Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), located in Pennsylvania, was founded in 1964 as a publicly funded community college. The College is in an exciting period of change and growth, which requires long-term planning. MCCC created a 10-year master plan to renovate buildings on the nearly 50-year-old Blue Bell Campus and continue expanding the Pottstown Campus.  

MCCC first engaged Watchdog to manage additions and renovations to the Science Center on the Blue Bell Campus. The Watchdog team oversaw the budget and schedule for the complex design of the overall layout and the existing engineering systems. The team closely coordinated details with the College staff and project consultants.

While work in the Science Center was in progress, MCCC expanded Watchdog’s scope to include an additional renovation project. The theater on campus required several upgrades to be ADA compliant, improved the backstage area, and added extra seating. The estimates for the theater improvements were higher than the College expected and exceeded their budget. The team reviewed options for alternate materials, equipment, and construction methods to lower the project cost. Watchdog also reviewed pay applications and managed the designers to successfully complete this project within MCCC’s budget.

The scope of work for the Watchdog team increased again with the kick-off of additional master plan projects. The team served as an Owner’s Representative and attended risk committee meetings before developing an approach for the South Hall project on the Pottstown Campus. The South Hall renovation added additional classrooms and updated common areas, including a café and student club space.

Watchdog continues to provide extensive program and project management services to MCCC. The team is leading the planning, process, and design procurement for the 2022-2032 Facilities Master Plan, including more than 10 active capital projects, such as Challenger Center on the Pottstown Campus. This center is the first Challenger Center program in Pennsylvania. It uses space-themed environments to provide hands-on learning for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students in the K-12 grades.

Through this multi-project effort, Watchdog advocated for MCCC and developed procedures to help manage the ongoing projects. The team established an approach to risk management and created a standard format for quarterly project reports for budget and schedule, which allowed the College Board to track the use of the public funds. This unique workflow for pay application review and payment is more detailed and allows for an easier hand-off to the College Accounts Payable department.