By Tammy Compton

Wayne Independent - Wed Apr 14, 2010, 05:55 PM EDT 

Hawley - “We’re really happy to be here,” Lackawanna College President Raymond Angeli told the crowd at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting for the new Lake Region Center, located at the Hawley Silk Mill.

State Senators Lisa Baker and Robert J. Mellow were on hand with check presentations totaling $1.5 million for the Lake Region Center, funding from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. Lackawanna College has received funding from both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States government for the creation of the new Lake Region Center. The office of United States Senator Arlen Specter (D) has also secured an additional $100,000 that was earmarked for this project from last year’s appropriations. Approximately 100 local business owners and elected officials attended the ceremony.

“We are very excited to see the bi-partisan support from Harrisburg to make this project happen,” said Pres. Angeli. “This allows the College to provide more educational opportunities to an even greater population in the Lake Region and surrounding counties. The College will be doubling its capacity, occupying all 16,000 square feet of the third floor at the soon-to-be-renovated Hawley Silk Mill and the $1.6 million dollars will be used to build out the third floor and provide instructional equipment. “We’re going to be able to bring all of our majors here. Right now, we have 23 majors. We’re going to bring in three or four new things: Culinary Arts, Physical Therapy Assistant, some Hotel/Motel Management, and Camp Management ...things that are more directed to this general area, programs that have jobs at the other end,” said Pres. Angeli.

The College plans to open at its new location this Fall. “Lackawanna College is going to be a big asset to the Hawley Borough. It’s going to bring in more business, more teachers, more people to use our shops,” said Hawley Borough Council President Don Kyzer. “The only downfall was the road, which I consider dangerous anyway, that we have to close,” he said referring to a short stretch of Wellwood Avenue in front of the Hawley Silk Mill. The road remains open for homes at the lower end and the shops at the upper end, he said.?Councilwoman Carolyn Lorent said, “I’m hoping it’ll bring jobs into the area. And keep some of the kids that grew up in the area will be able to stay in the area. And just to keep the building. It’s just a beautiful building and it’s been here forever.”

Hawley Silk Mill, LLC is an investment group made up of local investors who have a vested interest in the community of Hawley. Each member of the group is a member of the community and has strong family ties to the Lake Region. The focus of the team is to make the Hawley Silk Mill a viable and successful location to conduct business and preserve the historic character of the building for generations to come.  

The vision for the project includes reestablishing the building as a regional economic engine, creating a workforce development and education facility, and building a lifestyle retail center.  To that end, Lackawanna College will relocate and expand into the 16,000 square foot top floor of the building and serve the region as a workforce-training center and continuing education facility.  The second floor of the building will provide office space, including individual office suites, providing shared services for professionals looking to open branch offices or secondary offices in the region.  A lifestyle retail center will be created on the first floor to provide products and services currently unavailable in the community, such as gourmet foods, a local produce food market, outfitter, bike service and sales shop, clothing stores, sporting goods, locally produced artisan goods, and technology products.  Proposed uses for other spaces available in the building include a STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Experiential Learning Center, STEAM Center (STEM center including the Arts), business incubator space, and a museum dedicated to the effects of the Wayne County Silk Industry on national labor laws.