South Kingstown and school committee approve Stage 3 design package for new high school; $150 million project remains on track

The Town Council and School Committee, meeting jointly Monday evening, voted to support submission of the Stage 3 design-development package for the South Kingstown High School replacement project to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).

Project executives and the design team told the councils the overall project budget remains $150 million and that the construction budget for the new high school is approximately $116 million. At design development, the project’s construction estimate totals about $121 million, leaving a design‑development variance from the construction budget of roughly $5.0 million; after reconciliation of add‑backs and offsets that “true variance” was described as about $3.3 million.

Chris Spiegel, project executive with Left Field, and Kate Turner, the project manager, led a technical presentation with architects and engineers that covered cost estimate detail, schedule, site plan, stormwater and value-management options. Their team said the design-development estimate includes trade costs, a contractor contingency (3%), and estimate protections to cover remaining design gaps and escalation; those elements together yielded the $121 million figure presented to design stakeholders.

Key budget figures presented to the council and school committee: - Total project budget: $150,000,000 (voter-authorized top line). - Construction budget (hard-cost target): approximately $116,000,000. - Design‑development estimate (Gilbane/estimator): about $121,000,000. - FF&E and technology allocation: $3,500,000. - Professional services and project expenses: about $12,800,000. - Owner’s contingency (outside hard-cost budget): $6,800,000 (approximately 5% of hard costs).

Turner and the contractor explained the $5.0 million arithmetic difference is the initial variance on paper; through identified adjustments (soil reuse, structural-connection refinements, permit fee negotiations with the Union Fire District, some scope adjustments and add alternates) that amount was reduced toward a $3.3 million “true variance.” The team said it has identified roughly $1.1 million of additional design-efficiency opportunities and expects buy‑out savings on trade packages as bids are issued in July. They said they do not anticipate borrowing beyond the $150 million voter authorization.

Schedule and approvals: the design team said it planned to submit the Stage 3 package to RIDE immediately after the meeting and sought council approval of early site-enabling/temporary‑power contracts in mid-July to allow a summer construction start and a compressed schedule for power relocation. The team highlighted a critical mid-July set of early bid packages (steel, concrete, switchgear) and an early‑work GMP negotiation window in late July to early August.

Site and neighborhood issues: the team described a site layout that places the new building on the existing practice field, with the current school demolished after occupancy to create community fields. They told councilors the project includes buffering and fencing around parking areas and that fencing details (transparent vs. solid) will be revisited with abutters. Engineers described an off‑site stormwater add‑alternate (improvements in the School Street watershed) estimated at roughly $221,000 and a pedestrian walkway alternate at about $100,000; those were presented as bid alternates that the town could elect to buy at the end of the project if budget and bid savings allow.

Value management and cost reductions under study include strategic glazing reductions (targeting a 10% curtain-wall/storefront reduction estimated to save roughly $240,000), selective use of bird‑friendly frit on glass (the full frit package was estimated near $600,000), site-detail changes (Cape‑Cod berm vs. precast curb), and a theater‑equipment refinement that would reuse recently purchased school gear rather than over‑design a new package.

Several councilors and school committee members pressed the team on specific line items and on schedule risk related to Rhode Island Energy’s timeline for temporary service; the project team said Rhode Island Energy had been engaged and that the power‑relocation window is the schedule’s most critical external dependency.

After the presentation, the School Committee moved and approved the resolution recommending submission of the Stage 3 design-development package to RIDE; the Town Council then adopted a companion resolution supporting the submission. Both votes were recorded as affirmative (voice votes recorded as passing).

The design team said it will return with final bid results for early packages in late July/early August, present GMPs, and continue pursuing value‑management opportunities to close the remaining variance without compromising essential program elements such as the CTE and music areas.