Pitt-Greensburg, Saint Vincent snare grants for construction projects

The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and Saint Vincent College will tap a pair of state grants to expand campus facilities.

The schools were among scores of businesses, colleges and government agencies that were approved for Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program (R-CAP) grants during the final round of grant awards for 2020. The matching fund grants focus on encouraging brick-and-mortar programs across the state.

Saint Vincent officials said the college’s $1.5 million grant will help underwrite the construction of a new athletic and multipurpose center on its campus in Unity.

College spokesman Jim Berger said officials envision the facility, now in the planning stages, will act as a multipurpose indoor athletic and convocation center.

”The facility will also have the ability to host larger-scale events for both the Saint Vincent community and the region, contributing to the Benedictine hallmark of hospitality, a pillar of the Saint Vincent experience,” Berger said.

Officials at Pitt-Greensburg said the school will use its $500,000 grant to help underwrite the construction of a 39,330-square-foot Life Sciences building on its Hempfield campus.

Officials said construction of the new building is scheduled to begin Sept. 30 with completion scheduled for November 2022. The facility would then be open for classes in the spring of 2023.

The school has placed a growing emphasis on its life science program since 2017, when it launched a four-year nursing degree program. Since then, the school has moved forward with plans to renovate one facility and build the new Life Sciences facility to accommodate the growing popularity of such programs.

“It will help us to move forward with our plans to construct a new state-of-the-art building with laboratory and instructional spaces for faculty and students in our nursing and natural science programs,” Pitt-Greensburg President Robert Gregerson said. “This project also demonstrates Pitt-Greensburg’s commitment to excellence in academics. Our goal is to provide quality educational opportunities for our students, enabling them to graduate and fill the growing vacancies among regional and state health care providers and other high priority STEM occupations.”