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Robeson County CTE center reports steady progress; team still aiming for students by next school year
Summary
Project managers for the Public Schools of Robeson County said exterior work is largely complete, interior finishes are underway and the team remains focused on a July 2026 target for occupancy while milestone dates earlier in the schedule remain conditional.
The Public Schools of Robeson County construction committee heard a progress update on the Robeson County Career and Technical Education Center on Thursday, with contractors reporting the building is largely roofed and moving into interior finishes as crews complete the geothermal field and curtain wall installations.
The update, given by contractors and district staff, laid out near-term milestones, billing and contingency figures and interior work that will follow once conditioned air can be supplied to the building. “I am the project manager for the Public Schools of Robeson County, Robeson County Career And Technical Education Center Planetarium,” Metcon project manager Randall Bishop said during the presentation.
Why it matters: District leaders told the committee the schedule has been tightened and the construction team is pushing to get students into the facility as early as next school year. That target would affect high school schedules, principal hiring and program planning across feeder schools.
Project status and schedule Contractors said the building’s main roof is complete and crews are installing ACM panels on the planetarium and curtain-wall systems on Area D. The team played a drone video and interior walkthrough to illustrate progress; SFLA project manager Alvin Norwood said panels and interior framing are advancing and several classroom portals have been drywalled and painted.
The construction team listed milestone targets including a “building dry-in” in late November, a conditional power milestone in early December, a conditioned-air milestone in January and a target project completion of July 31, 2026. Contractors emphasized those earlier milestones are targets and that interior finishes cannot proceed until conditioned air is available.
Budget and billing Presenters provided an accounting of contract and contingency figures. Billings to date were listed at $40,823,266.94, against a total contract of $81,324,319.08. The team reported an owner contingency of $3,268,832.16, a contractor contingency of $954,641.09 and a design contingency of $231,768.77. Allowances totaling about $1,000,411.60 remained available after prior uses, the meeting packet shows.
Contractor and design staffing The project’s architect role has transitioned from a previously named architect to Alvin Norwood of SFLA Architects; Metcon reported Randall Bishop is the current Metcon project manager after a staff turnover at that firm. Both Bishop and Norwood briefly introduced themselves and said they will continue to provide monthly site videos and photo updates.
Facilities and program features Presenters walked committee members through renderings and recent construction photos of the science center, planetarium, the “learning stair”/ellipse and large labs such as mechatronics and culinary. The planetarium’s exterior ACM panels are intended to be a visible feature; the team also showed a two-sided LED monument sign planned for the road frontage to display building information.
Parking and building circulation A district staff member said the site design includes parking for at least 10–12 buses and additional parking for student drivers; the exact total number of parking spaces was not stated at the meeting and was offered as follow-up. Committee members also discussed how reception and interior graphics will include logos from each feeder high school and the PSRC (Public Schools of Robeson County) mark around the reception wall.
Next steps and logistics District staff and contractors said they will share the drone video drive and render PDFs with committee members and provide any missing numeric details on parking and signage after the meeting. District leaders said they will advertise for a principal early next year if the district proceeds with a target of students using the building in August.
Ending Committee members asked for continued regular updates and confirmation of milestone dates. No formal board action or vote was taken during the construction update portion of the meeting.
