Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
A Cumberland County nonprofit purchased an adjacent building and will renovate it to expand its operations. The additional building for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Trust will be known as the Richard V. Poirier Innovation Center, a 14,000-square-foot facility designed to expand services for school safety and streamline operations for the association’s subsidiaries. The facility is located at 1 Baden Powell Lane in Silver Spring Township. “By investing in cutting-edge safety training and bringing our subsidiaries together under one roof, we are strengthening our ability to support school leaders and ensure safe learning environments for every student in Pennsylvania,” Kathy Swope, chair of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Trust board of directors, said in a news release. The Richard V. Poirier Innovation Center will house offices for the Trust, PSBA Insurance, and the PSBA Institute, bringing all of the association’s subsidiaries under one roof. A major feature of the facility will be the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute, launched in 2022, which provides hands-on training and preparedness experiences for school leaders, staff, and law enforcement. The expanded space will include: 360-degree smart screens for immersive safety scenarios. Simulated classrooms and a two-story school building for real-life drills. Lecture hall for classroom-style training. “This technology represents the most advanced school safety simulation available in the United States,” Roberta Marcus, chair of the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute board of directors, said in the news release. The center is named in honor of Richard V. Poirier, CEO of Church Mutual Insurance Company, a longtime PSBA supporter, and vice chair of the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute board. The PSBA Trust, established in 1971, supports programs and services that benefit school directors and districts across Pennsylvania. Construction is expected to be completed next summer.
