Montgomery County Community College

Schuylkill Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center

Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of our own winding Schuylkill River as it runs through Southeastern Pennsylvania. As part of its commitment to community and sustainability, Montgomery County Community College has partnered with the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area to create The Schuylkill Riverfront Academic and Heritage Center to showcase and make the most of this natural resource. Working in partnership, we are in the process of transforming the old 1911 PECO generating station into a landmark environmental facility to support education, conservation, recreation, historic preservation and tourism.

Once completed, the new center will provide these benefits:

• house classrooms and faculty space for the College’s Environmental Science associates Degree Program, including a state-of-the art Computer and Science Lab that will also serve Geology, Geography and Geographic Information Systems
• serve as a location for Continuing Education courses that focus on environmentalism for learners of all ages, promoting awareness of the river as a natural, historical and cultural resource. Course offerings can include canoe and kayak; architectural history; birds and migration; native plants and wildflowers; summer camps for teachers and children; and careers in heritage development
• make available a meeting space for local civic and cultural organizations and host an outdoor amphitheatre for cultural and heritage programs
• provide a comprehensive, hands-on interpretive center that tells the history of the region and supplies information about the Schuylkill River Trail and Water Trail, as well as regional historic and recreational sites
• attract a cross section of visitors, as well as the cyclists and hikers who use the intersecting twenty mile trail section from Pottstown to Reading
• spur economic development by providing a focal point to drive visitors to downtown businesses
• showcase green technology used in the construction of the building ---part of the roof will feature a “green roof” and the other half will support photo-voltaic cells, generating the electricity used in the building

In order to fulfill these aspirations we need your help. The cost of this two phased project totals $4- million which includes site development, building renovation and a 200 plus space parking lot to support the College as well as enhanced community access to the river and bike trails.

We hope you will join our partnership. Your investment will be a powerful force and will enrich and transform our community. Join us as we embrace this community asset that celebrates the beauty of our river and our local heritage.