Construction on the new Career Technical Education Center at Ripon High began in May.

The latest progress was the pouring and curing of the concrete foundation.

“We’ll soon see the start of the steel (frames) go up,” said Director of Facilities & Operations Andy Strickland at Monday’s Ripon Unified school board meeting.

He provided an update on the project, which is part of the Agricultural Technology Center – the official name, he added.

This project consisted of the construction of the three portable classrooms at RHS that became available for use in January coupled with the new RHS parking lot that was opened and completed in May, and the three new classroom buildings at Ripon Elementary School – construction on that was last November, with RUSD taking possession of the buildings on July 28.

The two-story CTE building is the centerpiece of the project.

The project is being spearheaded by CT Brayton & Sons.

Once completed, the CTE Center will accommodate a variety of career pathway courses, including ag science, ag business, diesel mechanics, software & systems and patient care, to name a few.

“We’re now about to start the above-ground work,” Strickland said.

He’s hoping for an August completion on the work. “Weather can be a factor – the availability of materials [such as steel] could also slow us down,” said Strickland.

He will continue to provide updates on the CTE project.