Mar. 26, 2025 - Building Committee Meeting

Approved April 9, 2025

MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING

Oliphant Administration Building

Michael S. Pinto Conference Room

26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842

March 26, 2025 5:00pm

Members in Attendance:

| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| X | Yes | Edward Brady | Chair, Community Member |
| N | Yes | William Nash | Vice Chair, School Committee Clerk |
| N | Yes | William Niemeyer | Superintendent of Schools |
| X | Yes | Tami Holden | School Committee Member |
| X | Yes | Ed Collins | Middletown Shared Facilities Director |
| N | Yes | Thomas P. Welch, III | Town Council Vice President |
| X | Yes | Peter Connerton | Town Council Member |
| N | Yes | Donna Sweet | Middletown High School Principal |
| N | Yes | Michelle Fonseca | Asst Superintendent for Teaching and Learning |
| R | Yes | Shawn Brown | Town Administrator, Local Budget Official |
| X | Yes | Don Morin | Secretary, Community Member |
| X | Yes | Marc Thayer | Community Member |
| N | Yes | vacant | Community Member |
| X | Alternate | Gregory Huet | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| N | Alternate | Christopher Logan | Alternate Town Council Member |
| N | Alternate | Jerry Haas | Gaudet Middle School Principal |
| X | Alternate | Marc Tanguay | Town Finance Director, Alt. Local Budget Official |

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

·        The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Chair Ed Brady.  Eight (8) of thirteen (13) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.

·        Also present: Justin Bernard and Colin McCarthy, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders; Ed Cifune, DBVW Architects.

·        Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue and Tina Stanislaski, HMFH Architects

2.      Consider and Vote on Meeting Minutes from March 12, 2025

·        ** MOTION:** Marc Thayer moved to accept the meeting minutes from March 12, 2025 and Peter Connerton seconded.

·        ** DISCUSSION:** None.

·        ** VOTE:** The motion passed unanimously (8-0).

·        Matt LaRue provided a design update on the shared cafeteria space in the new Middle/High School.  The area is split for separate use by the middle school and high school students.  A variety of seating types will be arranged throughout the two spaces, some fixed and some moveable.

·        While the two spaces are separate, they can be connected through a set of double doors.  The walls surrounding the cafeteria space will be tiled, and the vision is to reflect the wave logo via different colors within the tiles.

·        Outside windows will provide ample natural light for the area, and one can view the area from third floor windows within the surrounding spaces that overlook the space.

·        The ceiling area will contain acoustic panels for noise control with some additional panels along the walls to meet the acoustical requirements as defined by the consultant.

3.2 Elementary School Add Alternate List

·        Ed Cifune shared the Add Alternate list for the future elementary school (current high school).  The list is comprised of three items currently in the bid documents while the consultants work on a fourth item to add via addendum:

o   Replace existing roof at cafeteria, gym entry, library, science wing and mechanical room, which is the balance of the roof that wasn’t addressed when the last roof work took place.

o   Replace column enclosures at gym and cafeteria

o   Renovate toilet room core on first floor near main entry to adult height

o   Install new elevator (via addendum).  The base bid includes refurbishing of the existing lifts.  This elevator is an addition to the existing lifts and will be added in the next addendum so Bentley can put it out to bid.

3.3 Permitting – RIDEM, RIDOT

·        Matt LaRue informed the Committee that the civil engineer has completed initial stormwater calculations and has shared them with the Town Planner for review.  Once the response from the Town Planner is received, HMFH will share it with RIDEM.

·        Matt added that a standalone package to gather the additional survey work is being developed.

3.4 Two Week Look Ahead

·        Bidding RFI’s and/or Addenda (as needed) will be supported as they come in from the Construction Managers.  One addendum has been issued thus far, and additional addenda will be issued each Friday as the project progresses.

·        New display boards have been created and will be sent to the printer on March 27th and will be available to the Town next week.

·        The update from HMFH/DBVW can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18A0DpdOPjiXlYp684JP6Grf9l6YjhKuL/view?usp=sharing

4.1   RIDE 60% CD Submission and RIDE Meeting Update

·        Justin Bernard informed the Committee that Colliers met with RIDE on March 13, 2025 to review the MS/HS RIDE Stage III 60% CD package.  RIDE had no comments to share at that meeting but is continuing to review the submission.

·        A review of the DD package for the Elementary School complex also took place at this meeting.  RIDE is satisfied with the latest plan to target 93 CHIPS points but requested that the consultant team investigate additional energy incentives with RI Energy.

·        Colliers met with Vision Energy Solutions, a subconsultant to RI Energy on March 19th who described several incentives that the consultant team should investigate for the future elementary school.  A walk through with Vision Energy Solutions at the current high school is scheduled for Friday, March 28th.  After that meeting, a plan will be submitted to the Town and RIDE in hopes of gaining approval to proceed forward with the 60% CD Submission for the elementary school and putting the project out to bid.

