Council hears updates on municipal building preconstruction, grants and senior‑center programming

North Smithfield officials updated the Town Council on several capital projects, grant awards and senior‑center programming at the Oct. 20 meeting.

Municipal building task force: David Gibb, the town administrator, said the Municipal Building Review Task Force and the consultant (ECC) recommended awarding a contract to Parasol Builders to serve as construction manager at risk for preconstruction services. The preconstruction phase would run roughly two months and is intended to generate hard construction estimates from subcontractors; Mr. Gibb said staff will return with a funding plan once firm numbers are available. A preconstruction fee figure of about $17,000 was cited during discussion as the estimated cost to reach that stage.

Pacheco Park and other grants: Mr. Gibb said the town has multiple grant actions underway. Among them: • A previously awarded grant of $1,175,000 for a St. Paul Street water‑main project is now fully executed. • The town received a $91,000 Municipal Technical Assistance grant from Rhode Island Housing to advance a second‑stage mark/study and land‑use/zoning work tied to a proposed Route 146 tax‑increment financing (TIF) district; the town will work with a state‑selected consultant for that stage. • Staff reported plans to submit a package to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (Open Space and Recreation) to replace a playground, add an accessible play structure, develop a trail around Pacheco Park, and improve parking and signage; the total project cost was described as roughly $850,000 and the town said it has some matching funds for the play structure component. • The administration has applied to the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for up to $50,000 to develop a comprehensive flood‑management plan for the Davy Brook corridor, an area that has experienced recurring flooding; staff said a corridor‑level plan is needed so that fixes at individual crossings (such as culvert upgrades) do not simply shift flooding downstream.

Senior center programming and donations: Linda (senior services staff) reported that after the town assumed programming at Scouters Hall, staff recorded approximately 1,600 program visits across June through September, with class sizes that ranged from small (meditation) to as many as 27 attendees for some activities. Ms. Linda said the town received a grant from the Office of Healthy Aging (approximately $20,700 reported in discussion) and an in‑kind or cash contribution from UnitedHealthcare of $2,500 to support a Veterans Appreciation dinner. She also reported that an on‑site Medicare enrollment volunteer had scheduled appointments through Dec. 7.

Next steps: For the municipal building project, the council discussed using preconstruction to develop accurate cost estimates before deciding whether to pursue a bond or other financing; the council and administration are coordinating timelines with bond counsel. For Pacheco Park and other grant applications, staff said they will return with formal proposals and that the parks & recreation advisory committee has been involved in planning.

Provenance: The municipal building recommendation and related grant updates appear in the municipal projects and grants portion of the meeting transcript; senior center programming details were provided in the council’s department updates.