Feb. 14, 2024 - Building Committee Meeting

Middletown

Minutes · February 14, 2024

Approved February 28, 2024

MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING

Oliphant Administration Building

Michael S. Pinto Conference Room

26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842

February 14, 2024 5:00pm

Members in Attendance:

X = Present/Voting; R=Represented; P=Present/Non-voting; N=Not Present

*Theresa Spengler arrived at 5:09pm. Bill O’Connell represented Theresa until she arrived.

· The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Co-Chair Ed Brady. Ten (10) of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.

· Also present: Colin McCarthy, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders; Manuel Cordero, Civic.

· Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, Tina Stanislaski, Alexandra Christiana, Soha Mohammed-Eltaher, Connor Heinzman, Justin Viglianti, and Olivia Ouellette, HMFH Architects and Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.

2.1 Approval of Meeting Minutes from January 10, 2024

· ** MOTION:** Bill Nash moved to accept the meeting minutes from January 10, 2024 and Tom Welch seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

1.2 Approval of Meeting Minutes from January 31, 2024

· ** MOTION:** Bill Nash moved to accept the meeting minutes from January 31, 2024 and Tom Welch seconded.

· ** DISCUSSION:** Bill mentioned that he made the motion to adjourn the meeting on the 31

1.3 Approval of Meeting Minutes from February 5, 2024

· ** MOTION:** Bill Nash moved to accept the meeting minutes from February 5, 2024 and Tom Welch seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

Chevron Parking Draft Waiver Review

· Matt LaRue provided an overview of the Chevron Parking Draft Waiver. The waiver will need to go to the School Committee for approval and signed by the Superintendent.

· RIDE requires that school buses be parked away from the curb to reduce the potential for exhaust fumes to enter the building.

· There are many reasons why this parking arrangement is not recommended:

o Students would have to walk across the driveway to get to the curb. The School District would prefer that students get on and off the buses at the curb. This will reduce the distance for the students and will shorten the time to get to/from the bus. Longer distances are also less appealing during inclement weather.

o Increased pavement would be required for the Chevron pattern, increasing the impervious area and impacting the stormwater management.

o Athletic field space would be impacted.

o There will be enough distance between the curb and the front door of the school to prevent exhaust fumes from entering the building. Makeup air handlers will be located on the roof, which is a sufficient distance away from the curb.

o Buses continue to become cleaner burning vehicles.

o It would cost more to implement the Chevron pattern.

Two Week Look Ahead

· Potential cell tower requests will be reviewed this week to understand the impact on the existing cell tower during the construction phase.

· A meeting with the RI Infrastructure Bank is scheduled for February 15th to better understand what might qualify for efficient building funds.

· The High School renovation plans will be shared with the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission as a follow-up to a 2022 review by the commission.

· A set of drawings will be sent to the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities this week.

· A printed set of plans will be sent to the Building Inspector and Fire Chief this week.

· A separate meeting with the RI Infrastructure Bank is scheduled for February 21st to review grant opportunities.

· A meeting in person to review high school and middle school spaces is targeted for the week of February 26th with the school principals and staff.

· A review of facilities to look at storage rooms, mechanical spaces, etc. will take place with Poe George the week of February 26th.

· The updated geotechnical report update has been received and an update will be shared with the Building Committee at the next meeting.

· HMFH is still waiting for the civil engineering hydrology report.

· The civil engineer is hoping to schedule a meeting with RIDEM in the next two weeks.

· The entire update from HMFH can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2ezfr.

Educational Plan Update

· Manuel Cordero provided an overview of the Educational Plan that he has been working on for well over a year now. The most recent additions to the plan since his last update are room specifications and design variances to the RIDE guidelines.

· All work continues to be aligned with the School District’s strategic plan.

· Manuel handed out a summary of the quantitative description of the spaces in the new middle and high schools and how they compare to the RIDE guidelines. This allows for the documentation of the variances to the RIDE guidelines.

· RIDE wants to see that your rationale is sound when the guidelines aren’t met. One example is the core classrooms are smaller than the RIDE guidelines, but they are larger than the current classrooms in the district. There are additional collaborative spaces that will provide additional teaching and learning spaces. RIDE simply wants to ensure that the new building design is aligned with the educational needs of the district.

· Variances to the RIDE guidelines are very common, so much so that the decision to approve the variances was ceded from the commissioners to the Secretary of Education due to the frequency of occurrences very early in the process.

· Spatial adjacencies have been created, including the integration of Career and Technical Education spaces into the academic spaces, which is a critical component of the comprehensive high school concept to attain the higher square footage allowed by RIDE.

· The qualitative side of the plan includes the educational goals for the middle and high schools. The schematic design is in alignment with the educational program, as education has always been the central focus from the start.

· The update from Civic can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2ezfs.

Stage II Application Submission Update

· Derek Osterman informed the Committee that the Stage II Application is complete and that the master pdf version is being assembled and checked now. It will be transmitted to RIDE by Thursday, February 15th.

· The reimbursement request will include the amount of the new bond plus some additional capital improvements. The total request will be ~$210.5 million. The Town will have up to five years from RIDE approval to complete the work and will be eligible for reimbursement (anticipated RIDE approval is June, 2024, so reimbursement can be requested through June of 2029).

· Due to the size of the Stage II Application, a copy will be placed on the Town server in the Next Request system and a link will be added to the Building Committee website.

Look Ahead for School Building Committee in the Next Phase

· Co-Chair Ed Brady informed the Committee that the next major milestone for the Building Committee is to get a signed contract with a Construction Manager by June 30, 2024.

· The Building Committee will perform technical reviews and interviews to narrow down the top three applicants like it did for the OPM and Architect. Negotiations will then take place with the top selection to try to get a signed contract by June 30, 2024.

· At the same time the Committee will be moving into its advisory role as we move into the Design Development phase of the project.

· One final area of focus for the Community will be to improve its community outreach.

· Bill Nash added that some housekeeping work regarding Building Committee membership and selection of officers will need to take place once the Town Council approves the new ordinance that will govern the School Building Committee’s work.

· ** MOTION**: Tom Welch moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 5:46pm and Theresa Spengler seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on February 28, 2024 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin