Vogel, Wentling secure $1.5 million RACP grant for Westminster’s Hoyt Science Center expansion

HARRISBURG – State Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) and Rep. Parke Wentling (R-Crawford/Erie/Lawrence/Mercer) recently announced the awarding of $1.5 million in state funding for an expansion to Westminster College’s Hoyt Science Center. The funding is provided through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

Nearly all of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses at Westminster are taught in the Hoyt Science Center, which includes six lecture rooms, three smart classrooms, several laboratories, an auditorium, a planetarium and four conference rooms. The funding will help support an expansion of the center to include construction of a three-story addition, renovation of the third floor, exterior façade upgrades and improvements to the courtyard.

“Westminster College’s Hoyt Science Center is a local leader in STEM education and this grant will help the school build out that program and give it room to grow,” Vogel said.

“I was happy to personally fight for this funding for the College and look forward to touring the project once completed,” said Wentling. “As a former technology education teacher in the Wilmington Area School District, I understand the importance of STEM education and training for future workers.”

“We are grateful for the support of Sen. Elder Vogel, Rep. Parke Wentling and others in the legislature for supporting our grant application,” said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson.  “This grant will bolster our Hoyt Science Center expansion and greatly benefit our students and faculty.”

The RACP program is dedicated to the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational, and historical improvement projects. RACP projects are authorized by the Legislature in the Redevelopment Assistance section of a Capital Budget Itemization Act. Projects must have a regional or multi-jurisdictional impact and generate substantial increases or maintain current levels of employment, tax revenues, or other measures of economic activity.

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