilot certification will take fewer flight hours and courses versus potentially becoming a commercial pilot.
Regarding the actual renovations, Platz said a new elevator will likely be added to the exterior of the building.
“But, we will make sure that we stick to the historical aesthetics of the building,” he added.
The current elevator is antiquated and small, and one of the people who has the most knowledge about repairing it has passed away. Additionally, parts for the elevator are scarce, making repairs almost impossible.
Platz concluded by saying the Hi-Ed is waiting for confirmation from the architect for the start of renovations, which he hopes will begin sometime this summer.