7 programs bumped off campus by $46M Tri-Tech school renovation
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- Kennewick begins $46M Tri-Tech modernization; 7 programs shift off campus.
- Construction replaces aging systems, upgrades safety, and retools layout by 2026.
- Tri-Tech enrollment stays strong as districts expand career-focused academies.
Some Tri-Tech Skills Center programs will be moved off campus for the 2025-26 school year as Kennewick School District begins a $46 million renovation.
The project will replace infrastructure, modernize classrooms and reconfigure the layout of the school’s main 66,000-square-foot building, originally built in 1981.
The goal is to provide students in existing programs with a modern learning environment, to slash higher maintenance costs by updating the old building core, and to provide students and staff with a safer place to work and study.
Tri-Tech is a tuition-free technical and professional training academy that serves all Tri-City students, age 16-20, who have yet to receive their high school diplomas.
About 1,100 students from all over the Tri-Cities are enrolled in the school, spending half their days at the center and the other half taking traditional classes at their home high schools.
The goal is to graduate students with work-place relevant skills, such as auto repair, dental assisting, firefighting and culinary arts, that give them a leg up in the job market.
School Director Paul Randall said it’s important for students to get a head start into these important trades. He cited a statistic that for every five retirees leaving the skilled trades, only about two young workers are going in.
“Skills centers, what we do, is critical for the workforce supply,” he said.
Safety systems have been added and patched on to the building over time, but it does not meet current code requirements or safety protocols.
Infrastructure — including electrical, plumbing, roofing and mechanical systems — will be replaced throughout. Randall says it’s a project that’s been a long time in the making.
Chervenell Construction began work on July 7 and is expected to finish by the end of summer 2026, according to a Kennewick School District spokesperson.
The city issued the final permits this month to make $34 million in improvements.
Temporary homes for Tri-Tech
Seven programs will be moved off-campus while the project is ongoing. The rest will remain at 5929 West Metaline Ave.
- Early childhood education, dental assisting, digital arts and filmmaking and video game design will move to the Fruitland Building at 201 S. Garfield Street.
- Auto systems, diesel technology and welding technology will be at the V Building at Columbia Basin College in Pasco.
The Tri-Tech campus continues to see investment and the addition of new buildings as interest in non-traditional classwork grows in the region.
“Enrollment requests from students continue to exceed the Skills Center’s capacity and are projected to remain high,” read a 2022 request for funding. “In addition to the interests of students, workforce development expectations drive the Skills Center to continuously adapt and expand its programs.”
Tri-Tech students are paired with instructors with years of industry experience and knowledge, and regularly placed in job shadows, internships and clinics throughout their time in the program.
Students have their choice of 19 programs, focused on high wage, high-demand careers, for the 2025-26 school year.
It’s a learning format so popular that Pasco School District is putting their own spin on it.
Orion High School, a “career and college academy,” will open in East Pasco this fall and exclusively serve families living within the district boundaries.
Up to 600 students will be served with learning designed with input from business and industry leaders so students can find “success in high-demand, high-wage careers or further educational opportunities,” say school officials.
It will offer four signature programs: Health sciences, engineering, advanced manufacturing and an individualized career path exploration.
Expanding Kennewick campus
The Tri-Tech modernization is being funded by the Washington Legislature through the state’s capital budget, which allocates dollars for construction, maintenance and improvements of facilities for career and technical education.
Randall credits Tri-City lawmakers — especially those in the 8th Legislative District — for prioritizing this project. He also thanked the City of Kennewick for their cooperation.
“All those folks really played a key role in keeping it in front of the decision makers,” he said.
Maintenance costs over the last decade have required significant investments from Kennewick district, and continue to rise. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on HVAC repairs, roof patches and fire sprinkler system repairs since 2016.
Newer sections of the building were added on in 2007 and 2020, so this modernization will not touch those newer spaces.
The campus also added space away from the main building. In 2018, it opened the remodeled East Building for new programs manufacturing and pre-physical therapy, then in 2023 added classrooms for its pre-veterinary and pre-electrical programs.
The district has identified pharmacy tech and HVAC/plumbing as in-demand careers and likely candidates for expansion. But the core modernization is focused on improving facilities for existing programs.
