Bedford receives $3.4M for development, training

Funding comes as county focuses on attracting workers, industries to area

Bedford County has received $3.38 million in Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding for workforce training and housing development.

The funding includes $2 million for the Bedford County Technical Center to expand its workforce training facilities and $1.38 million for the Bedford County Development Association to prepare infrastructure for a new workforce housing neighborhood near the Bette Brown Slayton Business Park.

The investments are part of the county's Train and Retain initiative, which aims to address two major challenges facing local employers: finding skilled workers and providing enough housing to attract and retain them.

The $2 million awarded to the technical center will pay for a 16,000-square-foot addition. The expansion will increase welding and advanced manufacturing programs and add HVAC and electrical training facilities. Existing classrooms and labs will also be renovated.

The BCDA funding will provide roads, water, sewer, stormwater management and utilities for about 18 acres of workforce housing sites. The goal is to have the sites ready for residential development, removing a major obstacle identified by area builders.

"The partnership between BCTC and BCDA reflects our shared commitment to developing both a skilled workforce and the housing needed to retain that talent," said Mike O'Dellick, administrative director of the Bedford County Technical Center and chairman of the BCDA board. "Education creates opportunity. Housing helps retain it."

He said the two projects work together to prepare workers for careers while giving them places to live.

BCDA President and CEO Jen Marsh said builders have expressed interest in constructing homes but have been held back by the cost and availability of infrastructure. By installing utilities and other infrastructure first, the county hopes to make housing projects more feasible.

"The demand for housing exists, but without infrastructure already in place, projects simply don't pencil out," Marsh said. "The strongest communities aren't waiting for opportunity to find them -- they're creating it."

Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper, who advocated for the funding, said the projects show how local partners can work together to create opportunities for residents to learn, work and live in Bedford County.

"By investing in workforce education and workforce housing together, we're addressing two of the biggest factors driving long-term economic success," Topper said.

The projects are part of a broader county strategy that also includes business development, childcare and infrastructure improvements. County officials said the combined efforts are intended to support long-term economic growth and improve quality of life for current and future residents.