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Higher education may be supplanting manufacturing as the primary pursuits for which Buena Vista is known.
An ambitious plan for a skilled-trades school for college- age students was presented to Buena Vista City Council two weeks ago. City Council will consider a rezoning tomorrow, Thursday, for the Rockbridge Creative Institute, the new school planned by Austin Rehl on 285 undeveloped acres between Long Hollow Road and 32nd Street.
Plans are also moving forward for the Wilson Workforce & Entrepreneurial Center, an initiative of Mountain Gateway Community College, that is to go into the former Courtesy Ford building at 2019 Forest Ave. Training for “heavy trades” are to be taught at this school, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical and plumbing, diesel mechanic, machine tool, welding, building trades and Commercial Driver’s License (CDL.)
These two new schools will be adding to the mix of higher education endeavors found in Buena Vista. Southern Virginia University, a liberal arts college that bases its curriculum on teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is thriving with a continually growing enrollment. Clifton Forgebased MGCC, formerly Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, has a satellite campus in Buena Vista that serves the Rockbridge area.
RCI is to be a residential school for learning traditional and modern building trades, sustainable agriculture methods and homesteading arts and crafts. Rehl said the school would give students “real work experience learning to work with their hands to produce useful, durable and beautiful things.” He said he plans to “recruit young people from around the nation to Buena Vista and prepare them to be successful business owners and dependable laborers for our community.”
Rehl is a dentist from Marietta, Ohio, who has a practice with four locations that employs a dozen dentists. He has experience in launching educational institutions. He started a dental assisting school and a K-12 classical education school that have proven to be successful ventures. He hopes to launch RCI this fall with students who will help design the campus under the guidance of professionals.
The Wilson Workforce Development Center, named for Joe Wilson, a Buena Vista native and highly successful businessman, is going to be offering its first classes this fall in the McCormick building, adjacent to the former Courtesy Ford building. Renovations to the McCormick building are nearly complete. The first phase of renovations to the former Courtesy Ford building is expected to get underway this fall. Construction/rehabilitation of the 18,750 square-foot building is not likely to be completed before the fall 2025 semester.
The objective of the workforce development center is to meet local employers’ existing and future workforce needs. An entrepreneurial innovation laboratory is to be housed in the center. A $3 million Economic Development Administration grant was awarded for the project. Buena Vista has applied for a $1 million community development block grant.
The future looks bright for post-secondary education in Buena Vista, which has traditionally been regarded as a blue collar city and the industrial hub for the greater Rockbridge area. This may be changing. In the future, the city could become better known for its institutions for higher learning.
