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Council authorizes initial bond drawdowns for school and public-safety projects
Summary
North Kingstown council approved staff requests to begin bond drawdowns tied to planned school construction and a public-safety complex, after the town manager and school leaders described next steps and projected costs.
The North Kingstown Town Council on June 9 approved initial drawdowns and authorizations to advance architect and owner’s-project-manager work on a planned middle-school renovation and a public-safety complex.
Town Manager Ralph Mullis told the council the town previously authorized up to $20 million for related school construction work and said staff will move forward with a more limited initial issuance. "We expect to issue the bond anticipation notes later this month," Mullis said, describing coordination with the school department and the timing for drawdowns.
The action followed presentations from the school administration and project teams. The school superintendent, Dr. Dua, said the school committee had awarded contracts for an owner’s project manager (OPM) and an architecture/engineering firm after a competitive process. Mullis and bond counsel David Ferrer explained the town will fund those contract phases from short-term notes, with staff recommending an initial borrowing smaller than the full $20 million previously authorized. Ferrer told the council the contracts will be funded from notes currently being offered for sale.
Councilors asked how much staff planned to draw now. Mullis said internal planning and the school department’s anticipated schedule mean staff will request roughly $10 million in bond anticipation notes in the near term — about $5 million for school-related draws and $5 million for the public-safety project — rather than the full $20 million previously authorized by the council. Mullis said the larger $20 million authorization remains the council’s prior decision but that the next issuance would be smaller based on immediate needs and project schedules. "We have decided internally ... they were only gonna go for 10,000,000 — 5,000,000 for school, 5,000,000 for public safety," Mullis said.
Separately at the meeting school staff cited contract award totals they will manage as part of the multi-year effort. Mullis and the superintendent described $4,385,000 in architect/engineering work and $2,422,610 for OPM services as the project-phase sums conveyed to the council during interviews and bid reviews. The superintendent said the school committee selected new firms to oversee and design the projects after a public procurement process.
The council unanimously approved the staff request to proceed with the drawdowns and authorizations described at the meeting. Council members said they expect continued updates from staff on cost estimates, borings and environmental studies before later approvals of any land purchases or larger bond issuances.
Manager’s reporting at the meeting also covered related scheduling: Mullis said the school department aims to submit its Stage 2 application to the Rhode Island Department of Education by mid-September and that town staff plan bond anticipation notes issuance in the coming weeks, contingent on final schedules and technical work.
The council’s approval now allows the town to move into the next contract and design phases; it does not itself expend construction funds or finalize project bids. Councilors asked staff to return with further details on the timing of draws, cost estimates and any required land-purchase approvals as those elements firm up.
