Middletown

Minutes · January 31, 2024

Approved February 14, 2024

MP____S BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING Oliphant Administration Building Michael S. Pinto Conference Room

26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842

January 31, 2024 5:00pm

Members in Attendance:

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

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 5:03 pm by Co-Chair Ed Brady. Eleven (11) of eleven (11)

voting members were present or represented by an alternate.

Also present: Justin Bernard and Colin McCarthy, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.

Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, Tina Stanislaski, Alexandra Christiana, Soha Mohammed- Eltaher, HMFH Architects; Doug Brown, Ed Cifune, DBVW Architects; and Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.

Approval of Meeting Minutes from January 17, 2024

M____OTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from January 17, 2024 and Bill

Nash seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).

Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:

Review of NE CHPS Score Card, Registration Fees, and Review Fees

Matt LaRue provided an overview of the CHPS Verified and CHPS Verified Leader Fees. The anticipated budget for the new Middle High School (verified leader) is $9800 and the budget for the high school renovation (leader) is $6100. These costs allow for four criteria interpretations and one appeal per building. The cost breakdown is included in the HMFH presentation: https://5il.co/2e3zd.

Don asked if the CHPS score card for the renovated high school was available and Ed Cifune said that RIDE considers renovations a little differently but meeting the leader criteria won’t be a problem.

Two Week Look Ahead

Weekly meetings with the Middletown Public School staff continue as they review space program efficiencies.

HMFH met with the High School team in person on January 26th to review spaces. They marked up the schematics based on the feedback. The team completed about 50% of the spaces so an additional follow-up will be needed, sometime in the next two weeks.

The updated geotechnical report and civil engineering hydrology reports have not yet been received but are expected in the next week.

A meeting with the electrical engineer was held on January 30th to review options for providing electrical service to the new MS/HS. Ed, Bill and Poe attended. The electrical engineer stated that Rhode Island Energy will be able to provide the needed power, but numerous details still need to be worked out. The preferred power feed would come off Wyatt Rd and RI Energy would provide secondary metering. Further meetings are required concerning the electrical and communication services to the new building.

The two-week look ahead can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2e3zd.

Building and Fire Official Meeting Review

A meeting was held with the local building official and Fire Chief. All of the building official’s questions were answered. A follow-up meeting will need to be scheduled. Bill stated that the building official doesn’t believe there will be any issue with zoning, but clarification is needed whether anything will need to go to the Planning Board for approval.

Marc Thayer suggested that the consultants seek an opinion regarding the fifty-foot electrical easement on the south side of the property. Town Administrator Brown stated that the Town is engaged with RI Energy regarding the need for this easement. Bill Nash added that the electrical feed is targeted to come from Wyatt Road and not Columbia Road.

Bill Nash stated that the size of the generator is still outstanding. The Fire Chief is trying to better understand the potential need to support a warming shelter for Aquidneck Island. Grants may be available to help support the cost of a larger generator if needed.

School Building Committee Update and matters related thereto:

VOTE: To confirm that the project will comply with NE CHPS and to approve registering the project with NE CHPS.

M OTION: Bill Nash moved to confirm that the project will comply with NE CHPS and to approve registering the project with NE CHPS and Theresa Spengler seconded.

Citizen Paul Mankofsky submitted five questions to the Building Committee:

1. Why is the new school on the Gaudet property with wetlands concerns?

2. Demo of Gaudet was shown to cost $2 million in December; is it still the plan to demo the building?

3. RI Dept of Education says the bond should be approved after Stage II, not before. Why did Middletown do it before?

4. Work is being rushed to hit the Feb. 15th deadline; Stage I is deficient (NOTE: Derek Osterman explained that section 10 of the Stage II application is to address RIDE's Stage I questions.)

5. How do we know that the consultants are concerned about the economic viability, reliability, and efficiency of the project?

Bill Nash stated that since these questions weren’t related to the agenda item there

would be no comment from the Building Committee. Update Regarding the School Building Committee Website

Don shared the new website that he and Tami Holden have developed with support from the School District’s IT Director David Annese. The new website will allow for questions from the community to the Building Committee. The process for handling the inquiries still needs to be developed.

Don and Tami requested input from the Building Committee on the website’s design.

The new site that is under development can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/mpsri.net/buildingcommittee?usp=sharing.

ACTION: Develop a process for handling questions from the community and provide feedback. – Ed Brady to schedule a future Building Committee agenda topic

The Town is establishing a process for the community to request pertinent documents.

Bill Nash suggested that a link to this process be added to the School Building

Committee’s website.

ACTION: Add a link to the School Building Committee’s website to direct citizens to the Town’s process for requesting documents. – Don/Tami will work with Marc Tanguay on this.

Citizen Terri Flynn shared some comments on the new website and access to public documents. The comments are as follows:

My name is Terri Flynn; 34 Warren Avenue

I would like to make 2 suggestions regarding the School Building Committee’s Website and Document Storage. As the scope of this project goes back to the vote on regionalization, the first suggestion is to retain, as is, all past, present and future documents, webpages, and resources, for reference purposes. The second suggestion is to ensure all information resources, documents and contracts generated by this project are easily accessible by the public, 24/7, at no charge.

At your January 3rd meeting, the School Building Committee learned about an online platform the town will be using called “Next Request.” According to the internet, this is actually a software program primarily for government to use to facilitate their management of Freedom of Information Act requests. The “NextRequest” platform might make it easier for some members of the public to process a request under the Freedom of Information Act, but it does not meet the criteria for making all public documents easily accessible, real-time, 24/7, with no fees. Recently, a resident was looking to review the deliverables of the Architect’s contract for this project. This document was not in the document listing on the School Building Committees’ website. It seems that the Town’s practice is to post online only those contracts that have involved collective bargaining. This suggestion is for the School Building Committee to post on their website ALL information, documents, and contracts generated by the project for full transparency, public service, and 3 additional considerations:

1 We all know that nothing of this scope has been done in Middletown...ever.

2 We also know the October financials for this project show Middletown citizens and businesses will pay out of their own pockets between $230 and $250 Million dollars. For that kind of money, the expectation is that every public document generated would be online for citizens to access any time, 24/7, and without any further additional cost.

