Pennsylvania’s State College Area High School’s Career and Technical Center (CTC) space is getting a $2.6 million renovation that will see the district’s data center relocate to the campus.

The school board approved the renovation on May 15. Once completed, the CTC will be used for virtual learning, Reclaiming Individual Talent (RIT) programs, and housing the district’s information technology department.

Construction for the project is predicted to take around nine months. The budget can be further split down to ~$1.4 million for construction, $190,000 for plumbing, $642,400 for mechanical works, and $402,940 for the electrical aspects, though this reportedly does not include fixtures, furniture, and equipment (including the data center equipment). The overall budget is not expected to exceed $3 million.

Funding for the project has been provided by previous bond financing

“It’s not taking from the current general fund; it’s not taking from the capital reserve fund,” Randy Brown, State College Area School District (SCASD) finance and operations officer, said. “It’s monies that have already been borrowed and have a purpose.”

The district’s current IT department is located in the Panorama Administrative Center. According to SCASD, the relocation will provide a more centralized location for the students and technology, and offer better storage and access for equipment deliveries. The capacity of the data center was not shared. DCD has reached out to the parties for comment.

The CTC that will be renovated is located at the High School’s North Building. It is a 160,000 sq ft (15,000 sqm) facility and was constructed in 2019. The school is the only high school that falls under the SCASD, and is a short distance from Penn State University.