The Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center Joint Operating Committee heard proposals outlining a campus-wide facility study that would create recommendations for projects to alleviate concerns around a crowded and aging building during a Monday night meeting.

Groups from HHSDR Architects & Engineers of Pittsburgh and Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates of Mechanicsburg both made presentations for a facility feasibility study that would assess the condition of the GACTC building, how well the current space meets student needs and present a range of options for next steps.

Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates recently updated a facility feasibility study for the Hollidaysburg Area School District, which included sweeping recommendations for building consolidation and renovation projects as a way to stabilize long-term maintenance costs.

Members of the board asked representatives from both groups how they would incorporate student enrollment data into their study, since steadily growing enrollment is a primary motivation for the feasibility study.

The GACTC is nearing capacity with over 1,000 enrolled students and waitlists for several programs, according to an administrator.

According to HHSDR executive vice president Matt Franz, if HHSDR is awarded the study contract, they would utilize a third-party demographer to conduct a student enrollment study alongside their feasibility study, which would be conducted internally. The demographer would require a separate fee from the estimate given by HHSDR, Franz said.

HHSDR would assess both the physical condition of the buildings and how well the GACTC’s educational offerings meet student needs and institutional objectives, Franz said.

CRA would conduct a student enrollment study internally as a part of their broader feasibility study, according to director of education planning Frederick Withum.

That would utilize data on student enrollment from all eight send-school districts that contribute to the GACTC, Withum said.

According to Withum, a key component of CRA’s feasibility study will be a survey of local employers of GACTC graduates, which will be used to identify how well the school is meeting their needs through its curriculum offerings, and how a renovated building could improve in those areas.

According to Interim Director Nicole Zernick, the JOC Facilities Committee will meet early next month to review both presentations before making a recommendation to the full JOC during their next meeting on Feb. 24.

Zernick did not have a cost estimate for either proposal after the meeting on Monday.

The JOC approved attorney Beverly Meers to conduct title searches on the seven properties surrounding the GACTC at a cost of $350 per parcel in preparation for the feasibility study.

“We’re looking to reestablish the property title search for each of the properties the GACTC sits on, and several of the surrounding properties as well,” Zernick said.

Zernick said that she is “unable to make (the) determination right now” if these properties will be purchased for use in the building renovation efforts recommended by the feasibility study.

The JOC also approved requests for proposals to redo the flooring and repaint the fourth floor of the building, as well as for asbestos remediation to take place concurrently with the other projects.

According to the meeting agenda, school administration anticipates requesting permission for the bids to be awarded at the next JOC meeting.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.