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Middletown committee reviews fundraising, naming policies and preservation requests for new campus
Summary
Committee members reviewed a fundraising and naming strategy for the new campus, discussed a donor wall and named facilities, and cataloged existing memorials on the Gaudet campus that committee members want to preserve or relocate.
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — At its Feb. 12 meeting the Middletown School Building Committee considered fundraising and naming opportunities for the new school campus and discussed how to handle memorials and historically named spaces from the existing Gaudet campus.
The consulting team presented a list of potential fundraising opportunities — naming rights for fields, auditorium, and media centers, donor benches and a proposed donor wall at the forum stair — and described a process for administering donor programs. "We would need to obviously put out a program offering opportunities for fundraising and donor placement," said Justin (owner’s representative). "Somebody will have to administer that, and it's going to have to pull on you, Billy, of course."
Why it matters: naming and donor programs require a defined approval pathway; the committee said the school committee and town council will both be involved depending on the gift type and policy thresholds.
Process and approvals
Committee members said naming proposals typically go first to the school committee for recommendation and then to the town council where required. Staff reported the naming and donor policies were refreshed last September; not all gifts or naming items require council approval and the policy defines which items must be escalated.
The committee discussed approaching private foundations such as the Champlin and Van Buren foundations as part of fundraising outreach and noted the superintendent already maintains a list of potential donors.
Preservation, memorials and a tree relocation
Members also cataloged named features on the existing Gaudet campus that they want to consider preserving or memorializing in the new design. Examples cited included the Barry Clark Gymnasium, the planetarium and a tree planted in memory of a student (identified in the packet as planted in 02/2012). Committee members discussed the practical difficulty of preserving a mature courtyard tree and suggested relocation or replanting as a more practical option if a tree cannot be moved intact.
"We need to be at least conscious of that. I would just ask people out there who are listening and who read this, that they please bring it to our attention sooner rather than later," said Bill Nash, vice chair of the committee, urging early public notice so preservation requests can be evaluated while it remains practical and safe to do so.
Next steps
Committee members asked staff to compile a comprehensive list of currently named spaces on the Gaudet campus and to present the naming policy and recommended process to the school committee. If the committee supports specific naming or donor placements, staff said they will prepare the package for the school committee and, where required by policy, the town council.
