LC in the News - 2010
Lake Region Center Receives Funding
April 14, 2010
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| Left to right: President Raymond Angeli, Senator Lisa Baker and Senator Robert Mellow. |
HAWLEY – Lackawanna College has received funding from both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States government for the creation of the new Lake Region Center located at the Hawley Silk Mill.
The Honorable State Senator Robert J. Mellow (D) and the Honorable State Senator Lisa Baker (R) announced funding in the amount $1.5 million dollars that will go towards the Lake Region Center. These funds come from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
The office of United States Senator Arlen Specter (D) has also secured an additional $100,000 that was earmarked for this project from last year’s appropriations.
The presentation of the funds was made at the Cocoon Coffee House which is located on the Silk Mill property. Approximately 100 people including Senator Mellow, Senator Baker and other local government representatives and Lake Region business owners were in attendance.
“We are very excited to see the bi-partisan support from Harrisburg to make this project happen,” said Lackawanna College President Raymond Angeli. “This allows the College to provide more educational opportunities to an even greater population in the Lake Region and surrounding counties.”
The College will be occupying all 16,000 square feet of the third floor at the soon-to-be-renovated Hawley Silk Mill and the $1.6 million dollars will be used to build out the third floor and provide instructional equipment.
Lackawanna College will be adding some new degree programs that encompass the region’s workforce needs including Hospitality/Tourism, Environmental Science and Physical Therapy Assistant. The College plans on opening Fall of 2010.
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| Left to right: Silk Mill LLC's Justin Genzlinger, Senator Lisa Baker and College President Raymond Angeli. |
Hawley Silk Mill, LLC is an investment group made up of local investors who have a vested interest in the community of Hawley. Each member of the group is a member of the community and has strong family ties to the Lake Region. The focus of the team is to make the Hawley Silk Mill a viable and successful location to conduct business and preserve the historic character of the building for generations to come.
The vision for the project includes reestablishing the building as a regional economic engine, creating a workforce development and education facility, and building a lifestyle retail center. To that end, Lackawanna College will relocate and expand into the 16,000 square foot top floor of the building and serve the region as a workforce-training center and continuing education facility. The second floor of the building will provide office space, including individual office suites, providing shared services for professionals looking to open branch offices or secondary offices in the region. A lifestyle retail center will be created on the first floor to provide products and services currently unavailable in the community, such as gourmet foods, a local produce food market, outfitter, bike service and sales shop, clothing stores, sporting goods, locally produced artisan goods, and technology products. Proposed uses for other spaces available in the building include a STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Experiential Learning Center, STEAM Center (STEM center including the Arts), business incubator space, and a museum dedicated to the effects of the Wayne County Silk Industry on national labor laws. |
