Warren County Community College eyes Phillipsburg building for satellite campus, business incubator

Thursday, January 21, 2010
By BILL WICHERT
The Express-Times

PHILLIPSBURG | Warren County Community College officials unveiled plans Wednesday for a satellite campus in Phillipsburg that would also offer low-cost space and training to new businesses.

Planned for the Commerce Center building at 445 Marshall St., the campus would offer credit and continuing education courses alongside the business incubator.

The plan to give entrepreneurs skills to develop businesses and move them to empty storefronts across Warren County comes amid the continuing recession chasing people out of their jobs.

"This is the time when you start one of these and it's when it's needed most," college President Will Austin said. "Instead of just looking for another job, they can create that job for themselves."

The college plans to close on the purchase in the coming months and open the facility by spring 2011.

This would be the first satellite campus for the college and would help alleviate crowding at the Route 57 school in Washington Township, Austin said. The college is also working with Hackettstown Regional Medical Center to build the $24 million Health Education Center on the hospital's campus. That is scheduled to open in 2017.

The college plans to use state dollars to cover half the $7.3 million needed to buy and renovate the Phillipsburg property. The other half would be borne by the college out of county money it receives, based on current funding levels. The college would not seek additional county money for the project.

Of the roughly 51,000-square-foot building, nearly 16,000 square feet would be used primarily as classrooms. About 7,500 square feet would be set aside for eight to 20 new businesses involved in the incubator model.

Entrepreneurs would receive leases of no more than three years, educational opportunities through the college and assistance in transitioning to long-term locations, Austin said.

Tie-in to P'burg schools

Warren Hospital currently leases space in the building but plans to move out, Austin said. The Express-Times and the Phillipsburg School District already lease space there and would pay rent to the college. Plans call for granting the school district an extra 5,000 square feet, for a total of roughly 23,600 square feet.

"To have the college move into this building is such an asset to the town of Phillipsburg itself," Phillipsburg schools Superintendent Mark B. Miller said. "It opens up a lot of opportunities for a lot of different students."

The satellite campus would provide a location within walking distance for both high school graduates interested in attending the community college and existing high school students looking to take college-level courses, Miller said.

Because the building would gain tax-exempt status under the college's ownership, the school district would save money on the taxes paid through its current lease. Those savings could be used to establish an alternative middle school in the additional space for students who have struggled in the regular classrooms, Miller said.

Town to lose tax revenue

Phillipsburg Mayor Harry Wyant said he was concerned the project would take away tax dollars from the municipality. The property has generated more than $70,000 in taxes annually, according to public records.

"In these economic times, to lose a ratable as significant as that, it would be very, very concerning," said Wyant, adding that he preferred a higher education facility closer to downtown businesses along South Main Street.

While the project might have an immediate impact on tax revenues, the facility will help people become employed then spend their money locally, according to Warren County Freeholder Director Rick Gardner.

Without an attempt to improve the business climate and attract new ideas and technology, the community suffers, Gardner said.

"It really can be a successful model if all things fall into place," Gardner said. "I don't see a reason not to support it."

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BY THE NUMBERS
Thursday, January 21, 2010

-- 15,578 square feet -- proposed college classroom and office space at a proposed $7.3 million Warren County Community College campus in Phillipsburg

-- 7,510 square feet -- business incubator space for startup companies

-- 23,665 square feet -- Phillipsburg School District space in the building

-- 1,282 square feet -- space occupied by The Express-Times

Source: Warren County Community College