Jan. 14, 2026 - Building Committee Meeting

APPROVED February 11, 2026

MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING

Oliphant Administration Building

Michael S. Pinto Conference Room

26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842

January 14, 2026, 4:30pm

Members in Attendance:

| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| X | Yes | Edward Brady | Chair, Community Member |
| X | 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 |
| X | Yes | Thomas P. Welch, III | Town Council Vice President |
| X | Yes | Peter Connerton | Town Council Member |
| X | Yes | Donna Sweet | Middletown High School Principal |
| X | 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 |
| X | Yes | Dan Thibeault | Community Member |
| P | Alternate | Gregory Huet | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| N | Alternate | Christopher Logan | Alternate Town Council Member |
| P | 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 4:30 pm by Chair Ed Brady.  Twelve (12) of thirteen (13) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.

·         Also present: Colin McCarthy, Colliers Project Leaders

·         Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, Tina Stanislaski, HMFH Architects; Emma Osborne, DBVW Architects.

·         ** MOTION:** Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from December 10, 2025, and Peter Connerton seconded.

·         ** DISCUSSION:** None

·         ** VOTE:** The motion passed unanimously (12-0).

·         Chair Ed Brady explained that the town ordinance requires that the Building Committee officers be re-appointed on an annual basis.

·         Chair Brady then nominated Don Morin for the position of Secretary.  There were no additional nominations.

·         ** DISCUSSION:** None

·         ** VOTE:** Don Morin was re-elected as Secretary on a unanimous vote (12-0).

·         Chair Brady then turned the meeting over to Secretary Morin, who asked for nominations for Chair.  Tom Welch nominated Ed Brady.  There were no additional nominations.

·         ** DISCUSSION:** None

·         ** VOTE:** Ed Brady was re-elected as Chair on a unanimous vote (12-0).

·         Secretary Morin turned the meeting back over to Chairman Brady, who nominated Bill Nash for Vice Chair.  There were no additional nominations.

·         ** DISCUSSION:** None

·         ** VOTE:** Bill Nash was re-elected as Vice Chair on a unanimous vote (12-0).

3.1   No Update

5.1   MSHS Project Update

·         Colin McCarthy explained that the monthly dashboard report from Gilbane was shared with the Building Committee and the information he was sharing at this meeting was a summary of that report.

·         Safety Update

·         Zero Recordable Injuries.  Gilbane continues to focus on project safety daily.

·         Colin added the there was a near miss last week where a crane that was being moved tipped over by a small amount, requiring two additional cranes be brought onsite to address the issue.  A follow-up is being performed by Gilbane and the contractor to understand the root cause of the issue and to determine what can be done to prevent a similar occurrence.

·         Document Control

·         185 Submittals in review

·         17 RFI’s in review

·         Schedule

·         The first concrete slab placement took place on 1/13/2026 and went well.

·         A Noise Variance for future concrete placements will be requested at the January 20, 2026 Town Council Meeting.

·         Financial Status

·         Estimated PCO’s: $598,788.  The funding for any process change orders that get approved will come from the owner’s contingency.

·         Colin explained that a PCO is used for an out of scope item that was not in the original plan, such as the fiber connection from the school to the press box.  It is needed but was inadvertently left out of the original plans.

·         Economic Inclusion

·         MBE/WBE participation: 15.3% - meeting the goal

·         Progress Photos

·         Drone Flyover – Colin shared the drone footage taken by Gilbane in December, just before the holidays.

·         Colin then walked through some construction photos of the steel erection in the middle school wing, the stormwater detention system, the tarp being used to wrap the school to allow for temporary heat until the warmer weather arrives, the second-floor concrete slab pour, and underground utilities.

5.2   Valley Elementary Project Update

·         Colin McCarthy provided the following update on the work at Valley Elementary:

·         New Water Service Design

·         A new design is required by Newport Water.

·         The design is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.

·         Summer 2026 Preplanning – first OAC meeting in 2026 was held last week

·         Primary Focus for summer of 2026

·         Nurse’s Suite

·         First Floor Bathrooms

·         Elevator Shaft

·         New water Service pending coordination with Newport Water

·         The next OAC meeting on 2/18/26 (during February vacation) at the school will focus on safety, logistics, and coordination.  Colin requested that Principal Sweet be in attendance for that meeting.

5.3   Budget Update

·         Colin shared the following budget update:

·         Project Funding Available: $194,684,308

·         $190,000,000 Bond Funded

·         $484,308 Appropriation from General Fund

·         $4,200,000 Bond Interest

·         Valley ES & MSHS Budget: $193,555,300

·         Expenditures to Date: $33,602,400

·         Contracted: $170,264,800

·         Total Anticipated Costs (excluding Contingences): $181,676,800

5.4   RI NEVI Phase 2A Community Charging RFA Application Status

·         The NEVI grant application was submitted on August 15th.

·         Original grant responses were due by October 1st, but they were delayed per an email received from the RI Office of Energy Resources on November 3, 2025.

·         No response was received from the RI Office of Energy Resources as of December 4th, and an out-of-office e-mail response was received from the administrator indicating she was out of the office until December 8th.

·         An email was eventually received on December 7th indicating that two final internal signoffs are required, but no timetable was provided.

·         On December 29,2025 an email was received from the administrator noting that approvals and notifications are targeted for early 2026.

5.5   Four Week Look Ahead

·         A meeting with RIDE is scheduled for 1/15/26 to review Stage III requirements for the Forest Avenue Elementary School Design so the district can better understand the requirements before submitting a proposal.

·         Work Plan: MS/HS storm detention system install, MEP underground installation, areas C & D structural steel erection, area A concrete slabs, and area A roofing prep

·         Valley Elementary Summer 2026 Preplanning will continue.

·         The update from Colliers can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dSPCQMe_At_SpC4bxr_2PImqMXFrbaai/view?usp=sharing.

6.1 Cultural, Historical, Memorial Subcommittee Update

·         Bill Nash informed the Committee that the Cultural, Historical, Memorial Subcommittee is planning to meet with Matt LaRue and the design team on January 27, 2026.

·         Bill, Tami and Tom have walked through the Gaudet School and the High School to get an idea of what things should be maintained for the new Middle/High School.

·         Bill thanked principals Sweet and Haas for their assistance with the tours and for gathering ideas for memorializing items currently in the schools.

·         Ideas for graphics are also being gathered.

·         Principal Sweet informed the Committee that ideas for a time capsule are being pursued.

·         Assistant Superintendent Fonseca added that she and Principal Sweet had an opportunity to visit the Garden City School in Cranston, which is a new school.  She shared how wonderful it was to see less cluttered classrooms where teachers expressed that it was a better environment in which students can learn.

·         Matt LaRue informed the Committee that their furniture consultant will start setting up user group meetings to define the components of the FF&E budget.

6.2 Four Week Look Ahead

·         The noise ordinance discussion is on the next Town Council agenda on January 20th.

Adjournment:

·         ** MOTION**: Tom Welch moved for the Building Committee to adjourn at 5:15pm and Peter Connerton seconded. The motion passed unanimously (12-0).

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin