The Master Plan: A Decade Full of Changes

By: Tim Balch

BLUE BELL, PA--Everyone needs a makeover at some point or another. In this case, Montgomery County Community College is getting a big one.  In 2012, it was announced by the college that major renovations to the school’s Central and West Campuses would begin, with a projected timeline that ends in 2022.  This kind of structural expansion has been labeled to coincide with a “Master Plan” that will encompass the entire decade-long renovation plan.

    Montgomery County Community College was founded 1964 and has grown to be one of the fastest growing community colleges in the country.  As of today, the college serves over 30,000 credit and non-credit students, with over 80 percent being county residents.  It’s no wonder that MCCC President Dr. Karen A. Stout was able to green-light such an extensive program for the college.

    The Master Plan for the renovations is available on the college’s website for the public to view. The plan outlines in detail the proposed changes to the buildings and the landscape.

    At Montco’s west campus in Pottstown, the plan proposes a redesign of pedestrian crossings, lamplight patterns and parking lot reassignment.  This is to accommodate the increase in student enrollment and visitors to the campus.

    The plan, however, recognizes the differences between Central Campus, located in the suburban locale of Blue Bell, and the urban setting of West Campus.  One of the largest aspects of the school’s renovation program is the remodeling of the Health Sciences Center at Central Campus.  The teachers and coaches operating out of the Health Sciences Center will move all of their classroom and office operations to the neighboring class building this summer.  During this time, the Health Sciences Center will gain larger classrooms, more spacious offices and larger, more sophisticated athletics facilities.

    Claire Kratz, a long-time Montco Health and Nutrition instructor, is happy to see the renovations take place.  “I need a larger classroom. There [are] so many kids crammed into one room, no one even has [space] to move around.”

    Montco has matured, though.  The college's popular Culinary Arts program opened the doors to its own building in 2013, complete with its own retail cafe and bakeshop with a wide variety of international cuisine.  With the new changes coming in the next decade, it’s clear this new Master Plan shows that Montco is still growing.