Rio Grande opening delayed until November

Rio Grande Community College held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 15th, 2023, at the former Piketon High School location on West Street for its RGCC Pike Center, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Pike County community.

“The Village of Piketon welcomes Rio Grande to Piketon and the rest of Pike County,” Piketon Mayor Billy Spencer said on the day of the groundbreaking.

The facility was supposed to open for 2024 Fall Semester, but is now slated to open in November.

A release read, “Rio Grande is committed to empowering individuals, strengthening the workforce, and providing accessible, high-quality education to all residents of Pike County.”

The Rio Grande CC Pike Center will have five traditional classrooms and a fully functioning science lab, as well as space for administrative offices and a conference room. Rio will offer a variety of courses, including classes to support CCP (College Credit Plus) students, traditional general education courses, and workforce development training opportunities.

The venture is a public/private partnership with WAI Construction Group. The Center will be located in Piketon at the site of the former high school.

Steve Moore, CEO/President of WAI said, “We couldn’t be more excited about bringing higher education to Pike County. Rio Grande is a great institution and clearly understands the challenges most rural communities in Appalachia face with access to continuing education and skill training.”

The village sold the part of the old high school that Rio Grande is going to use as well to WAI Construction and from there Rio Grande will lease to building when it opens.

The village was instrumental in securing funds for the demolition of the old high school and is looking forward to being “good neighbors” with Rio Grande.

Spencer said the village gave the gymnasium to the Scioto Valley Local District. The district still uses the gym for junior high school athletics.