3 People don’t know what they don’t know. Citizens have the opportunity to learn about a project by scrolling through the documents and questions generated by the project. People have limited time, and they want information real-time: while it’s on their mind and while they have the time to be online. Leaving any public documents off the established online list or omitting answers to questions asked the School Building Committee, would be withholding both information and educational opportunity that the public is paying for.

Thank you in advance for discussing these suggestions and considerations, and the opportunity to address the Committee. I will email this statement to the Committee so it can be made part of the public record.

School District Update and matters related thereto:

Update Regarding the Middletown Athletic Director’s visit to Saugus Middle/High School

Superintendent Kraeger provided an update on the visit that the Middletown High School Athletic Director (AD) made to the Saugus Middle/High School on January 19th. The AD was very pleased with the visit. The presentation provided by the AD can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2e3z7.

Tami asked if there were any concerns about scheduling the physical education classes.

Superintendent Kraeger agreed to go back and specifically ask the AD about this.

ACTION: Ask the athletic director if there are any concerns with scheduling of physical education classes with the new gymnasium configuration. – Superintendent Kraeger

Bill O’Connell asked if laundry space for the athletic uniforms is available. Tina Stanislaski said that this was a common request and could be included in the new building design.

Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto: Stage II Status Update

Derek Osterman walked the Committee through the outline of the sections in the Stage II application and highlighted those sections that are of interest to the School Building Committee. After the presentation, Derek acknowledged that the same update with some additional backup material was prepared for the joint meeting on Monday, February 5th with the Town Council and School Committee.

If there are any questions about what is being presented on Monday night, they should be sent to Co-Chair Brady, and he will compile them and share them with Colliers prior to Monday night’s meeting. Section 10 of the Stage II application will contain responses to the Stage I submission questions from RIDE.

Don asked when the full Stage II application would be ready and if the Building Committee would be able to review it before submission, and Derek stated that it would not likely be available due to the volume of material and speed at which Colliers needs to work to assemble the package to qualify for all the bonuses. He added that Colliers will likely need to work up until the deadline to compile the hundreds/thousands of pages of backup information needed to complete the entire application.

Open Action Items

Schedule planning meeting with local building official. – HMFH – This meeting took place on January 26, 2024 at 10am at the Town Hall. Colliers has drafted minutes from this meeting and will make them available to the School Building Committee. This item is now closed.

ACTION: Share minutes from the January 26, 2024 meeting with the local building official and Fire Chief. – Colliers – due 2/14/2024

Develop specifications for operating buses from the renovated Middletown High School property (access, office space, parking space, etc.) – Poe George – due 01/03/2024

Poe will provide an update at the February 14th meeting.

Investigate how Saugus Middle-High School schedules athletic facilities (via the Athletic

Director) – G. Fortunato due 01/03/2024.

The Athletic Director (AD) went up to Saugus on January 19th to meet with their AD. The update was provided. This item is now closed.

Negotiate Colliers Contract Amendment – Shawn Brown – due 2/14/2024.

Shawn Brown informed the Committee that the contract amendment will be reviewed/approved by the Town Council on February 5, 2024.

Determine provisions required for emergency accommodations at MS/HS – HMFH / Colliers

– due 02/14/2024.

More discussion is needed with the Building Official and Fire Chief.

Make recommendation for Vice Chair to School Committee and update to the structure of the Building Committee. – Building Committee – due 2/28/2024

Provide update on when the charge from the School Committee and the ordinance from the

Town Council will be completed. – Co-chair Brady/Colliers

A first reading of the ordinance will take place at the Town Council meeting on February 5, 2024. A School Committee policy will be adopted thereafter.

Add website development to a future SBC Meeting agenda. – Co-Chair Brady / Colliers

This item was covered earlier in the 1/31/2024 meeting. This item is now closed.

Define what types of decisions need to come to the Building Committee versus which can be handled on a day-to-day basis by the Town Administrator. – Co-chair Brady – 2/28/2024

Post a joint meeting on February 5, 2024 to approve the Stage II Application. – SBC, SC, TC –

due 1/31/2024

The Town Council meeting is already posted. Superintendent Kraeger reported that the School Committee and School Building Committee meetings will be posted on 2/1/2024.

Send the Stage II Application Table of Contents to the Building Committee ahead of time so

Building Committee members can be prepared to review the Stage II Application on January

31st. – Colliers – due 1/31/2024

Colliers shared this information along with the meeting agenda. This item is now closed.

Highlight the key sections of the Stage II Application to the Building Committee during its meeting on January 31st. – Colliers – due 1/31/2024

Colliers made this presentation earlier in this meeting. This item is now closed.

Share the process used to capture and monitor open action items, including tracking closed items. – Colliers / D. Morin – due 1/31/2024

Justin Bernard reported that future action item tracking will be performed by the Building Committee and not Colliers. Don will bring a new decision and action log to the next meeting.

The presentation from Colliers can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2e3zb.

Citizen Antone Viveiros shared a recommendation to bring a Construction Manager (CM) onto the project sooner rather than later. He added that the CM would save money for the Town.

Adjournment:

M OTION: Bill Nash moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 6:40pm and Tom Welch seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).

Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on February 14, 2024 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant

Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted, Don Morin