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Tulare County Office of Education outlines Liberty campus: special‑needs center, esports arena and 500‑seat theater planned
Summary
The Tulare County Office of Education presented plans for a phased 30‑acre Liberty campus including a 10‑classroom Excel center for special‑needs students, a library/media center with a 50‑student esports arena, and a proposed 500‑seat theater; phase‑one construction is slated to begin in mid‑June with a 12‑month window.
Jeff Ramsey, director of general services for the Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE), presented a master plan for a new educational complex on a 30‑acre parcel adjacent to the existing Liberty campus and described two construction phases.
Ramsey said Phase 1 will include two buildings: a 10‑classroom Excel center designed to serve up to 80 special‑needs students (students with mobility or medical needs) and a library/media center that will include a robotics lab and a 50‑student esports arena with five‑station play and a broadcast/podcasting room. Phase 1 was described as going out to bid in the coming week with construction starting in mid‑ to late June and a roughly 12‑month construction window.
Phase 2 would add a master‑planned, 500‑seat theater with fly space to support larger theatrical productions; Ramsey said design for the theater is expected to begin in the next one to two months with a multi‑year buildout estimated at about three years. Ramsey said TCOE purchased the 30 acres around the existing planetarium and envisions the campus serving countywide programs including a relocated university prep high school.
Ramsey noted several interagency coordination items: sewer and encroachment permits with the City of Visalia and Caltrans for road improvements and a proposed slow‑down/right‑turn lane on South Mooney; a lot‑line adjustment and annexation are under review for adjacent office consolidation; and funding and infrastructure constraints remain considerations for other nearby planned developments. He said TCOE is working with city and county agencies to align utilities and encroachment requirements before construction.
Commissioners asked about capacity at other county facilities and parking at an LB Hill campus; Ramsey said an interior remodel had recently improved LB Hill but that parking constraints persist there. The presentation was informational; the commission did not take an action on TCOE’s project at the meeting.
