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Midland gets a makeover from growing education enterpriseMIDLAND, May 16, 2010 (Beaver County Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The evolution of Midland from a smoky steel town to an education and arts center is continuing this year with an estimated $13.8 million in building projects scheduled, including the demise of a landmark bandstand in Lincoln Park. The work is necessitated by the continued growth of Midland's school entities. Representatives of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center and Midland School District outlined five projects that have begun or will soon start. In addition to housing two theaters, the performing arts center is home to the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School. Nick Trombetta, who heads the cyber charter school and has been the mastermind behind all of the borough's school entities, described the growth as a continuation of Midland's renaissance. "The economic impact is obvious in Midland, and for the area, it is significant," Trombetta said of the development. "We've respected the old buildings where we could, and we're replacing them where we should." Trombetta said the cyberschool is driving most of the work because of school enrollment, which continues to grow exponentially. The largest cyber charter school in the state, it now has about 9,000 students, but that is expected to climb to 10,000 in the fall, Trombetta said. Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School's enrollment now tops 500, and the school has waiting lists for some areas of study. Midland School District has about 328 students. Trombetta said the number of people employed by the schools and the National Network of Digital Schools, which provides them management services, is now around 1,200. All but one of the projects is in the heart of Midland's downtown, and Trombetta said that was done intentionally to have employees circulate in the business district and patronize those businesses. The projects: Early-childhood center Midland School District is partnering with NNDS, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and Wee Care day-care center in town to construct a building that will house a day-care center and 4-year-old kindergartners from Midland and the Lincoln Park charter school. NNDS is funding the project, estimated at $2.3 million. The building is scheduled for completion by the time school starts later this year. Midland, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and the day-care center will lease space from the nonprofit management foundation. Midland School Superintendent Sean Tanner said the lease is still being negotiated and will be based on fair-market value for square footage of space. The two-story brick building is now under construction on the site of the former Lincoln High School football field at the east end of town. The building will take up about 11,000 square feet of space and accommodate up to 150 children from newborns to children 4 years old. Part of the project includes a community recreation complex being built by the school district on about seven acres of the remaining site. The complex will include a walking track, baseball/softball field, multipurpose field for soccer and youth football, basketball court, bocce court and playgrounds. Space will be set aside for future tennis courts. Tanner said the school district initially intended to build the early-childhood center and address the recreation complex in phases as money came available later. Both projects can now be completed at one time with NNDS funding. The day-care center is open to anyone and will offer an education curriculum based on the age of the children. "We want to make it a first-class facility with educational programs that fit the age of the child," he said. Lincoln Park dining/classroom building After months of study and discussion with community members, Lincoln Park arts center officials have decided to construct a new building on the site of Midland's landmark bandstand in Lincoln Park. The stone bandstand was built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. Plans to replace it drew an outcry from residents, who didn't want to lose the structure. But Lincoln Park Managing Director Stephen Catanzarite said replacing it was the only logical option. The center is planning a two-story brick building with about 26,000 square feet of space that will include a dining hall on the first floor, classrooms on the second and a modern, multiuse outdoor stage to replace the bandstand. The cost is estimated at $5 million. Catanzarite said the old bandstand was used only several times each year. He envisions the new one accommodating a jazz festival, outdoor plays and other musical and dramatic events throughout the year. He said the project should begin by late summer and be finished by next fall. "There's obviously a lot of sentimental value attached to the bandstand, but we think this is the best use of the site, and when we're done with it, the community will have another facility it can be proud of," Catanzarite said. Former bank The First National Bank building at 652 Midland Ave. was the second home of the cyber charter school. Trombetta said the building is not large enough to handle increasing needs of the school. The building will be razed and a new, two-story 25,000-square-foot building erected in its place and on the site of an adjoining parking lot. The estimated cost is $4 million. Trombetta said the brick design will be modeled after the old bank. The building will house the cyberschool's business and administrative offices and one of the school's academies. Those offices, now in the former Crucible Steel Co. administrative offices at the east entrance to Midland, 1200 Midland Ave., will move when the building is finished in August 2011. The school's admissions office will then move to the Crucible building. Trombetta said most people entering Midland come in from the east, and it makes sense to have the admissions office there. "It just does not make financial sense to keep (the old bank), and the new building will be twice the size of the old building," he said. 722 Midland Ave. Ohio-based Southbound Enterprises, a development company, owns this building and is renovating it for the cyber charter school. Trombetta said the school's special-education department will move in here, and the school will lease space from the developer. Trombetta said the space is needed because of expanding enrollment. Former union hall The former United Steelworkers of America Local 1212 hall on Midland Avenue housed the union representing Crucible Steel workers. It had been considered as the site of an industrial museum, but Pennsylvania Cyber needed the space. Trombetta said the school is doing a complete renovation of the exterior and interior. It will house Pennsylvania Cyber's virtual classrooms once finished. It is scheduled for completion by next month. The estimated cost is $2.5 million. The two-story building will feature three floors of work space, including the basement. To see more of Beaver County Times, Pa., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesonline.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Beaver County Times, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |