ECC has been required to hire a consultant to determine where the best location for the new building is. This is a great step forward for Buffalo because hopefully this will open the eyes of the College and County as to what young people need/want. The City Campus needs to be at the center of their operations due to it's accessibility to mass transit, employment options and the networking and internship opportunities.
We are thankful for Erie County who is requiring the study as part of accessing the funding that was provided for the new building.
You can read the article here. and we included the text below.
Erie County and its two-year community college hired a consultant to determine where to build a new academic building.
A contract for JMZ Architects and Planners of Glens Falls was approved recently by the Erie Community College board of trustees and the Erie County Legislature. The contract is for $171,200, while the college and county have each set aside $100,000 for the study.
ECC’s push for a $30 million building at the Amherst campus drew criticism earlier this year from groups that want the college to build in the city, not the suburbs.
The consultant’s 10-step study, which will include financial and educational analyses and community input, will help determine a clear-cut plan for the new building, saidMichael Farrell, an ECC spokesman.
JMZ’s timeline for the report is six months. The firm will meet with a committee of county, college and community members throughout the process, said William Reuter, ECC chief administrator and financial officer.
College President Jack Quinn said in March that a new academic building at the North Campus in Amherst is key to boosting enrollment. He said students who would attend classes at that campus are instead choosing Niagara County Community College, and he blamed ECC’s infrastructure.
