By Brittney Bennett - Published December 6, 2024
The William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center project has officially begun construction! Located in Brandywine, Maryland, the Schmidt Center, colloquially known as “Camp Schmidt,” is Prince George’s County Public Schools’ center for environmental education. Camp Schmidt offers many opportunities for students across the district to participate in environmental literacy programming. Onsite instruction includes the 1st-grade program, 5th-grade residential program, Envirothon, and team-building opportunities for students and staff. The Center also participates in outreach programming for kindergarten, 3rd grade, 6th - 8th grade, and high school.
The Department of Capital Programs’ William S. Schmidt Center project aims to modernize the district’s cherished camp. The 450-acre campus consists of multiple buildings and structures in four separate clusters located on the eastern side of the property. Various buildings on the campus are severely outdated, with all of the buildings being constructed between 1956 and 1982. The modernization of Camp Schmidt will include the construction of several new spaces, all designed by the project architect, Quinn Evans Architect, Inc. The scope of the project will include:
Earlier this fall, the project’s construction managers, Oak Contracting, LLC, began construction on the campus. Oak Contracting’s site work contractor mobilized on site in early August and has since completed the site surveying, staking and layout planning for Village I (currently the Neville area), and the water pretreatment plant site. Additionally, 2,000 linear feet of silt fence has been installed, demolition of the bathroom pavilion has been completed, and site layout and clearing for the Dining Hall site has also been completed. Submittal approvals and concrete prep work for the Dining Hall are ongoing, and concrete formwork for the basement footings and walls is scheduled to begin in mid-December 2024.
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2026.
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