Chestnut Hill College will be receiving a $1,000,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Governor Tom Wolf announced the award in January as part of the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).
The funding will be used to renovate and remodel Clement Hall, a 26,552-square-foot building—the college’s primary classroom space. Clement Hall was built in the late 1920s and requires major renovations.
EDITOR's UPDATE: The total cost of renovating Clement Hall is $3.8 million, and to date, the college has raised a total of $3.45 million (including this grant). In order to qualify for the grant, alumni and friends raised matching dollars. Renovation work will be completed this summer, so that the facilities are ready for new and returning students in the fall. Efforts continue to raise the remaining $350,000 needed.
"This grant will directly benefit the lives of students, both undergraduate and adult learners—many of whom are working full-time and raising children while attending classes and gaining an education that will help to improve their prospects and those of their families,” says Sister Carol Jean Vale, president of Chestnut Hill College. “We are grateful to Governor Wolf and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania."
Renovations will include the reconfiguration of existing restrooms for ADA compliance; better access and design standards; window replacements; the addition of HVAC with energy controls; state-of-the-art audio visual equipment; and acoustical improvement. It is projected that the new energy-efficient windows and HVAC will greatly reduce energy costs.
“The proposed renovations to Clement Hall are expected to increase student retention and graduation rates by improving the learning environment, and we look forward to being able to give our students an even better chance at success,” adds Susannah Coleman, vice president for Institutional Advancement.
According to the Pennsylvania government website, http://www.budget.pa.gov/Programs/RACP, RACP is a grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects.
RACP projects are authorized in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act, have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact, and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity. RACP projects are state-funded projects that cannot obtain primary funding under other state programs.
— Brenda Lange
