Orange County Public Schools unveiled an exciting new development in the ongoing career and technical education center project this week–renderings.
In March, the Orange County School Board entered into an interim agreement with Gilbane, a Richmond-based firm which is collaborating with RRMM Architects and Timmons Group on the CTE center project. In November 2025, the board accepted a proposal from the firm as part of the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2022 (PPEA). The act allows localities to work with the private sector to complete major projects such as the construction of new schools or education facilities. It’s an alternative to the typical procurement process and allows for more creative and innovative financing options. The school board implemented the act in August. The county already had a PPEA process in place though it hasn’t been utilized.
The 43-page PPEA proposal by Gilbane and RRMM that was released to the public provides little to no detail about what the actual facility would consist of, instead focusing mainly on Gilbane and RRMM’s record of achievement and that the building would fit into the already set $15.5 million budget. That number was initially included in the county’s capital improvement project budget with an annual debt service payment of $1.2 million, but was removed due to the county being unable to fund the debt service. The school board utilized $900,000 in leftover money from Gordon-Barbour Elementary School renovations to fund the center’s engineering and design. Proprietary information in Gilbane and RRMM’s proposal is included in a second, non-public document.
The proposal is supposed to take into account the school division’s needs including one nursing classroom and lab space; one culinary arts classroom and lab space with a teaching kitchen; two agricultural classrooms and two labs including an outdoor covered work area and a welding lab; a carpentry and masonry classroom with lab scape accommodating both programs and an outdoor covered work area; an HVAC and plumbing classroom with a lab space accommodating both programs with an outdoor covered work area; an electrical classroom with a lab space with an outdoor covered work area; an automotive classroom with an outdoor covered work area and at least two bays; one technical education classroom with a lab space; one cybersecurity lab space; one computer science classroom; one robotics lab space and areas for an administrative office, reception area and teacher work space. The building should be approximately 35,000 square feet.
On Monday, conceptual renderings and a schematic floor plan were released to the public. The renderings show the center from the front, left and right sides. The floor plan shows dedicated space for the culinary program, building trades, metal fabrication and welding, health professions, automotive, cyber security, technical education and agriculture.
“The schematic plan honors our commitment for the various programs we’d like to add as well as the programs that need enhanced space,” superintendent Dr. Dan Hornick said.
One thing prioritized in the building is restroom facilities for those attending softball games. Hornick said the building allows for restrooms to be accessed in a way that doesn’t allow carte blanche entrance into the building through the use of locked vestibules and hallways.
The release of the conceptual renderings and schematic floor plan mark the next step in what has been a long process. Hornick said the project is now entering the true design and development phase.
Plans are underway for a groundbreaking ceremony to be held in mid-late July. That date is expected to be announced by May 1.
“I’m anticipating a very well attended event with a lot of interested parties coming and being a part of a conversation that has gone on for too long,” Hornick said. “We are going to have a facility [and we] are going to see this through.”
District 2 school board member and chair Darlene Dawson said the release of the drawings is welcome news.
“I would say probably the question I get the most is when is something going to start happening on that property,” she said.
For more information about the project, visit https://www.ocss-va.org/departments/facilities-maintenance/capital-projects/ctefacility.
