Casella purchases former college campus to create training hub

A year after buying the eastern portion of the former College of St. Joseph (CSJ) campus in Rutland County, Vermont, Casella Waste Systems has purchased the western portion of the property, making the Rutland-based waste management firm its sole owner.

As reported by the Mountain Times, Casella bought the remainder of the campus from Heritage Family Credit Union for $750,000 on Sept. 27.

Jeff Weld, director of communications at Casella, tells the Mountain Times the company held back on buying the full campus last year to understand its growth concerns.

“There was a question of what our needs might be, what the planning process might look like,” Weld says. “There was a question of how much growth there might be.”

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The company plans to turn the campus into a training hub for employees, with orientations and commercial driver’s license training. Weld estimates the company will train about 100 people a month on the campus. Casella currently employs 4,200 workers in the U.S., with around 400 based in Rutland.

Once permits are secured, the campus will be renovated in phases. In Phase 1, Casella will relocate about a dozen people on the human resources team to the former administration building. In Phase 2, the company will demolish the former dormitories.

“They aren’t usable,” Weld says. “That’s kind of where things are. We’re hoping to have those permits in hand and get those buildings demoed by the end of the year.”

Ownership of the campus has been in a state of uncertainty since Heritage Family Credit Union foreclosed on the college in 2019 after CSJ lost its accreditation. A number of parties, including the Housing Trust of Rutland, expressed interest in the property.

Weld tells the Mountain Times that Casella wants to enhance economic growth in Rutland.