Community College Presents Vision For Bristol Twp. Campus Expansion

Bucks County Community College officials came before Bristol Township Council Thursday evening to update them on expansion plans for the Gene and Marlene Epstein Campus in Bristol Township.

The community college, which has its main campus in Newtown Township and a smaller location in Upper Bucks County, presented early plans for the Center for Advanced Technologies, which was first announced in 2018. They are expected to present complete plans to the township in the coming months.

Community college President Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt told the Council that the center is designed to train students for in-demand careers. She said area employers are “crying” to the community college seeking skilled workers to take thousands of jobs that presently are unfilled.

“We partner with businesses to help them thrive,” she said.

In addition, the community college president said the skilled positions are “family-sustaining jobs.”

Shanblatt noted that as skilled training programs have expanded, the community college needs more space to hold programs, including metalworking, robotics, and machining. The programs often last several weeks.

The new facility would be just under 30,000-square-feet and will be designed to be flexible to change with the job market and new programs.

Plans for the Center for Advanced Technologies place the building along Veterans Highway in front of the current community college building. A sketch shows the two buildings connected by an outdoor path that would go over a pond.

Early support for the facility has been strong, Shanblatt said, noting some employers have already made donations.

Patrick Antonello, a councilperson who has worked in the manufacturing field, said employers are looking for skilled workers who have training and classroom knowledge.

Shanblatt said the new facility is designed to allow students to also take part in more traditional community college programs.

“Even within this space, we have classrooms carved out … [students will] do a little bit in the classroom and then they’ll go out to the lab,” she said.

When the Bristol Township campus was planned about 15 years ago, a bank and office building was planned for the front of the property. However, those plans fell through over the years, said Ed Murphy, an attorney working with the district.

Bristol Township Council gave the plan a positive reception.

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