Central Falls School Building Committee approves bond requisitions, hears updates on high school and dual-language projects

The Central Falls School Building Committee approved two bond requisitions for the new Central Falls High School and received progress updates on multiple school construction projects during a meeting that opened at 10:03 a.m. and adjourned at 10:45 a.m.

The committee voted to combine and approve bond requisition (reimbursement request) numbers 25 and 26. The motion to approve the invoices was made, seconded and carried by voice vote; no recorded roll-call tally was provided in the meeting transcript.

Why it matters: The approvals release funds tied to the high school construction and keep multiple workstreams—turnover coordination, equipment installation and upcoming demolition—on the district’s timeline.

High school construction progress Erica (staff member) reported that interior work at the new high school is active and nearing completion in many areas: painting and millwork are under way in the community wing; floor protection remains in place in classrooms where flooring has been installed; ceiling grid and light fixtures are being installed; whiteboards are mounted and the teaching-wall openings for smart boards are prepared. The auditorium remains in framing and painting stages. Exterior work includes siding installation, roof metal coping, exterior railings, sidewalks and retaining-wall work; a gas meter has been installed.

Erica said the project team is “very much actively beginning or in the midst of turnover coordination,” noting on-site meetings with school staff, the new principal Carmen, and contractors about furniture, fixtures and equipment. She said the team is conducting stakeholder tours and coordinating with the fire and IT departments about equipment locations and emergency access.

Budget and procurement notes Erica said the project is about 81% expended to date. The team increased the line for third-party testing and special inspections from $250,000 to $275,000 by moving $25,000 from owner soft-cost contingency; Erica said the overall project total has not changed. Erica also said the MBE/WBE participation figure rose slightly this month after a change order related to ICD’s move-management contract added a WBE subcontractor.

Change order 12 and freight/“freight farm” addition Erica described change order 12 as including work to add a cold-water line to accommodate a freight-farm unit; she reported the district received outside funding for the freight-farm unit, which had been carried as an alternate. Later in the meeting staff noted that change order 12 is a credit to the project of $32,000. The transcript does not record a separate roll-call vote on change order 12.

Track and field replacement The committee heard an update that the permit for the track-and-field replacement was issued by the entity named in the transcript as “Bridal.” Because pricing from the contractor for a new concession building was higher than expected, the team decided not to proceed with the concession building in order to prioritize the track replacement and the retaining-wall work. The retaining wall work is being evaluated as a potential change order under BRAIT (as identified in the transcript). The project team said they plan to put the track-and-field portion out to bid to seek competitive pricing from firms that specialize in athletic-field work.

Dual-language preK–8 design and RIDE submission Staff reported the dual-language preK–8 project had a RIDE (Rhode Island Department of Education) pre-submission meeting on Sept. 17; RIDE requested supplemental materials (including demolition/abatement documentation, fencing on plans, budget cover letters, a value-engineering log and updated phasing strategy). Justin (design team) said those supplemental items are being assembled and that the project remains on the target schedule: 60% design in March and final documentation by June (timeline presented in the meeting). Justin also said RIDE indicated the demolition/abatement package for the existing high school could be submitted separately—potentially accelerating the schedule—and that the team will bring that sequencing option to ownership and this committee when timing is confirmed.

Design decisions and value engineering The design team presented floor-plan changes that reconfigured the right side of the dual-language building to preserve both dining spaces while removing the stage; moving utility spaces (toilets, storage) provided the square-footage savings needed to approach the project’s budget target. Renderings show the lower level primarily masonry for durability, with fiber-cement panels on upper floors and varying blue tones intended to reference Central Falls. Committee members requested bilingual signage be part of future branding discussions.

Demolition timing and hazardous-materials work Staff and the design team discussed sequencing the demolition and abatement work so that building demolition could occur in mid to late spring to align with the district’s timing for vacating the existing school. Staff said the demolition package will rely on the hazardous-materials consultant’s and estimator’s assessments and that a more precise demo cost will be available at the 60% estimating set.

Workforce and participation metrics The meeting noted apprenticeship/minority participation metrics: the transcript shows 26% minority hours reported for the most recent month and 20.94% project to date. The project team continues to track MBE/WBE subcontractor involvement and minority-hours utilization.

Votes at a glance - Approval of meeting minutes (motion made by Sarah; seconded by Hannah): approved by voice vote (no roll-call tally provided). - Approval of combined bond requisition numbers 25 and 26 (motion made and seconded): approved by voice vote; transcript records no roll-call tally.

What the committee left open The committee discussed but did not record a formal vote in the transcript on whether to proceed with a prefabricated (metal) gym shell versus conventional construction for the dual-language school; the design team will return with cost comparisons, life-cycle estimates and pros/cons at a future meeting. There is no firm vote recorded in the transcript approving change order 12 beyond staff noting it is a $32,000 credit.

The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.