4.2   Construction Bidding and Recommendation to Award (RTA) Process/Schedule

·        Justin shared the Subcontractor RTA Process with the Committee:

1.      100% Construction Documents issued to CM

2.      CM creates Bid Packages

3.      CM distributes Bid Packages to qualified subcontractors

4.      CM Receives and Reviews Bids

5.      CM Hosts Scope Review Meetings with Subcontractor Bidders

6.      Subcontractors Submit Best and Final Bids to CM

7.      CM Levels Subcontractor Bids and Recommends Subcontractor to SBC (RTA)

8.      Building Committee votes to recommend approval of RTA to School Committee and Town Council

9.      School Committee & Town Council approve RTA

10.   CM awards subcontract to subcontractor

·        Justin also shared a preliminary purchase and award schedule that contains six groups of bid packages that will come back to the Building Committee via five RTA requests, with groups three and four to be presented at the same meeting.

·        The initial RTA for the first set of bid packages is planned for the April 30th Building Committee meeting with approval by the School Committee and Town Council at a joint meeting on May 5th.

·        Justin added that the team is targeting the end of August to receive the Gross Maximum Price (GMP) for the MS/HS project from Gilbane.

·        A similar schedule for the bid packages for the elementary school will be shared after the RIDE approval of the 60% CD Submission.

4.3   MS/HS Preliminary Alternate Acceptance Deadlines

·        Justin shared some preliminary acceptance deadlines for the nine alternates for the middle/high school.  Two items that will need early approval are the elevator and roof visual screens.  The Building Committee will need to decide on these two at the 4/30/25 meeting as they are included in the first RTA package that will be presented for approval at that meeting.  A discussion of the pros and cons of the elevator and roof screens will need to take place at the April 9th meeting so a decision can be made at the meeting on April 30th.

·        ** ACTION:** Assign an action item to a member of the Building Committee to bring a recommendation for or against alternate #9 (elevator) and alternate #10 (visual roof screen) to the April 9

·        Along with each package of RTA’s that Colliers brings to the School Building Committee there will be a cost trending log so the Committee will know where the project budget stands as the remaining parts of the project have yet to go out to bid.

4.4   Materials Testing RFP Status

·        Colin McCarthy informed the Committee that the Request for Proposal for Materials Testing has been drafted and shared with the Building Committee’s Technical Review Subcommittee and initial feedback has been received.  The RFP will be issued on April 7, 2025 with proposals due by April 25th.

4.5   Schedule Update

·        The project remains on schedule.  The only update to the schedule is a tentative date was added for the groundbreaking ceremony, which is targeted for June 16, 2025.

4.6   Budget Update

·        Colin informed the Committee that the project remains on budget at $190 million with the total anticipated cost at ~$178 million excluding contingencies.

4.7   Two Week Look Ahead

·        Colliers has a walk-through scheduled with the RI Energy sub-consultant on March 28, 2025.

·        Materials testing proposal RFP is targeted for April 7th.

·        The update from Colliers can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UmjG26HLPgqFMtQKF0knDqqmVIlGGwBj/view?usp=sharing

5.1 Project Labor Agreement

·        Justin Bernard spoke with attorney Bill O’Gara and the feasibility study will be turned over to the town on or before March 31st.  The Town will then need to decide whether to enter into a PLA which will be drafted by the same attorney and subsequently approved by Gilbane.

5.2   Update on Athletic Field Scheduling During Construction

·        Ed Collins informed the Committee that he has been in contact with representatives at Salve Regina and the leaders of the youth sports programs that currently use the fields, such as Pop Warner football that will be offline during the middle/high school construction.  Accommodations are being made to meet the field space needs of all the impacted programs.

5.3   MS/HS Security System

5.3.1 Consider and Vote to award the security system contract direct using the Master Price Agreement from the Rhode Island Division of Purchases

·        Ed Collins recommends that the Town consider removing the security contract from the CM’s scope for the Middle/High School and allow the Town to select its own vendor from the Master Price Agreement from the RI Division of Purchases list.  This will allow the Town to select a system with an open architecture that is easy to support in the future.

·        Justin Bernard mentioned that Gilbane is preparing to remove the security system work from the base bid scope and include it as an alternate.

·        ** MOTION:** Don Morin moved that the Building Committee recommend that the consultants remove the security system scope from the CM’s base bid package and allow the Town to award the security system contract direct using the Master Price Agreement from the RI Division of Purchases list and Peter Connerton seconded.

·        ** DISCUSSION:** No additional discussion.

·        ** VOTE:** The motion passed unanimously (8-0).

5.4 Two Week Look Ahead

·        The next School Building Committee meeting is scheduled for April 9th at 5:00pm.

·        The Technical Review Subcommittee will complete the review of the Materials Testing RFP, so it is ready for posting on April 7th.

·        ** MOTION**: Peter Connerton moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 6:00pm and Marc Thayer seconded. The motion passed unanimously (8-0).

Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on April 9, 2025 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin