The Okaloosa County School Board approved a $4.47 million renovation project Monday to establish a north campus for Okaloosa Technical College in Crestview.
- The board approved the interior renovations at the facility located at 5660 John Givens Road near Bob Sikes Airport. The project includes $2.49 million for renovations and $1.63 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment.
According to documents presented at the meeting, the renovations will convert the existing building into classroom and lab spaces for welding, cybersecurity, plumbing and manufacturing programs. The project will reconfigure existing spaces and create new circulation corridors to separate different disciplines, along with minor finish upgrades to flooring, painting and ceilings.
Dr. Bill Smith, Program Director of Facilities Planning, told the board the facility could be partially open by this fall. Smith noted that while significant work remains, the building is already in good condition. The primary expense associated with this task order stems from the far northern section, which will be repurposed for welding and manufacturing. As a result, significant modifications will be required in that area.
- Smith confirmed the property was acquired with funds from Triumph Gulf Coast, a nonprofit corporation that distributes funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement.
The OTC North project has been in development since at least November 2023, when the district began discussing plans to expand Okaloosa Technical College to northern Okaloosa County. At that time, the district submitted a pre-application to Triumph Gulf Coast for $7.85 million to purchase and renovate the 40,000-square-foot building on 7 acres in the industrial air park.
The expansion aims to increase access for residents in Crestview, Baker and Laurel Hill who currently must travel to the sole OTC campus in Fort Walton Beach.
Jon Williams, director of Okaloosa Technical College, previously said the north campus would target high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, welding, electronics, building trades, construction design technology, plumbing, industrial pipefitting and applied cybersecurity. The goal is to enroll over 150 students in the first year of operation.
