Groundbreaking ... going up and going down.

Today in Harborcreek, Pa., two exciting developments will be happening. First at 9:30 a.m., the Harborcreek Mall (a.k.a. the eye-sore of Route 5) will be razed. Second at 3:00 p.m., the Penn State Behrend's new Admissions and Alumni Center will break ground.

The Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center will consolidate several services for prospective students, current students, and alumni. The $4.7 million, two-story, 11,700-square-foot building will house the offices of five key Penn State Behrend departments — admissions, financial aid, bursar, registrar, and alumni relations (a.k.a. my office), — in one central location.

The architect for the project is Herman Weber, design principal and founder of Weber Murphy Fox. Perry Construction Group of Erie is the general contractor.

Read the full story here.

The long-vacant Harborcreek Mall will be demolished this morning by Rohrer Trucking Inc. of Waterford. The demolition is part of Harborcreek township's plan to purchase the property and revamp it for redevelopment. Township officials closed on the $557,970 purchase with Baldwin Brothers Inc. on Friday. Harborcreek plans to market the property to private developers, most likely as a site for single-family homes.

Read the full story here.

It's a monumental day in Harborcreek history!

P.S. I am going to try to tweet the groundbreaking via Behrend Alumni News, but I might be too busy taking pics for my blog's recap tomorrow. Either way, I promise to cover the exciting event on campus.