TCAT McMinnville began construction this week on its new campus facility.
The project part of a nearly $1 billion the state allocated for TCAT upgrades. External Relations Coordinator Daniel Bratcher said a total of three buildings will be built during the next 18 months.
“The original campus has been around since 1964, um, completed, and the first class graduated in 1966,” Bratcher said. “The current facility campus is a little over 40,000 square feet and this new campus will be a little under 70,000 square feet.”
Bratcher said the new campus will include plenty of flexible space. That will allow officials to tailor the space as industry needs change.
“That’s the beauty about TCAT, is if an industry partner says, ‘hey, we need the specific type of training and we can’t get it anywhere else,’ we are able to work with them, set a curriculum and work with them on that training that maybe not anybody else can do or that’s harder for other people to do,” Bratcher said.
Bratcher said the campus will look a lot different when the estimated 18 month project is complete.
“There will be three buildings total,” Bratcher said. “Building one will be a two story building, so that’ll be a major change for people that driving through and living in McMinnville, that will be a major change. A little bit larger space and big larger footprint.”
Bratcher said the school will not shut down any activities and the class schedule will go on as planned.
“And then obviously once we get the new building completed, part of that time, of that 18 months is getting current equipment from current programs into their new classrooms, new lab, things of that nature,” Bratcher said. “So it’s going to add a little extra time to that, but we’re trying to do the best we can.”
