Job openings: New facility will help 'transform skilled trades training in Washington County'

People looking for training to be truck drivers, plumbers, carpenters or other skilled workers could be using a new "cutting edge" facility in Hagerstown.

The new D.M. Bowman Family Workforce Training Center will be at 562 Northern Ave., in what was a gym and fitness facility. Hagerstown Community College bought the property in 2021 for $2.75 million.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration awarded HCC a $5.8 million grant to help fund the renovation.

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"This the largest grant awarded in HCC’s 75-year history," HCC President Jim Klauber said in a news release. "It is going to transform skilled trades training in Washington County like never before. We, along with the Bowman family, are beyond thrilled at the opportunities this will provide for our citizens."

Money for the grant comes from the federal American Rescue Plan.

The grant is being matched with $1.5 million from the Washington County commissioners.

The facility will provide a central location for HCC’s off-campus training programs, including commercial truck driver training, the diesel tech program, forklift instruction, the GED program and English as a Second Language classes.

The center will be named for D.M. Bowman, a nod to the Bowman Group's role as one of the county's largest employer and to the Bowmans' financial support for HCC. Among other things, that support has "greatly enhanced" scholarship opportunities, Klauber said.

It also will be the new home of the Barr Construction Institute, operated by the Cumberland Valley Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors.

The organizations will work to enhance and boost enrollment in skilled trades programs.

"The need for skilled trades labor is stratospheric," Klauber said in an interview.

Developing the facility is a "win-win all around," he said.

Washington County will be 'on the cutting edge of workforce training'

The 41,000-square-foot building will offer the Barr Institute more room and a more flexible space, said Amos McCoy, CEO of ABC of Cumberland Valley.

"We are essentially moving all of our training over there, once it's up and running," McCoy said.

The college and ABC will continue to operate as separate entities, he said. But they will be able to offer people a "one-stop shop" for a range of skills training, from driving forklifts to wiring buildings.

“This will put our region on the cutting edge of workforce training," he said.

After ABC moves into the new center, it plans to sell its building at 530 N. Locust St.

Construction on the center is slated to start next year, with completion in the late spring or summer of 2024.

How is the American Rescue Plan funding this project?

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the project is funded under the Economic Development Administration's American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance Program.

"The program is EDA’s most flexible program," the release states, "and grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs."

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The EDA closed applications for all of its American Rescue Plan programs in May.

The $3 billion program funding will be awarded on a rolling basis through Sept. 30.

U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with U.S. Rep. David Trone, all issued statements praising the grant allocation and the boost it could give to training in the skilled trades.

Mike Lewis covers business, the economy and other issues. Follow Mike on Twitter: @MiLewis.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: American Rescue Plan to help pay for Washington County training center