New Downtown Campus for Stark State...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
By
In Planning, Community
Stark State College has been a leader in the training of the Stark County Community workforce. They recognized the opportunity to develop new job skills, in part to the economic downturn, allowing 15,500 community residents to find Stark State as the perfect fit.
The Utica Shale exploration in the surrounding counties has made Canton, Ohio the new oil and gas capital in Ohio. With some experts projecting that the Utica formation holds as much energy as Saudi Arabia, Stark County has been very focused on supporting this burgeoning industry.
Understanding this new need for training, Stark State sought out and received a grant to develop an Oil and Gas Training Center in Downtown Canton. SōL Harris/Day was selected to help the College determine suitable locations within the City. Six different sites were analyzed and recommendations made to Stark State.
The College ultimately purchased the Cornerstone II Building for the Satellite Energy Academic Center and an adjacent site across the street on Cherry Avenue SE for its indoor lab and outdoor well site training lab. SHD is proceeding with designs for the first comprehensive Oil and Gas training facility in the State of Ohio. As part of the Satellite Energy Center, this new training facility will include indoor lab space and outdoor equipment that includes a pump jack and well head, stock tanks, a separator and other equipment necessary to simulate the movement of oil and gas so that students can learn how the processes and equipment work.
Look for the Training Facility to open at the start of classes in September 2014 and the Satellite Center, which will house several programs, to be ready for students in January 2015.
1 of 22