BC3 Armstrong County campus unveiled, dedicated Wednesday
MANOR TWP, Armstrong County — Katie Pyle said that before she was born, her family bought a house near Ford City Junior-Senior High School, so her dad could walk to his teaching job and she and her older sister could eventually walk to school.
Because of that decision, Katie said it was her father, the late Pennsylvania Rep. Jeff Pyle, who should have been speaking at the ribbon cutting event for the new Butler County Community College campus in Ford City on Wednesday, April 12, instead of her.
BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City is located on the site of the former Ford City Junior-Senior High School. The facility now bears Pyle’s name — The State Rep. Jeffrey P. Pyle Building.
Pyle died on Sept. 14, 2022, but Katie Pyle and several other people Wednesday said the new BC3 @ Armstrong campus opened in March would not have been possible without him, and it now bears his namesake.
“I doubt they would have ever thought that almost 30 years later we would be here today,” Katie Pyle said. “This building is the epitome of what my dad worked for his entire life; helping others learn how to help themselves.”
Pyle and state Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41st, were instrumental in helping secure a $1.75 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant toward construction of the facility.
The former Ford City Junior-Senior High School closed in 2015 and was demolished in 2018. The college announced plans to relocate BC3 @ Armstrong to Ford City in October, 2019.
The college held a groundbreaking for the facility in September, 2021 and site preparation began in January, 2022. The cost to complete the building is an estimated $6.5 million, according to a March news release from BC3.
The ribbon cutting event Wednesday not only gave community members an inside look at the new facility, but also honored Jeff Pyle. Several speakers who praised his contributions to the college.
BC3 president Nick Neupauer said Pyle had advocated for years to create an updated BC3 campus in Armstrong County.
“When I would visit Rep. Pyle, he would talk about his daughters, his family, his hometown, when he was a teacher … but he would always end with talking about the vision for this location,” he said. “We will provide affordable, accessible and the highest-quality education in this beautiful, state-of-the-art facility.”
The new BC3 @ Armstrong campus at 1100 Fourth Ave., encompasses 15,000 square feet — 13,000 more than BC3’s dedicated space in Manor Township, according to Brian Opitz, the college’s executive director of operations. The Nonprofit Development Corporation of Butler owns the building, Opitz said.
BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City includes, among other areas, up to six classroom spaces, the natural science laboratory and student meeting space, and incorporates in its lobby the 1908 sandstone keystone of the former junior-senior high school.
DPH Architecture based in Canfield, Ohio, designed the building.
Pittman and state Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-100th, also spoke at the ribbon cutting, and shared memories they have of Pyle.
Cutler said he used to share an office with Pyle, who would frequently reference the need to fund the BC3 Armstrong County development.
“Every time I would see Jeff during his last term he would say, ‘Cutler, BC3 we’ve got to work on that,’” Cutler said. “Finally I looked at him and said, ‘Jeff, not only are we going to get this done, I’m going to be here at the ribbon cutting when it happens.’”
Pittman said he would like to see BC3’s footprint in Armstrong County continue to grow to further demonstrate Pyle’s “impact.”
“He left an impact in many, many ways, and we need to continue to honor that impact,” Pittman said, “and the best way we can do that is build on the success that we achieved.”
Following the speeches that took place outside the building, BC3 administrators led the audience to the front of the building so the Pyle family could cut the ribbon. BC3 administrators then offered tours of the facility.
Sophia Klukan, a psychology student who attends the BC3 @ Armstrong campus, spoke at the event, and said she was happy to see an educational building replace the old Ford City high school, saying it represented a new beginning for the area.
“Now that we are here in this wonderful building, classes are more educational and the environment is more engaging,” Klukan said. “We get to be more involved and socialize with our friends in the lounge and get to enjoy our friendships while learning.”
