Chariho committee selects single unified elementary option for Stage 2; hears statewide transportation pitch

The Chariho Regional School District School Committee voted on Oct. 21 to advance a single unified elementary school option for its Stage 2 application to Ride, the state school-construction office, after several hours of presentation, public comment and committee discussion.

The vote puts the district on a path to a conceptual design and further community engagement ahead of any bond question to voters; district leaders stressed the choice tonight was to authorize Stage 2 work, not to lock in final design or budget.

Superintendent Gina (last name not specified) framed the decision in budget and safety terms, telling the committee that district elementary buildings are aging and that doing nothing necessitates continued, costly reactive repairs. The superintendent said the Stage 2 process is required to access state reimbursement and allowed the district to show an option that could be eligible for the state’s school-construction program.

SLAM, the district’s architecture consultant, presented three broad options to the committee and public: build one unified elementary; renovate or fully gut-and-renovate the existing three elementary schools; or construct three new elementary schools. The presentation included example planning figures and reimbursement scenarios the district said are preliminary and would be refined in Stage 2.

Mario Carreno, identified in the meeting as chief operations officer from Ride, gave a separate, earlier presentation on…