Photo by Brent Addleman
North Central executive director Eric Bridges, left, briefs the local officials on the status of the PMI - North Central project. Bridges said he still hopes to have to project up and running in early 2010. At right is Paul Corbin, board member.

By Brent Addleman
Editor

The proposed PMI – North Central project is still moving forward, according to North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission executive director Eric Bridges.
During yesterday morning's regularly scheduled meeting, Bridges gave an update on where the project stands.
"The license application to the Dept. of Education has been approved," Bridges said. "PMI Meadville is currently working through the nuances of what we call our master agreement - the document that formalizes all the expectations and requirements of the partners. We have been going back and forth with some of the details on that."
The main issue both PMI and North Central face right now is the funding of the project.
"For all intense purposes, it has basically come down to the dollars necessary to trigger the implementation," Bridges said. "Part of the agreement was that North Central would identify and secure $500,00 of operating capital to facilitate the start-up of PMI at North Central over a period of three years."
Currently, North Central has reached the halfway point of reaching the monetary goal
"To date, we have identified and secured just under half of that – $235,000 – set aside in an account," Bridges said. "My hope and my plan was to utilize those resources to try and get an early start on our partnership. The PMI board has a different interpretation and would like to see the full commitment that we have reserved set aside and available to them as a precursor to start off. It is not a deal-breaker by any sense. I've had several conversations with the executive director and met with several of their executive board members a little over a week ago and I think we've come to a better appreciation of what specifically we need to do and how specifically they will respond to that."
Bridges has had meetings with the PMI board and the project will move forward and recent developments regarding grant funding may keep the project on schedule.
"We do have some legitimate irons in the fire," Bridges said. "You are all aware of the pending ARC application we have with PMI North Central. I had a chance to talk with Neil Fowler from DCED specifically on the project. I went to Harrisburg last Friday and got some really good feedback. He is really confident the program we put together will resonate well with the state and with ARC. I am going to be working with PMI with the specifics of that program."
Grant funding from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor and Industry may provide the boost needed to get the project going.
"The Dept. of Labor and Industry early this week issued a grant announcement for a ARA funded program, which also conceivably provides an opportunity for us to leverage some federal dollars into this partnership as well," Bridges said. "They are two very legitimate opportunities both of which resonate well and support what we are trying to do. The timing on those two program is conducive. The Labor and Industry program is on a fast-track. The applications are due in the middle of November and the return date is early- to mid-December. We have already established a very good rapport with both this process and PMI with the folks at Labor and Industry. I am very optimistic and encouraged with those opportunities."
Bridges is still committed to working for an launch early next year.
"My intent to have an early 2010 launch is still possible for us," Bridges said. "I made it very clear to  our friends over at PMI that is what we were looking to do and indicated to them when they took their position about having all the operating funds up front that we would need them to work with us on these opportunities if we were to collectively meet that deadline."
The funding mandates imposed by PMI are not deemed as detrimental to the entire project.
"To a certain degree it's a small bump in the road but the opportunity is there, the need is still there, the PMI board despite their position on this remains committed to this partnership," Bridges said. "We will continue to do everything we can on our end to work on that.
"When we started this discussion some time ago, it was really establishing and identifying a reputable training provider, reconnecting with industry and putting something together we felt strongly was viable and sustainable. To this day, I still maintain to believe that we have done that and we have that. The fact it is going to require some dollars is reasonable and legitimate and we will commit ourselves to getting that done."