Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center delays facility study presentation | News, Sports, Jobs

The Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center pushed back the presentation of a long-anticipated facility and feasibility study until early 2026, citing a need for further revision, according to Executive Director Nicole Zernick.

The study, which was awarded to Mechanicsburg architecture firm Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates in February, is intended to explore ways to address persistent concerns regarding high student enrollment and building maintenance issues.

At more than 1,100 currently enrolled students, the GACTC is quickly approaching capacity, with several dozen students waitlisted for in-demand programs such as cosmetology, HVAC/R and automotive technology.

Crabtree, Rohrbaugh and Associates had initially estimated the study would take six to eight months to complete, but now faces an uncertain timeline.

During September’s Joint Operating Committee meeting, Zernick said the firm planned to present their findings the following month, but it will not be included on the agenda for the Monday night meeting.

Zernick said that the study findings will be presented to the school’s Joint Operating Committee sometime in the first half of 2026, but could not provide a more detailed estimate.

According to Zernick, school administrators need more time to work with the architecture firm in order to complete the study before presenting it to the committee, which is composed of representatives from the eight send-school districts that fund the GACTC.

The exact recommendations that will be outlined by the architects are unknown, but some degree of expansion and/or renovation project to increase the student capacity of the current school building is likely, given the steadily growing enrollment numbers and physical limitations of the existing facility.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.