WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Wenatchee School District on Tuesday received a progress update on the Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center project, including scope, phasing and budget details, and the board ratified a guaranteed maximum price amendment for part of the work as part of the meeting’s consent agenda.

Pete Gelsing, director of the tech center, told the board the project has advanced through a validation phase that aligned program needs, budget and schedule, and that drawing sets were submitted for permit in early November. He said the project is financed largely through a state grant “to the tune of $14,000,000 and some change,” and that construction is expected to begin in mid-January once permits are cleared.

"It's been a heck of a process," Gelsing said, thanking district staff and the design-build team for coordinating a fast validation period that the team says reduced risk while keeping the project on budget.

The design-build team described two primary buildings: Building A, which will include a fire science addition with an apparatus bay, a stair tower and a smoke (fog) training room, plus a reworked multipurpose/demonstration kitchen and secure vestibule; and Building B, where the district is adding dental assistant and hygiene labs and medical-occupations training spaces, while improving daylighting and flexible classroom connections.

Kloch Group’s owner’s representative said the team worked with the City of Wenatchee Planning Commission to amend zoning that now allows the project to be permitted outright rather than through a conditional use process, which the presenters said should streamline approvals.

Rob Decker, representing the construction team, said Building B is proceeding under a guaranteed maximum price amendment that was included on the consent agenda the board approved earlier in the meeting. He asserted, "We have 10 millions, 10,600,000.0, not a penny more," describing design-to-budget delivery and the use of owner betterments to apply contingency as the project progresses.

The presenters listed key risks and mitigations: phasing on an occupied campus will limit disruption to instruction; the schedule staggers work so Building B is relatively self-contained and can begin first; the team plans early procurement of long-lead equipment to hedge against cost escalation; and active coordination with city regulators aims to keep permitting timelines on track.

On sequencing, the team said site investigations and layout work were underway in December, Building B activity would begin in January–February, the fire-science program would relocate temporarily to allow construction, and portions of the project are targeted for completion in time for the 2026 school year. Superintendent Corey added that the district expects to be "absolutely done" by June 2027 while the team's near-term schedule aims to complete major phases earlier where possible.

Board members asked about student involvement in design and whether construction could be used as a learning opportunity. Presenters and Gelsing said students and instructors have been observed and consulted in planning, and that carefully managed visits or activities during construction could provide instructional value.

The board did not take separate action on the update; the GMP amendment affecting Building B was included and approved as part of the consent agenda earlier in the meeting.

Next procedural steps include city permit review, early procurement of identified long-lead items and continuing phasing coordination to minimize impacts to students and staff.