The Orange County School Board will soon begin contract negotiations for the proposed career and technical education (CTE) center.
On Monday, the board voted to enter into contract negotiations with Gilbane, a Richmond-based firm which is collaborating with RRMM Architects. In November, 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.
When the school board voted to accept the proposal in November, it started the clock on a 45-day window to receive competing proposals from other companies as part of the PPEA process. Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel Hornick said no other proposals were received.
On Monday, District 3 school board member Jack Rickett said he was excited to make a motion to further the CTE center project. The motion was seconded by District 2 school board member Darlene Dawson and approved 5-0.
It’s unknown how long negotiations will take.
For more information about the project and to view the redacted proposal from Gilbane and RRMM, visit https://www.ocss-va.org/departments/facilities-maintenance/capital-projects/ctefacility.
